Myths About Slots

Get the inside scoop on some of the myths about slots. Whether you’re playing physical or online slots, this is information you should have.

While slot machines are the most popular games in casinos, they also have tons of myths associated with them.

Maybe it’s because people don’t understand how slots work (in either brick-and-mortar casinos or online), or maybe it’s because it’s tempting to try to create a “winning system” that everyone can latch on to.

It could also be because the only thing powering your chances of winning at slots is pure luck, so people build up all types of superstitions to try to increase their luck or blame the system when they don’t win big.

No matter what the root cause, though, what’s important is that you are prepared against these myths and misconceptions so you don’t fall prey to them yourself.

General Slot Myths

Plenty of myths abound about slots in general — mostly about when they will (or won’t) pay out. For both physical and online slots, it seems that all of these misconceptions and superstitions have a common theme:

Any Slot That Hasn’t Paid Out in a While Is ‘Due’

In reality, the chance of winning is the same for each individual spin. This is because the slot essentially “resets” its probability every time, so the likelihood of hitting a winning combination is the same on every round. Don’t believe this myth and end up playing more than your bankroll can afford you.

A Slot That Has Just Paid Out Won’t Pay Again for a While

This is the inverse of the myth above, but it comes from the same superstition. Of course, it’s also incorrect. Each individual spin’s chances of winning aren’t connected to the previous spins.

Slots Are Programmed To Have ‘Hot’ and ‘Cold’ Streaks

It’s true that some slots can randomly go on hot streaks and pay out consistently for a chunk of time, but they aren’t programmed to do this. Because each spin’s result is randomized, any hot or cold streaks are just a result of a short-term deviation from a statistical likelihood.

Anything can happen in the short term, but in the long run, the results will start moving toward the average payout rate.

Someone Hit a Jackpot on a Machine You Just Left — If You’d Stayed, You’d Have Won

Related to these other myths, there’s no “destined” spin that you’d have won if you’d just stuck around for one or two more spins. In fact, the slot’s random number generator software continuously cycles through numbers even if the slot is sitting unused. In the time it takes you to grab another drink, that RNG has already cycled through thousands of combinations.

You Can’t Improve Your Chances of Winning

While this might seem like it’s a foolish pipe dream, it is possible to improve your overall chances of winning. Keep in mind that this is not the same as affecting the outcome of any given spin on the machine, though.

Note that different slot machines pay out at different rates — some as low as 85%, and some as high as 98%. While you always have a chance of winning irrespective of that payout rate, your overall returns will be greater with a higher payout rate. So, if you carefully research which slots have the best payout rates, you can improve your chances of hitting a winning combination.

The second bit of assistance you can get comes from taking advantage of any bonuses from the casino. While this doesn’t change the likelihood of any one spin being a winner, it does effectively give you extra “money” to play with — which can mean additional chances of getting that winning spin.

Physical Slot Myths

Slot machines have been around for a long time, so while that means some people are well-versed in how they work, it has also allowed for plenty of myths to grow around them. When it comes to live slots, you should look askance at anyone who suggests that:

Pulling the Lever Gives You Better Odds Than Pushing the Button

This myth probably spawned from some reticence about how slots worked after their technology started updating from mechanical to electronic. If a physical slot still has a lever, there are going to be some people who insist that using the lever gives you a better shot than pushing the button (though they both accomplish the same task: starting a new round).

The outcome of every round on a slot is determined by that machine’s random number generator. The RNG’s results simply aren’t affected by how the reels spin.

Machines With Higher Pay Rates Are Tucked Away

Far be it for us to discourage anyone from going exploring, but there’s no need to venture into the dark corners of a casino to find the machines with better payout rates. (First off, no reputable casino would even have dark corners in the establishment.)

Casinos don’t deliberately hide any machines from the public. They also can choose whichever games they offer out on their floor, so they don’t have any obligations to carry high-payout machines. So if they do have slots with higher pay rates, it’s because they want people to play them.

And honestly, the casino would probably place them in a busy part of the casino so that more guests can see them winning and feel enticed into trying out their luck, too.

Slots Pay Out Less During Busy Periods

Speaking of a busy floor, some people believe that slots are somehow programmed to be tighter when more people are in the establishment. Perhaps the assumption is that this will help the casino make even more money while plenty of people are gambling.

This would require casinos being able to change out the payout rates of their machines and set timers on them to rotate between tight and loose depending on the time of day. Considering how rigorously these machines have to be tested by independent agencies to ensure that the software is unbiased, it seems unlikely that these same governing bodies would allow casinos to add their own payout throttles.

So no, the payout rate on the machines doesn’t change depending on the time of day. Your chances of winning are the same whether it’s 7 p.m. or 4 a.m.

Casinos Can Affect a Slot’s Payout Rate With the Flip of a Switch

Here’s another myth that doesn’t take into account the slot’s actual technology. Live slots have a special computer chip inside them that determines their payout percentage/house edge, which the factory presets before shipping out to the casino. If the casino wanted to change their house edge, they’d have to change the chip.

Changing out slot machine chips requires filing paperwork with their jurisdiction’s Casino Control Commission each time a casino wants to change out a chip. It’s way more economical to keep the same preset chip in the machine than try to replace it.

The Temperature of Your Coins Affects the Payout

Everyone has their little ritual when it comes to gambling, like blowing on your dice at the craps table. Maybe this myth came from the same sort of belief. But no, warming up your coins before playing them on a slot machine won’t make any practical difference. The machines are too sophisticated to be affected by a coin you’d warmed up in your hands (or worse).

Luckily, this myth is most likely dying out anyway because it’s so rare to use actual coins on a slot anymore.

Playing With a Loyalty Card Reduces Your Chances of Winning

This is another myth that seems backwards. Player’s cards are meant to reward players, not to punish them for playing (and thus giving the casino more of their money).

If you opt not to use your loyalty card, you’re missing out on the valuable comps that card could give you, like free credits.

Using a Loyalty or Member Card Enables the Casino To Report Your Winnings to the IRS

No matter what, if you win more than $1,200 at a slot machine, the casino has to report your earnings to the IRS. The trickier part is that the casino might not withhold your taxes, so it’s up to you to set aside those funds.

Meanwhile, you honestly should be reporting your gambling winnings on your tax return anyway. You’d list your winnings on Schedule 1 as “other income.”

Online Slot Myths

It could be because they’re a newer form of the game or because players aren’t gambling in a physical casino with real attendants nearby to give them a sense of security. But online slots come with their own troubling myths that need some serious debunking.

Online Casinos Fix Their Slots To Ensure the House Wins

Perhaps this myth comes from a simple misunderstanding. Online slots have a house edge, just like any other game at a casino. This doesn’t mean that the slots are fixed, though.

In fact, the average payout rate on online slots is often greater than the average payout rate on live slots. So don’t let this particular fear keep you from trying slots online.

Using Auto Play Means a Lower Payout

The truth regarding this one goes back to how random number generators (and the laws of probability) work. Again, the odds of any spin being a winner remains the same for every round, regardless of how you choose to spin the reels.

Only High Rollers Can Win on Progressives

In reality, anyone can win big on a progressive slot. The only caveat to add here is that some of the big jackpots require a max bet to win it all, so you would be playing with higher stakes.

Playing With a Bonus Lowers Your Chance of Winning

Just because you’re playing with bonus credits doesn’t mean the slot’s RNG knows that. The software has no way of determining how the reels were actually spun (with the lever vs. the button, or with a bonus vs. without). The payout will always be the same.

Don’t Let Any of These Slot Myths Distract You

Slot machines are plenty of fun, so don’t let any misguided advice or old wives’ tales keep you from trying them out whenever you want. While you can’t change the outcome of any spin, you can do what you can to help make your odds for winning a bit better.

Know better, think critically, and don’t be a sucker for bad “facts.”