• Appendices
• Slots Analysis
• Miscellaneous

A £750,000 research project, paid for from this budget, which started looking into all gaming machines across all sectors is now, after pressure from ministers, solely focused on FOBTs.

Introduction

When it comes to gambling, the easier a game is to understand the worse the odds usually are. This is certainly the case with slot machines. Playing them is as easy as pressing a button. However, between the high house edge and fast rate of play, there is no quicker way to lose your money in a casino.

Before going further, let me make clear that this page addresses the way slot machines work in most parts of the United States and the world. However, some parts of this page do not apply everywhere. For example, I state that slot machines have a memory-less property, where the odds of every spin are the same. In some places, like the UK, some machines in bars, called 'fruit machines,' have a mechanism that guarantees a certain profit over the short run, which causes the game to go through loose and tight cycles. These games do not have the usual independence property of the major slot makers.

How They Work

Whether you're playing a 3-reel single-line game or a 5-reel 25-line game, the outcome of every bet is ultimately determined by random numbers. The game will choose one random number for each reel, map that number onto a position on the reel, stop the reel in the appointed place, and score whatever the outcome is. In other words, the outcome is predestined the moment you press the button; the rest is just for show. There are no hot and cold cycles; your odds are the same for every spin on a given machine.

Slot machines are just about the only game in the casino where the odds are not quantifiable. In other words, the player doesn't know how the game was designed, so it is difficult to look at an actual game to use as an example. So, to help explain how they work, I created the Atkins Diet slot machine (link). It is a simple, five-reel game with a free spin bonus round, much like IGT's Cleopatra game.

For information on how it works and all the odds, please visit my Atkins Diet par sheet.

For a more complicated example, featuring sticky wilds in the bonus, please try my Vamos a Las Vegas slot machine.

For information on how it works and all the odds, please visit my Vamos a Las Vegas par sheet (PDF).

Odds

The following table shows the casino win for Clark County Nevada (where Las Vegas is) for all slots for calendar year 2012. They define 'slot' as any electronic game, including video poker and video keno. I've found video keno to be about equally as tight as reeled slots, but video poker has a much higher return. So, the return for reeled slots should be higher than these figures.

Sacred Guardians Slot Machine Odds Free Play

Clark County Slot Win 2012

Source: Nevada Gaming Control Board, Gaming Revenue Report for December 2012 (PDF, see page 6).

Most players play penny video slots. Based on past research, I find the house edge on those to usually be set from 6% to 15%. In general, the nicer the casino, the tighter the slots.

Advice

While there is no skill to playing slots, there is some skill in selecting which machine to play and ways you can maximize your return. What follows is my advice, if you must play slots at all.

• Always use a player card. Slots may be a lousy bet, but the casinos treat slot players very well. A $1 slot player will probably get comped better than a $100 blackjack player. Of course, don't play for the reason of getting comps. You'll give them a lot more than they'll give you.
• The simpler the game, the better the odds. The fancy games with big signs and video screens tend to not pay as well as the simple games. However, slot players always tell me the fancy games are more fun.
• The higher the denomination, the better the odds. For that reason, it is better to play one coin per line on a 5-cent game than five coins per line on a 1-cent game.
• Don't forget to cash out and take your ticket when you leave. It is easy to forget after hitting a jackpot.
• Try to play slowly and as little as possible to get your fix.
• In some games there is a skill feature, like Top Dollar. In such games, advice is usually offered, which you should take.

Myths and Facts

Just about everything that players believe about slots is untrue. Here are the most common myths and facts. As a reminder, this page is based on slot machines commonly found in the United States. Some machines, like 'fruit machines' found in the United Kingdom work differently.

• Myth: Slot machines are programmed to go through a cycle of payoffs. Although the cycle can span thousands of spins, once it reaches the end the outcomes will repeat themselves in exactly the same order as the last cycle.

  Fact: This is not true at all. Every spin is random and independent of all past spins.

• Myth: Slot machines are programmed to pay off a particular percentage of money bet. Thus, after a jackpot is hit the machine will tighten up to get back in balance. On the other hand, when a jackpot has not been hit for a long time it is overdue and more likely to hit.

  Fact: As just mentioned, each spin is independent of all past spins. That means that for a given machine game, the odds are always the same. It makes no difference when the last jackpot was hit or how much the game paid out in the last hour, day, week, or any period of time.

• Myth: Machines pay more if a player card is not used.

  Fact: The mechanism that determines the outcome of each play does not consider whether a card is used or not. The odds are the same with or without one.

• Myth: Using a player card enables the casino to report my winnings to the IRS.

  Fact: That makes no difference. If you win $1,200 or more they will report it either way. If you have a net losing year, which you probably will, at least the casino will have evidence of it. Such annual win/loss statements may be used as evidence to declare offsetting loses to jackpot wins.

• Myth: The slot department can tighten my game with the press of a button remotely. Thus, you better be nice to the staff and tip them well, or they will use a remote control to have the machine take you down in a hurry.

  Fact: There is now some truth to the myth that the odds of a machine can be changed remotely. Such 'server-based slots' are still experimental and in a minority. Even with server-based slots, there are regulations in place to protect the player from the perceived abuses that could accompany them. For example, in Nevada a machine can not be altered remotely unless it has been idle for at least four minutes. Even then, the game will display a notice that it is being serviced during such changes. (source) Meanwhile, for the vast majority of slots, somebody would physically need to open the machine and change a computer chip, known as an EPROM chip, to make any changes.

• Myth: The machines by the doors and heavy traffic flow areas tend to be loose while those hidden in quiet corners tend to be tight.

  Fact: I've studied the relationship between slot placement and return and found no correlation. Every slot director I've asked about this laughs it off as just another player myth.

• Myth: Slots tend to be looser during slow hours on slow days of the week. However, when the casino is busy they tighten them up.

  Fact: Nobody would take the trouble to do this, even if he could. The fact of the matter is the casinos are trying to find a good balance between winning some money while letting the player leave happy. That is best achieved by slots loose enough to give the player a sufficiently long 'time on device,' as they call it in the industry, with a reasonable chance of winning so he will return to the same casino next time. If the slots are too tight, the players will sense it and be unlikely to return.

  The kind of place you're likely to find tight slots are those with a captive audience, like the Las Vegas airport. So, if the slot manager feels that 92% is the right return for a penny game, for example, he is likely to set every penny game all that way, and keep them that way for years.

Play

Reviews

• Dazzle Me (NetEnt)
• Mr. Vegas (Betsoft)
• Sparks (NetEnt)

Internal Links

• Appendix 1 shows the details and analysis of almost 4000 actual spins on a Reno slot machine.
• Appendix 2 shows an example of the virtual reels behind a hypothetical slot machine and how the average return is calculated.
• Appendix 3A: 2003 Las Vegas slot machine rankings.
• Appendix 3B: 2002 Jean/Primm slot machine rankings.
• Appendix 3C: 2002 Tunica slot machine rankings.
• Appendix 3D: 2002 Henderson/Lake Mead slot machine rankings.
• Appendix 3E: 2002 Quarter and dollar returns for Las Vegas slots
• Appendix 4 shows how the return is calculated for my Wizard's Fruit Slot Machine.
• Appendix 5 analysis of the 21 Bell Slot Machine.
• Appendix 6 Analysis of Red, White, & Blue Slot Machine.
• Lock and Roll analysis of the skill-based slot machine found in North Carolina.
• Deconstructing Jackpot Party analysis of the video slot machine.
• Deconstructing Lion's Share analysis of the classic MGM progressive game.
• Deconstructing Cleopatra analysis of the popular IGT game.
• Deconstructing Lionfish analysis of the slot game found on many Game Maker machines.
• Deconstructing Megabucks.
• Deconstructing the Atkins Diet slot machine.
• Deconstructing Lucky Larry's Lobstermania.
• Deconstructing Hexbreaker.
• Deconstructing Blazing Sevens.
• Deconstructing Hot Roll.
• Mystery progressives on Ainsworth slots.
• Mystery progressives on WMS slots.
• Baltimore Sun article, in which I am quoted.
• 100% Rebate on Slot Losses Promotions: When to quit playing when all losses are refunded.

External Links

• For a simplified explanation of slots, please see my companion site Wizard of Vegas
• German translation of this page is available at richtigspielen.com
• Another decent overview of how slots work and some practical advice for playing them is How Slot Machines Work at VegasClick.com.
• PAR Sheets, probabilities, and slot machine play: Implications for problem and non-problem gambling by Kevin A. Harrigan and Mike Dixon, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. This is an outstanding academic paper that details how some popular slot machines were designed.
• PAR Sheets, probabilities, and slot machine play: Implications for problem and non-problem gambling - Academic paper based on the par sheets for some modern slot machines

Sacred Guardians Slot Machine Odds Genesis Open

Sacred Guardians is a awesome animal themed slot game from Aristocrat. This is a 4 level progressive game which features some cute animals on the reels. Anyone looking to play Sacred Guardians can easily do so by playing the game either on their desktop computers or on their mobile devices as the game is fully compatible on mobile devices running on Android, Windows and iOS operating systems at the Cashman casino on facebook. You might see this game also at your local gaming club or casino for some real moolah action.

This game comes with six reels and 80 paylines. A mist filled landscape acts as the background of this iPad slot game.

** The Aristocrat Sacred Guardians slot game might be available to play for free fun or real cash on your iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows device, PC or Mac. Just take a look at ouronline casino guides here. **

When playing Sacred Guardians, players will find the following symbols on the reels: the Sacred Guardians game logo, lady clad in blue, green clown icon, a lion, a horse, a cat, a sword, a drum, feathers, rake, and a red and white piece of cloth.

• • • Sacred Guardians game logo: The Sacred Guardians game logo icon is the highest paying symbol. Six of these fetch 250 credits, five of these fetch 90 credits, four of these fetch 30 credits, and three of these fetch 15 credits while two fetches 8 credits.
    • Lady clad in blue: The lady clad in blue icon pays the second most in this game. Six of these fetch 100 credits, five of these fetch 50 credits, four fetch 20 credits, and three fetch 10 credits and two fetches 5 credits.
    • Green clown icon: The green clown icon fetches the third highest prize. Six of these fetch 75 credits, five of these fetch 40 credits, four of these fetch 15 credits and three fetch 7 credits.
    • Lion: The lion icon fetches the fourth highest prize in the game. Six of these fetch 50 credits, five of these fetch 35 credits, four of these fetch 12 credits and three fetch 6 credits.
    • Horse: The horse fetches the fifth highest prize in the game. Six of these fetch 40 credits, five of these fetch 25 credits, four of these fetch 10 credits and three fetch 5 credits.
    • Cat: The cat fetches the sixth highest prize in the game. Six of these fetch 30 credits, five of these fetch 20 credits, four of these fetch 10 credits and three fetch 5 credits.
    • Sword: The sword fetches the seventh highest prize. Six of these fetch 25 credits, five fetch 15 credits, four fetch 9 credits and three fetch 4 credits.
    • Drum: the drum carries the game’s eighth highest prize. Six of these fetch 20 credits, five of these fetch 14 credits, four of these fetch 8 credits and three fetch 3 credits.
    • Feathers: Feathers fetch the ninth highest prize. Six of these fetch 18 credits, five fetch 15 credits, four fetch 6 credits and two fetches 2 credits.
    • Rake: A rake fetches the tenth highest prize. Six of these fetch 15 credits, five fetch 10 credits, four fetch 5 credits and one fetch 1 credit.
    • White and red cloth: This icon carries the game’s least payout. Six of these fetch 12 credits, five of these fetch 8 credits, four fetch 4 credits and three fetch 1 credit.

  Bonus games and features

  • Wild: The Sacred Guardians game logo icon acts as the wild symbol in this game. This icon does possess the powers to shift and take the form and shape of any other symbol on the reels bar the scatter and the bonus symbol.
  • Scatter: The multi-coloured gem acts as the scatter symbol in this game.
  • Bonus Symbol: The blue and brown shield door acts as the bonus symbol in this game.
  • Free Games Feature: There is a free games feature in this game which can be triggered when the player lands at least three scatters on the reels. The number of free games awarded to the player is determined by the standard symbol the player chooses in the first Pick em Bonus (present in the free games feature).
  • Jackpot Feature: There are four progressive jackpots in this slot. Landing three bonus symbols helps the player hit the Mini jackpot, four bonus symbols help the player hit the Minor jackpot, five bonus symbols help the player hit the Major jackpot and six bonus symbols help the player hit the Grand jackpot.
  • Wild Reels Feature: This is a random bonus which can be triggered after a spin. 2 or 3 reels will turn completely wild for one spin.

Slot game rating

Sacred Guardians is an entertaining Aristocrat iPad slot game which appeals to all types of players be it low rollers or high rollers. This slot gets an 8.3 point rating out of 10 points in our game review.

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