Some slot machines let you stop the reels as you play, but does this make any difference to your chances of winning?

To understand this better, we need to look at how slot games work and what factors provide the result each time.

How Does a Slot Machine Works?

In the past, slots were mechanical games that worked by sending the reels spinning around every time you hit the spin button. This meant that stopping it at a certain point would alter the result and possibly give you a better chance of getting a cash win.

For example, if you knew how the different symbols were placed on each reel, you could attempt to stop them at the perfect moment. It would have been extremely difficult to do, but there’s a chance that you could have timed it just right.

However, modern slots now work using a random number generator (RNG). This is a piece of software that makes sure that the outcome of each spin is completely unpredictable. If you stop the reels, the outcome will still be completely random, so there’s no benefit to be gained from doing this.

Are There Other Ways of Increasing Your Chances?

Just about everyone who plays slot machines tries to look for a way to gain an advantage. This is human nature, as we want to try and win money if we can. As we’ve seen, the outcome of slots is random, so we need to simply concentrate on the things that we control.

The first thing to consider is the slot you play. While the mechanism is pretty similar in most slots, there are some key differences between machines to take into account. The main one that affects your chances is the return to player (RTP), which tells you the amount that they expect to pay to all their players over a huge number of spins.

The RTP doesn’t vary massively over slots, with the majority falling somewhere between 90% and 96% or so. If you’re planning on playing a lot of spins on a slot, you might decide to focus on games with high RTPs, though, as it may have a bigger effect over more spins.

The next point to look at is the volatility. As with investments, this is the aspect that lets us see how the game should pay out. As a rule, lower volatility games pay smaller amounts but tend to give wins regularly. With a higher level of volatility, you might need to wait longer for wins but they could be bigger when they arrive.

Progressive jackpot slots tend to be on the higher end of the volatility scale, since they have a large top prize that probably doesn’t get trigged all that often. Because of this, jackpot slots aren’t right for everyone but a lot of players enjoy them.

Look for Games You Enjoy 

Having looked at the different ways of trying to boost your chances of winning at a slot, we can say that it’s really just about trying to get lucky on a game of chance. Your chances of winning are ultimately controlled by that RNG, so it’s going to be a random outcome no matter what you.

This means that you can simply concentrate on finding a slot machine that you like playing. It’s easier to do this when you play online slots, as you can choose from a massive number of titles in the casino’s lobby.

You’ll see games based on many different themes, from searching for treasure in Ancient Egyptian tombs and Aztec pyramids to pirate adventures, Wild West shootouts and more. Find a theme that appeals to you and you’re on the right path to playing a slot that you enjoy.

The other point to look at is the list of features on the slot you want to play. Do you prefer a very simple slot where you only need to try and get a matching combination of symbols to win some money?

Or do you prefer one where you can take part in the likes of bonus rounds and free spin rounds? The presence of these features doesn’t guarantee a win, as the RTP is still in charge of making sure that the right amount of money is paid overall.

Yet, these features can increase your enjoyment of a slot. You might even get to make some decisions in areas such as picking an object or choosing a location on a map to reveal a prize. However, there’s not really any skill involved in doing this either.

No matter how you choose to play slot machines, there are lots of varied games out there for you to try. As long as you approach on the understanding that they are games of chance, you can enjoy the thrills and spills of spinning the reels.