Busting Slot Machine Myths

Many players have witnessed many strange occurrences of slot machines and many of them have formed speculations as to why the machines act that way. Some even attribute them to the reasons why players win and lose.

As a result of hearing these speculations, many players feel disgruntled and disillusioned that somehow the casino is outright cheating them of their hard earned money.

Here are a few of the casino myths:

Myth : All slot machines that have not paid out after a long period is "due".

Slot machines are never pre-programmed to pay off. Slot machines rely on installed computer chips that create random number combinations. These combinations have no pattern and no one can predict the next win. These chips continually spit numbers that correspond to reel combinations and since the chip continually creates these combinations, the next set of numbers cannot be foretold.

Any previous results in a previous spin or play does not have any effect on the next spin or play. If a machine is programmed in such a way that it hits a win of an average of 20,000 spins, chances are that a player who spins the machine 19,999 times would not even win anything. The odds on the next spin would be 20,000 to 1.

If you've just hit the jackpot, your chances of repeating on the next spin also remain 1 in 10,000. Your chances of winning on future spins don't rise and fall with your past results. The odds remain the same.

Myth : Slot machines turn cold in order to heat up for the next payout

Slot machines are very durable machines and are guaranteed to take the stress of millions of spins every year. Casino owners know that slot machines heat up due to the frequent use and not for payout purposes. This myth probably came up when winners have been sitting at the machine for hours and feel the heat build up of the machines so when they heat up and win, players assume it's the heat of the machine that is a give away.

Myth : Betting with one coin means more winning combinations.

The built in computer chips of the slot machine do not and cannot recognize the number of coins plunked in the machine. There is a separate coin counter/refill function for that and they operate independently of each other. The chances or percentages of a winning combination would be the same, regardless of the number of coins wagered.

Myth : Casino operators have a special button that triggers a payout. Many casinos will do a lot of things for loyal customers but never a jackpot. There is no such thing as an operator controlled jackpot switch or button. Casino operators leave the wins up to the random number generator chip to do the job. By keeping a hands off approach to the wins, casino operators also leave their winds and losses up to chance.