If you fit into the majority of casino visitors, you're probably at least an occasional slot machine player. As you'll know from reading various articles on this blog, I'm not a huge fan of slot machines – not because they're not fun and entertaining to play, but simply because they fall outside of my 'acceptable games to play in a casino if you want to have a chance at taking some money home in the long term'. Generally, I consider any casino game with a house edge of more than 2.5% to be a risk simply not worth taking (in the long term). And slot machines typically take between 4% and 15% dependent on denomination and game type.
- How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose Ends
- How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose
- How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose Money
This is a different kettle of fish altogether since there are no visible tell-tale signs whether a slots is 'loose' or 'tight'. Online slots comes in an array of flavours. They can be low, medium or high variance, progressive or non-progressive. The lower the RTP or average return to player percentage the ‘tighter' the game is. Slot placement isn't random. Although casinos would like you to think that everything on the floor is.
That said, if you are going to play slot machines, you'll want to find 'loose' games to play. What's loose? Simply, a machine that has a high payback percentage – the amount of money you get back for every dollar or pound you put into the slot machine. In general terms, I'd consider a slot machine loose if it paid back 95% or more. Slot machines which pay less than 90% I'd consider 'tight'. Slot machines which fall somewhere in the middle band (90% – 95%) are simply 'average'.
There's been a lot of strategies / formulas ideas published over the years (some free, some chargable 'systems') which claim to tell players how to find a loose machine. General tips from these formulas / strategies (most of which I consider to be a total waste of time, and certainly not worthy of any money investment) are:
1) Look for slot machines near the ends of aisles – casinos put 'loose' slot machines there so that people will see lots of winners and want to play the slots. REALITY: casinos got wise to this years ago, so don't expect to find the machines there anymore. They might be in the middle of a slot bank, they might be at the end, they might be near a bar or restaurant, or they may simply not exist at all. All are possible.
2) Look for slot machines that have a 'wobble' in the reels when they spin – they're due for a jackpot. REALITY: The 'wobble' proves nothing. It might just be that the slot machine in question needs maintenance – or has a fault developing, or simply that the plastic wheel has worked itself a bit loose. Besides, the vast majority of slots these days are VIDEO SLOTS that don't have 'reels' – so the whole wobble theory is pretty much redundant in any case.
3) Ask the slot attendants. They know which slot machines are due for a jackpot. REALITY: They'll take your tip money if offered, but they have no better clue than you do about whether a particular machine will pay out today. Why? Machines are RANDOM devices that could pay out 3 jackpots in a row, then none for 3 months – or one a month for 3 months, or one then nothing for 5 years, etc. There is no way to know when a machine will pay out – the Random Number Generator in a slot machine is generating random numbers all the time, and it's when the number is chosen that signifies a 'jackpot' that you'll get the jackpot. Not before, not after. (Note: UK Readers – UK Fruit Machines (Crazy Fruits, Bar X, Barcrest machines etc) DO work on a cycle of sorts… don't confuse these with true 'slot machines').
4) Watch the machines, and when the little old lady who's been playing for 2 hours and exhausted her slots budget finally gets up, go to her machine and play it. You're going to win! REALITY: See 3) above. Slot machines are random. There's no guarantee that you'll get a slot machine jackpot / payout just because somebody lost who was playing it before you. Slot machines are never 'due' for a jackpot. The odds of most jackpots are always about 1,000,000 to 1 or more – similar odds to some of the higher payouts on a lottery ticket.
There are many more theories like these, destined to become gambling myths. Let me share with you now my version of REAL observations that I believe CAN help you (they HAVE helped me over the years – and you'll know that the main reason for writing this blog is to share my knowledge so that you too can Beat the Casinos!):
1) The higher the denomination of the slot machine you're playing, the higher the likely payout percentage. If you play 5c / 5p machines, expect a payout percentage of about 88% or thereabouts. If you play £1 / $1 machines, expect a payout percentage of 92 – 93%. And so it goes on. This runs true in almost ALL casinos.
Why? Every slot machine takes up floor space in a casino, and each slot machine is expected to make a certain amount of revenue. Casinos will pay higher payback percentages on a higher denomination, because the AVERAGE BET on those machines is higher than on a lower denomination machine. In the long run, most of the machines, despite denomination, will likely produce similar revenue figures for the casino, because of this percentage payback formula.
2) Dumpier casinos tend to have better paying machines. This is not always true, but in general terms you'll find (for example) better payouts in dumpier Downtown Las Vegas or in Las Vegas North etc rather than on the glitzy Las Vegas Strip. All casinos have overheads / running costs, but the glitzy casinos have more money to recoup from their building costs, more money to make to cover their better trained staff, more money to make to cover their nicer buffets / restaurants. It makes sense that if there's more profit that needs to be made to cover running costs, that it needs to come from somewhere – and most likely, that will be from slot players. (Note: regardless of where you play, ALWAYS join the Players Club – get points and comps based upon your play, which helps you to get a little of that edge back).
3) Casinos with competition tend to have higher paying machines than those without. Again it's not guaranteed, but you can expect areas like Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City to pay higher than a US Indian Reservation (Tribal) Casino etc. The more casinos there are in an area, the better it is for players. Casinos know that they want to get a reputation as the 'highest payouts' provider in any area, if they're intending to stay in business, and attract loyal long term players.
4) Online (Internet) casinos tend to have machines that pay very well across the board – sometimes as high as 98%. The lower running costs of an online operation are often passed on to you, the player. Furthermore, considering 3) above, there is nowhere on the planet hotter than the INTERNET for casino competition – there's THOUSANDS of online casinos available to us all, at the simple click of a mouse.
Importantly, online casinos WANT you to become loyal players. Did you know that Internet casino players typically play MORE OFTEN than those players visiting casino areas? Why? Because the Internet is available 24 hours a day, regardless of where you live/are at the time. But here's an interesting observation: Internet casino players generally LOSE LESS (per betting session) than real casino visitors – because the games are often 'looser' – and because of the impact that 'bonus cash' / 'free money' / 'comps' have online.
Talking of bonus cash, all of the casinos I promote (and have personally played in) offer bonus / matchplay cash for first time players – which can (generally) be used to play slot machines! Give yourself an advantage by playing with the casino's money as well as your own – there's a great chance for you to win.
Don't forget about my January 2008 promotion in which I'm PERSONALLY giving you FREE cash when you join any of these casinos via the blog and meet the signup requirements (see the top of ANY page in this blog for full details). Your joining of the casinos also helps to support this blog and keep it FREE for all. That's a nice thing to do!
I hope this article helps you to find many loose slot machines, that you can empty! Do let me know what you do with your winnings!
One of the most common questions which players want to know when it comes to online slots is how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay (also known as loose slots)? Well, if I knew the answer to that question I wouldn't be writing this article. I'd be on a tropical island somewhere laying on the beach enjoying my Mojito.
How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose Ends
The truth is that no one can predict when a slot machine is ready to pay and there is no way how to determine if a slot machine is loose. These are just myths which can be found on various goofy sites whose aim is only to make you sign up at some casino and lose money trying their tactics. Just ask yourself this question. If there really is a secret on how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay don't you think that someone would share it by now and the casinos would be out of business? Gossip slots no deposit.
Rather than worrying about how to determine if a slot machine is loose take a look at some statistics which I have gathered over the years playing my favorite slots. These are real stats based on millions of spins and I have put together a list of the payouts I've gotten. Based on my stats you will know what to expect from a certain slot. Let me show you a new approach to video slots.
Statistics for some of my favorites slots
In this section I will publish stats from 5 of my favorite online slots. I play these games on a pretty much regular basis and I take notes of every game play. This way I know what to expect when playing the game. Iam not calling them loose slots. Let's say that iam letting the game tell when it is ready to pay. Here we go.
Book Of Ra
Volatility: 8.9 of 20
Cycle Length: Average
Wagering Rating: 3,9 of 10.
Bonus Hit: Statistically the feature lands every 178 spins.
Win Probability: 27,8%.
Distribution of winnings: 49% during base play, 51% during the feature.
Maximum Payout: 1,123 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 81 times the total bet.
RTP: 95.1%
Secrets of Book of Ra
Response to Betting: There is no obvious secret on how to know if a slot machine is hot, but this slot seems to respond to variations in bets. Play about 20 spins on an average bet and them reduce the bet size to minimum. You will see that the wins come every 3-4 spins, so you can use this to your advantage increasing the bet until a win hits and decreasing it after. Repeat the cycle to maximize your wins.
Bonus: With no way on how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay we can only recommend to chase the bonus round on Book of Ra. This is where the biggest payouts can happen, with a little luck on your side.
Bankroll Distribution: For this slot it's recommended to manage your balance with a 0.1% bets distribution of your bankroll.
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Bonanza
Volatility: 7.8 of 20
Cycle Length: Average
Wagering Rating: 2.7 of 10
Bonus Hit: Statistically the feature lands every 464 spins.
Win Probability: 37.49%.
Distribution of winnings: 42% during base play, 58% during the feature.
Maximum Payout: 3,677 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 103 times the total bet.
RTP: 94.3%
Secrets of Bonanza
Response to Betting: With the growing popularity of Bonanza many players ask how do you know when a slot machine will hit. With this game it's all about landing a bonus round on a higher bet. So based on the stats play 400 spins on smaller bets and chase the feature.
Bonus: The bonus round is the most attractive part of the game, so you need to invest a bigger bankroll in order to get bigger payouts in return.
Bankroll Distribution: Lucky day app legit. For this slot it's recommended to manage your balance with a variable distribution of bets.
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Book Of Dead
Volatility: 8.3 of 20
Cycle Length: Average
Wagering Rating: 4.6 of 10.
Bonus Hit: Statistically the feature lands every 177 spins.
Win Probability: 29.17%.
Distribution of winnings: 47% during base play, 53% during the feature.
Maximum Payout: 5.021 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 75 times the total bet.
RTP: 95.6%
Secrets of Book of Dead
Response to Betting: Book of Dead is a video slot which seems to respond well with increase of bets. The bonus features comes quite regularly, so you can play the game and increase your bets after each bonus feature. This will keep your balance leveled most of the time and you can hit a massive payout in the bonus round.
Bonus: All experienced players recommend to chase the free spins bonus in Book of Dead. The payouts can be substantial, especially if it's triggered on a high bet.
How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose
Bankroll Distribution: For this slot it's recommended to play the game with a 0.5% bets distribution from your bankroll and increase your bet after a bonus round. Check here the best Book Of Dead slot sites.
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Immortal Romance
Volatility: 9.3 of 20
Cycle Length: Average
Wagering Rating: 5.7 of 10.
Bonus Hit: Statistically the feature lands every 159 spins.
Win Probability: 31.36%.
Distribution of winnings: 49% during base play, 51% during the feature.
How To Tell If A Slot Machine Is Loose Money
Maximum Payout: 1.485 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 41 times the total bet.
RTP: 95.2%
Secrets of Immortal Romance slot
Response to Betting: Many players ask how to tell if a fruit machine is going to pay out, but Immortal Romance is not a fruit slot. As a progressive slot you need to be very careful while playing this game or you can go bust fast. Because of the statistics of the bonus hit you can play 150 spins between features and increase the bet until the feature lands. After that the slot maybe become more loose.
Bonus: The bonus round in Immortal Romance is well worth chasing. The free spins are attractive, but the best payouts come in the Wild Desire feature.
Bankroll Distribution: For Immortal Romance it's recommended to play the game with enough balance for 300 spins.
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Dead Or Alive
Maximum Payout: 1.485 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 41 times the total bet.
RTP: 95.2%
Secrets of Immortal Romance slot
Response to Betting: Many players ask how to tell if a fruit machine is going to pay out, but Immortal Romance is not a fruit slot. As a progressive slot you need to be very careful while playing this game or you can go bust fast. Because of the statistics of the bonus hit you can play 150 spins between features and increase the bet until the feature lands. After that the slot maybe become more loose.
Bonus: The bonus round in Immortal Romance is well worth chasing. The free spins are attractive, but the best payouts come in the Wild Desire feature.
Bankroll Distribution: For Immortal Romance it's recommended to play the game with enough balance for 300 spins.
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Dead Or Alive
Volatility: 12.8 of 20
Cycle Length: Average
Wagering Rating: 6.8 of 10.
Bonus Hit: Statistically the feature lands every 153 spins.
Win Probability: 30.44%.
Distribution of winnings: 43% during base play, 57% during the feature.
Maximum Payout: 4.181 times the total bet.
Average Bonus Payout: 47 times the total bet.
RTP: 94.3%
Dead or Alive slot strategy
Response to Betting: Dead or Alive is a video slot which responds well to betting variations. Base play wins are small so the winning strategy is to increase your bet after every 150 spins and chase the bonus round.
Bonus: In Dead or Alive it's all about the free spins. Land a Wild Line on a big bet you will get a small fortune in return.
Bankroll Distribution: For Dead or Alive it's recommended to place bets of 0.1% of your bankroll.
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Some interesting facts about slot providers
What's interesting to note is that not all slot providers have the same payouts and RTP value. I know the stats for some of them, but I don't play the games from all providers. But I did find some interesting stats on the Casinomeister forum section. Here are their findings:
- IGT: 108.66% RTP (31,811 Spins)
- NextGen : 104.59% RTP (86,839 Spins)
- SGI : 97.61% RTP (21,000 Spins)
- WMS : 96.42% RTP (251,101 Spins)
- Play n Go : 95.81% RTP (649,161 Spins)
- NetEnt: 95.51% RTP (2,001,416 Spins)
- Novomatic : 95.32% RTP (727,162 Spins)
- Microgaming : 94.93% RTP (1,281,323 Spins)
- Thunderkick : 94.51% RTP (368,681 Spins)
- ELK Gaming : 93.72% RTP (68,221 Spins)
- Big Time Gaming : 93.50% RTP (512,085 Spins)
- Merkur : 92.22% RTP (224,119 Spins)
- QuickSpin : 91.99% RTP (161,639 Spins)
- Red Tiger : 91.83% RTP (82,282 Spins)
- Yggdrasil : 90.66% RTP (386,030 Spins)
As you can see the results are quite diverse and interesting. If you have any stats of your own that you would like to share you can post them here. You can also send us an email and we will post them on our website. We would love to hear your opinion on this matter and the experiences you had.
Demo slots for fun. Sources
