In a modern
slot machine, the odds of
hitting a particular symbol or combination of symbols depends on how
the virtual reel is set up. As we saw in the last section, each stop
on the actual reel may correspond to more than one stop on the virtual
reel. Simply put, the odds of hitting a particular image on the actual
reel depend on how many virtual stops correspond to the actual stop.
In a typical weighted slot machine,
the top jackpot stop (the one with the highest-paying jackpot image)
for each reel corresponds to only one virtual stop. This means that
the chance of hitting the jackpot image on one reel is 1 in 64. If all
of the reels are set up the same way, the chances of hitting the
jackpot image on all three reels is 1 in 643, or 262,144. For machines
with a bigger jackpot, the virtual reel may have many more stops. This
decreases the odds of winning that jackpot considerably.
The losing blank stops above and below
the jackpot image may correspond to more virtual stops than other
images. Consequently, a player is most likely to hit the blank stops
right next to the winning stop. This creates the impression that they
"just missed" the jackpot, which encourages them to keep
gambling, even though the
proximity of the actual stops is inconsequential.
A machine's program is carefully
designed and tested to achieve a certain payback percentage. The
payback percentage is the percentage of the money that is put in that
is eventually paid out to the player. With a payback percentage of 90,
for example, the casino would
take about 10 percent of all money put into the
slot machine and give away the
other 90 percent. With any payback percentage under a 100 (and they're
all under 100), the casino
wins over time.
In most
gambling jurisdictions, the
law requires that payback percentages be above a certain level
(usually somewhere around 75 percent). The payback percentage in most
casino machines is much higher
than the minimum -- often in the 90- to 97-percent range.
Casinos don't want their
machines to be a lot tighter than their competitors' machines or the
players will take their business elsewhere.
The odds for a particular
slot machine are built into
the program on the machine's computer chip. In most cases, the casino
cannot change the odds on a machine without replacing this chip.
Despite popular opinion, there is no way for the casino to instantly
"tighten up" a machine.
Machines don't loosen up on their own
either. That is, they aren't more likely to pay the longer you play.
Since the computer always pulls up new random numbers, you have
exactly the same chance of hitting the jackpot every single time you
pull the handle. The idea that a machine can be "ready to pay" is all
in the player's head, at least in the standard system.
In casinos today,
gamblers will find a wide
variety of slot-machine designs. In the next section, we'll look at
some variations on the standard game.
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