WINNING BIG AT ONLINE SLOTS ~ WHAT ARE THE ODDS?

Published: January 28, 2014

One of the undeniable lures of playing online slot machines like those offered by Microgaming is to hit a large jackpot; a life-changing jackpot. While games like blackjack or roulette can be fun and could lead to some nice winnings over time, there's really no chance of ever striking it rich playing those games, without an incredible string of good fortune. However with a progressive slot machine, all it could take is one pull of the virtual slot machine arm, to strike it rich.

But just what are the chances of doing so you might wonder? Are they akin to winning the lottery, or do you actually have a realistic chance? Well, realistic might be too strong a word, but the odds are certainly better than winning the lottery, which often have odds of over 100 million to 1.

The odds aren't nearly as high on a slot machine. Let's take a 20 symbol, 3 reel machine as an example. While the odds would tecnically be 20x20x20 for landing all 3 jackpot reels, which would be a very low 8,000 to 1, the jackpot symbols in most slot machines are weighted to land at about a 64 to 1 rate, giving us odds of about 262,100 to 1 for hitting a jackpot. While that may seem high, don't forget that you're often playing more than one payline with each spin, and many players easily play hundreds of paylines a day. Now the odds aren't looking so terrible all of a sudden; certainly within the realm of being a realistic possibility.

Of course for 4 or 5 reel slots, the odds of striking the jackpot are much higher; over 16 million to 1 for a 4-reel machine, assuming 64 to 1 odds of the jackpot symbol landing on each reel, which is not a given. Again, high odds, but you have the opportunity to play many more paylines with each spin, and could conceivably play hundreds or even thousands of paylines daily.

Lastly, many people want to know if there's anything they can do to improve their odds at winning at slots, and the short and easy answer is no. Avoid the stress of trying to "beat" the machines, and simply enjoy them for what they are.