Of all the casino games that have come and gone, and even amongst those that have stayed, slot machines have always been one of the most, if not the most popular casino game.
Slot games offer excitement, socialization, the opportunity to win big and the chance to unwind at the end of a long day. For many people, slot games are a mystery, and as such, they lose a lot of money while playing them. Like all the other online casino games, they differ from casino to casino and you just need to find the right ones for you. A good option would be to check out how some websites review these sites and games, like 6Takarakuji, which reviews only the best online casinos. If you would like to learn more about slots, how they work, and possibly how to lose less, here is everything you might need to know to get you started.
Return to player percentage
The first thing that you should understand about slot games is the return to player percentage, or otherwise known as, the house edge. The house edge, or return to player percentage, can be considered two things; the actual price of the slot, as well as how much money players will be winning.
The misconception about the return to player percentage is that most players think it’s the percentage that they could win when winning, but it actually just means the percentage of money that will be returned to players over time. For example, if you were to make a bet for $1, and the RTP percentage is 95%, that just means that 95 cents will eventually be returned to all players, and the casino will keep 5 cents. It does not mean that you will be winning 95%, but it is a factor in the algorithm as to how much you will be winning.
The second thing to note is that the cost of the slot for the player remains the same since that is what they are spending, but the cost for the casino is 10 cents since that is what they will be earning from that bet.
Random number generation
You have probably heard that some people have devised betting patterns for slot games, or that at different times of the day they are more likely to win, or that if you play at a machine that someone has just left, your chances of winning are higher. Unfortunately, none of the above is true, and there is no way to create a strategy to win slots.
This is because slot machines, both physical and online, use something called random number generation technology. This technology is frequently used in online multiplayer video games and is very effective at ensuring the gaming experience is fair.
It is used slightly differently with slot games though. An average slot game has about 3 reels with symbols on each, but many of the newer ones have quite a few more, as many as 256, compared to physical machines that only have 20. With so many symbols, there are millions of possible combinations, which are created when numbers are randomly generated, which are associated with the different combinations of symbols.
What is the house edge compared to other games?
The most important thing to take into consideration when playing any casino game is the house edge that it has, and slot games are no different. The challenging thing about choosing a slot game is that the house edge for them varies between 2-15%, or if you would like to think of it in return to player percentages, 85-98%. This means that it goes without saying that you should choose a slot game with the lowest house edge, and the highest return to player percentage.
If you are curious to know how slot games do compare to other casino games, it is as follows, in no particular order.
- Blackjack: 0.28%
- Poker: 0.46-10%
- Craps: 0-16%
- Baccarat: 1.06%
- Roulette: 2.70-5.26%
As you can see, some casino games have very low house edges and some that are quite high. Others depend on the variant of the game that is being played, so it is always within your best interest to do research about the house edge for each game you play and find out if there are any strategies to be used that can reduce it. For games with high house edges, even though there are no actual strategies, there are still things you can do to play more wisely and lose less money.