Slot odds – how do you calculate chances of wining?

Trying to figure out the calculation of winning at a slot machine is rather difficult to do, however if you know how many reels the slot machine has, and how many symbols available on each reel and the percentage payback amounts you could get a rough estimation of the slot machine’s odds to win.

The odds of each slot game vary and you would need to check the bonus and payout percentages of each casino and game variety – however we’ve simplified the calculation for you below to keep in mind when trying to determine the odds of the game.

Lets say the slot machine you are playing on has a reel with 22 symbols on it. You will need to know the value of each symbol – you can usually find this in the game information, by studying the pay table information of the game, which tells you how the payouts of the machine works, this is going to be a bit complicated to figure out and may take some time, but you will need this in order to start calculating the odds

Next you will need to figure out how many numbers could be produced from the Random Number Generator that calculates the reel spins (the reels that land on your winning lines). In this case let’s use a common number: 128 as a guideline for the calculation. If there are 22 positions on the reel and there are 128 different numbers, then 22 numbers will have to correspond to the 128 numbers on the RNG calculator. This means – you have a 1/128 chance of hitting on of the generated numbers that would cause a jackpot win! (0.78% winning odd). That’s more chances to win than when you play your local lottery (which is more like 1/1 Million chance in winning.

That’s why Slots games are quite popular, as the odds of meeting a jackpot to win while playing are pretty high, plays the higher the amount of number of reels, the higher the odds of winning, which is why 5 reel video slots and now lately 5 reel 3D slot games have become so popular! .

Should you have a strategy to win?
OK – now you know how to calculate the potential odds of a game, lets talk some more about using playing strategies to enhance your chances of winning. Casino’s publish their payout rates, which is based on a variety of different games and odds variances – it’s probably safe to say that they put around 90% of the takings (your losses) back into the casino to run and maintain the services it provides. So the real focus should be placed on trying to get as much of the 10% of winnings available as possible into your back pocket when leaving the casino at the end of a session.

  1. Know your limits and enjoy yourself within them
    Make sure you have a bankroll management system in place that you are comfortable with loosing. That way you can enjoy your time at the casino without feeling guilty or getting into unmanageable debt through impulsive playing during the heat of the moment. Most online gamblers will tell you they “felt” that they were going to win so kept spinning, but the truth is – as you already know – slot machine payouts are simply luck of the draw – there is no feeling, or calculation involved.

    Like you would – if you were out on the town for the evening, before you log in to a casino, determine how much you want to spend, spend it – have your fun and then walk away.

  2. Spread yourself around and play a variety of games
    Play a few rounds on different slot games, if you haven’t had a win (big or small) after 4-5 spins, then find another game and play on. Don’t sit for hours on one game if the slot doesn’t seem to pay out very often. It may be that the particular game has a lower odds scale – and you could move on and win at another game thus spreading your risk of spend vs chances of winning Remember – there is no such thing as a “hot” machine, it’s absolutely random as to when a slot machine will payout and not related to the amount of money you’ve put into a machine.
  3. Ease into it!
    Don’t go guns blazing into the night – with high stakes bets, start small – maybe select the smallest denomination of coins to start playing on the minimum bet (one line) and then increase your amounts and lines to bet on as you start to win – this will help you to get into the spin of things, and also help manage your bankroll to enjoy the fun for a bit longer.

Finally – read the pay tables before you start to play – make sure the casino you are playing at is legitimate – we have already reviewed some of the best 3D slot game casino providers so why not start playing at one of these to begin with, before branching out on your own research.

The thing to remember is that you need to control your spend, don’t do anything impulsively and above all make sure you can enjoy yourself within the limits you set at the outset.

By James Dickinson
James is just another guy who fell in love with slots at an early age. He has set up a website to welcome the new 3D slots which are due to arrive this summer.