You’ll find two basic types of slot machine payout structures at any casino you go to. Progressive—where the jackpot balance develops over time and is fixed, where it does not. The structure of both games remains the same. Spin. Hope. Spin again.
The jackpot delivery structure can slightly influence your odds of winning, as well as your overall experience with the game. How do you choose between progressive and fixed jackpot slots? It depends on what qualities interest you the most.
Progressive Jackpot Overview
Your earning potential for a progressive jackpot slot increases gradually as people play the game. It’s kind of like a state lottery jackpot. People contribute money. In the case of a lottery, those contributions come from purchased tickets. In the case of a progressive jackpot, it’s wagers.
The balance ticks gradually upward, often hitting high numbers. In Las Vegas, progressive slots can hit one million dollars or more.
The balance for progressive slots will usually be at its highest in busy casinos. The more people who play, and lose, the higher the jackpot becomes.
Why, you might wonder, would anyone play anything other than a slot machine where they could win $1,000,000?
One reason is that progressive slots generally have lower jackpot payout percentages. Obviously, no casino could afford to regularly hand out millions of dollars to players at the slot machines.
Also, remember that jackpots alone are not how people pick machines. Big prizes are great but rare. The majority of people who are familiar with casinos don’t get won over by flashy jackpot figures—at least not for more than a spin or two.
Fixed Jackpot Overview
Fixed jackpots, naturally, function opposite to progressive slots. Here, your maximum earning potential does not change. The actual payout will vary from machine to machine and casino to casino.
Usually, the number is smaller. A jackpot in the $10,000 range is common for fixed slots, but the actual figure could be anything.
Usually, your odds of winning a fixed jackpot are slightly better. More to the point, your winning potential will never change, regardless of what other players do. Six people could win in one night. A dramatic improbability but also an event that would not alter the payout potential.
What Are The Odds Of Hitting A Jackpot?
There has been a lot of imprecise language concerning odds in this article. That’s because your chances of winning a jackpot depend on several factors. All of them are specific to the machine and the casino where you are playing.
Jackpots are always rare. If they weren’t casinos everywhere would be going out of business left and right.
Note that your chances of hitting a jackpot on a fixed machine may be better than on progressive slots, but the difference is often marginal.
This doesn’t mean that your odds of walking away from a machine with decent earnings are necessarily extremely small. There are so many other ways to enjoy a nice win on slots. Bonus games are a popular and often exciting experience that can increase earnings considerably.
How Most People Choose Their Slots
Slots are all about stimulation. Bright lights. Fun graphics. Themes from shows or movies that you enjoy. The simple mechanics of the games means that you need to find other factors that will hold your attention.
For most people that factor is not determined by what kind of jackpot the machine leverages. They pick a game because they like the way it looks. Maybe because it has low bet minimums.
Sure. The high-reward potential is great. At the end of the day, however, jackpot wins are very rare. Odds can vary between 1 in 5000 to 1 in several million of winning.
That’s right around the odds of being struck by lightning.
Casinos aren’t a great place to get bogged down by probability. You go to have fun. Sure. If you find a progressive slot with a massive jackpot, it could be worth your time to spin the wheel.
You don’t want to plant yourself in front of one machine all night, hoping for a life-changing jackpot that will probably never come.
Slots and monogamy don’t go hand in hand. Look for games that sound fun to you. Do a few spins at all of them. Play machines that have enjoyable bonus games. Interesting graphics.
Conclusion
Jackpots are exciting, but they represent a narrow fraction of the slot experience. You can certainly go hunting for them, but try not to do so at the expense of other casino experiences.
You’re playing to have a fun time. The best way to approach slots is with an emphasis on enjoyment. Find fun games. Bet in a way that aligns with your budget and comfort level. Who knows? You might get lucky.
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