If you’re thinking that this article is going to give you a tried and tested, fool proof way to beat the system and win at slots every time you play, we’re sorry; that’s not what this is about. You can’t ‘beat the system’ when it comes to slots since they all work on a random number generator (RNG) system which means no one can possibly predict what way the reels are going to land.
Yet it is possible to gain a kind of edge over the casino when it comes to slots. You can’t guarantee a win, but there are some things you can do that will make it a little more likely. Read on to find out what these things are – some are much easier to pull off than others, including roulette strategies!
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Calculating Probabilities
As we’ve said, it’s just not possible to know where the symbols are going to be when the reels stop spinning in slots. And that’s part of the fun and the thrill of the game, after all. Yet if you can work out what the probability of hitting a winning combination might be, you can at least determine whether the slot you are thinking of playing is worth putting your money into.
The first thing you’ll need to know is what the probability of winning on the slot you want to play is. And you’ll need to know how much you’ll receive (this should be found in the pay table which is a legal requirement). So the second number is easily found, but the first is more difficult. It can be done, though.
Start with the number of reels the game has, and then multiply that number by the number of symbols on each reel, and also by the number of stops on each reel. If you have three reels and they contain five symbols each, the sum would be 5x5x5, which is 125. That means that there are 125 different ways to win. After this, you will want to know how likely it is that you are going to win – that is, what the probability of you winning will be. To do this, you need to know what a winning combination looks like, and go from there. So on a three reel game, if you will win if three specific symbols are lined up, and there is only one of these symbols on each reel, you would do 1/5×1/5×1/5 which is 0.008 and that is your percentage chance of winning.
Can It Really Be Done?
We have to be honest – knowing how to do this and being able to do this are two different things, and it can really only be executed on older games. They have fewer reels and therefore there are fewer winning combinations. In some newer games there are thousands, and the time it would take to work out the probability of anything being won would just not be worth it.
In the end, the best thing you can do when it comes to slots is to pick one with a good RTP and a theme you enjoy. That way, whether you win or lose, you’re still going to have a lot of fun.
