Myths, Lies & Misconceptions About Slot Machines
By Alex J. Coyne © 2018 Gifts for Card Players
Slot machines are some of the most popular games on the casino floor – and for online play, too. And people really want to win. This has given rise to some really weird myths about slot machines, how they work and how people can supposedly beat the system. We took a closer look at some myths, lies and misconceptions about slot machines to see if we could get the to jackpot… Er, truth.
Want to try your luck? Check out slot machine games at the Slots Lounge and have a spin or two.
Myth: You’ll never win anything from a slot machine.
Many gamblers avoid slot machines entirely because they’re sure you’ll never win anything from the machines. But nothing could be further from the truth. Slot machines pay out at random – and if you keep playing, there very well is a chance that you could be that random player. Many people have won smaller amounts by playing and knowing when to walk with their winnings, others have gotten super-lucky and taken the jackpot. But yes, you can win from slot machines. Sometimes even free drink vouchers and hotel stays, too.
Myth: The slot machines by the door of the casino are set to pay out more often.
We all know that slot machines by the door must be set to pay out more often to “draw people in”, right? (These slot machines, for the record, are referred to as “loose.”) According to a very in-depth blog post on Travel Vegas, this myth on slot machine placement in casinos simply isn’t true. We double checked this and found the same said by author and gambling expert Steve Bourie (spotted on Aces Guide to Gambling).
Myth: Slot machine payouts are influenced by a player’s membership card.
We’ve seen it asked on a lot of message boards whether or not slot machines are influenced specifically by a player’s membership card instead. Again, we’d have to go with no. Slot machines are random and so are their results. Membership cards are there to keep track of a gambler’s casino credits, vouchers and stay – not give them an unfair advantage!
Myth: You can influence the result of a slot machine by…
The list of things people have tried to rig slot machines are near-endless: Magnets, fake coins, smartphone apps, expensive “how to beat the slot machine” guides… You can’t. If a slot machine is set up as it should be and is working as it should be then you can’t influence its results. (And if, somehow, you are able to, then the slot machine is no longer working as programmed – and you will be cheating, rendering any payouts invalid and you likely charged.)
You can read more about the odds behind slot machines at Wizard of Odds.
Myth: Online slot machines are all rigged.
According to Online Gambling Sites, “The RNGs always produce random and different series of numbers every time you click the spin or bet max button.” Random Number Generators are just that: Random. This counts for (reputable!) online slot machines, video slot machines and good old one-armed bandit machines.
Myth: Always play the full bet.
A lot of gambling advice sites recommend that you always play the full bet. Why? The logic behind this isn’t that higher bets will pay out more often, but that the full bet will pay out a higher ratio if you do strike a win.
Have you heard of any other weird slot machine myths you think we should know about?
