Online Slots Myths

Online slots myths are ideas that many people believe despite the fact that they have no basis in reality. This article identifies the most common online slots myths and explains why acting as if they were true could actually be bad for your bankroll...

Slots Have A Memory
Although most online casino players don’t use the actual words, many believe that slot games have a memory, and that they will pay out – or not – based on previous results. For example, if you win a big prize, the slots won’t pay out again. Or if you haven’t won a big prize for a few days, the slots will soon spill enough coins to make up for the drought. All of these ideas are mistaken.

The outcome of any spin of the reels is determined entirely at random, and no record of your previous slots wins or losses is kept by the game  to influence future spins. In short, slots don’t care whether you win or lose, so you should play as much or as little as you want, and you should certainly avoid betting bigger than usual just because you believe you are ‘due a win’.

Maximum Bets Give More Wins
Unless you are playing an online slots game which specifically states that the payout percentage varies according to the number of coins you play (and those are extremely rare) then the number of wins you get will not be affected by the size of your bets. That said, betting the maximum number of coins will usually result in you qualifying for the biggest possible jackpot should you happen to get lucky, so it is generally good to bet the maximum even if you do so on a smaller stakes machine.

All Slots Are The Same
The myth here states that, apart from obvious differences in themes and presentation, all slots games offer players the same chance of winning. This is not the case. Slot machines are not like online roulette wheels, where the roulette house edge at one casino is the same as the roulette house edge at another. Some slots will pay out 98% of all the money they take in the form of prizes, some will pay out 70% and there are plenty of slots that pay out something in between. It therefore makes sense to look around for a slots game that gives you a payout percentage you are happy with before you settle down for a lengthy session.

Slots Go Through Streaks
Whilst it is true that slot games can sometimes appear to go through so-called winning streaks and losing streaks, the streaks themselves are merely a human interpretation of random events. Human beings always look for patterns, so if a machine happens to give a handful of wins in a short space of time it is easy to view this as a winning streak.

The problem with this myth is that the streak is nothing more than a pattern that you as a player can identify after it has already taken place, and playing as if the streak is sure to continue means that you are allowing yourself to forget that every spin of the reels is random. Slots are not programmed to deliver winning streaks or losing streaks – they are only programmed to deliver a perfectly random outcome every time you play. Keep that in mind and you won’t get into trouble.

The online slots myths identified here might initially sound quite reasonable, but they are all based on misunderstandings. Being aware of the reality in each case will help ensure you are able to enjoy playing online slots in a rational and sensible way.

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