Slot Machine Myths

It’s hard to find another game in casinos that has more superstitions and myths surrounding them than slot machine games.  For years, thousands of players from around the world have bought into (and lost) a ton of money by following some easy to believe but simply untrue myths related to playing slot machines.  Understanding the most common slot machine myths and superstitions is vitally important as a player as it will save you lots of money and time if you know the straight facts and don’t buy into the falsities.  This article will provide you with an overview of some of the most common slots myths and explain to you why each one is false and should not be used to determine how you play slot machine games.

Myth: Slots have a predetermined pattern of wins and losses

One of the most common myths associated with playing slot machines is that they have some sort of predetermined pattern which determines when the machine will go on hot streaks and pay out and when it will provide a long series of losses.  If you’ve read our article on random number generators, you will know that this is completely false and that every slot machine is just as likely to win (or lose) on one spin as the next.  This is because slots use a computer program to ensure that each and every spin is completely independent from each other.

Myth: Someone just played that slot a ton, it’s bound to hit now

This is another of the most popular slot machine myths were a player assumes that if the person before them has dumped a ton of money into a slot machine that it is bound to pay out really soon.  Once again as with the previously example, this is not true and each spin of the reels is completely random and past play has no affect on future results.  Remember that slots are run by computers that have no emotion and are programmed to provide random results, so just because the person played a lot before doesn’t mean the machine is hot.

Myth: That slot paid out a huge jackpot, I’m going to avoid that machine

This myth is one of the easier ones to buy into since it only seems logical to players that if a machine just paid out the top prize that it is less likely to pay it out again for some while.  The actual truth of this myth though is that since slot machine results are independent and completely random, the slot machine is just as likely to pay out the jackpot in succession as it is to pay out the jackpot after another thousand pulls of the reel.

Myth: The slots closest to the entrance always pay out better

This is somewhat myth and somewhat fact and is hard to actually determine since the casinos won’t offer up this information freely, however it is commonly believed that slots near the entrance tend to pay out more.  There have been cases where these machines are set with much higher payback percentages in comparison to others since patrons are both entering and exiting in this area and seeing someone win is good for business any way you slice it. We do have an article on the odds on slots if you want to see how they really work.

Myth: Slots payout more money when the casino is full of people

This should actually read - slots pay out more often when the casino is full of people.  This of course is completely logical since there are more people playing the machines then when the casino is at half capacity, however the number of people will not make the machines pay out more, you will just notice more people winning since overall there are a ton more machines in play.

Myth: Pulling the lever on the slot is better than pressing the max bet button

Another completely false slot machine myth which has no influence on the result of the game, it does not matter whether you pull the reel or press the button to initiate the game play.  Some players prefer to pull the reel since it is the more traditional form of the game while others enjoy the ease of using the bet button right on the machine.  Whichever you prefer, either choice will not impact whether you win or lose more often while playing the slots. Thank goodness online slots don't have the lever and button mechanisims, it at least guarantees that this is one slots myth you won't fall victim to.

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