Read the payout schedule

When you first go to a slot machine, you should look over the pay schedule carefully so that you know the maximum coins to bet, because some machines only payout when you do this.

Play the single pay line

Another good piece of advice for slots is to play the single pay line machines. These machines generally have higher payouts than the multi pay line machines.

Just remember when you are playing online slots: More options = Lower payouts on the reels and a lower payout percentage. If you like the bonus rounds and free spins, just remember that you are giving up something in order to receive those bonuses and extra features.

Play the maximum bet

Playing the maximum number of coins you can per spin is a smart idea. This is very important to remember on progressive slot machines because to win on most of these machines, you have to place a maximum bet. Even if you have the right symbols lined up, you could take home less if you just bet a small amount.

Double jackpots

Double jackpot symbols are a big score to land on because you will get double or sometimes triple the payout. These symbols can replace any symbol and can be red, white and blue sevens or double and triple diamonds.

Other things to keep in mind

Remember, always verify the value of symbols on each slot machine because sometimes, they could be worth different amounts on different machines.

Also check out the payback percentage, or the return on your bet. Machines with a payback percentage of over 75% are standard for most gaming establishments.

Quit while you’re ahead

Establish a spending limit for yourself and quit playing once you hit it. Just because you spend everything you’ve got on one machine does not mean you will necessarily win or guarantee a large payout. Stop while you’re ahead if you win. If you continue and try to win more, you will most likely lose all of your winnings and end up spending more money.

Slot Myths

1. You will win more frequently if you pull the handle on the slot machine, instead of pushing the button. This is false. Pulling the handle and pushing the button are interpreted the same by the machine. The only difference is your arm won’t be as sore if you use the button.
2. Playing one coin at a time increases your chances of hitting the jackpot. The odds of winning big in slots is always small, but playing the maximum number of coins can raise the payout percentage.
3. If there is an advertisement for a 75% payback on a slot machine, I will earn back $75 for every $100 I play. These percentages are actually long-term numbers, which is the average income over quite a long period. When you are playing a slot machine, it could payout more or less than the percentage that is advertised.
4. If you play the slot machines closest to the casino entrance, those machines have higher odds of paying out. This idea comes from the old way of people thinking that winning machines near the door will bring more people into the casino. This may have been true a long time ago before casinos were extremely popular, but this method is no longer necessary in today’s gambling age.
5. Once a slot machine pays out, you should not play it again because you won’t hit the jackpot for a long time. The machines do not have memory, so the results generated are completely random and could even pay off in the next pull after a jackpot has been hit.
6. Casino employees can change the odds on a slot machine, so avoid machines that are being worked on. Payoffs come pre-programmed by the manufacturer in a coded computer chip. It is virtually impossible for anyone to alter the odds because of this.

All bets on all slot machines are made using coins, tokens or credits. The denominations of the coins can be $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, or $1.00. Penny machines are being phased out and nowadays there are rare few to be found in the modern casino. Tokens are generally in high denominations and can range upwards from $1.00 to $5.00 to $25.00 or other values. Many of the machines have an additional slot on the front where the player may insert paper currency in exchange for coins, tokens or credits.

The player will be able to bet between one to five coins depending on the number of reels in his selected slot machine. Some machines will permit bets of more than five coins. The player bets by inserting his coin, or a number of coins, into the single slot provided near the top of the slot machine. The coins will activate certain paylines as they are inserted, one at a time. Simultaneously, the activated paylines will be illuminated.

The Play

Once the player has made his bet, he will begin the play by starting the reels spinning. He will start the reels by clicking a push button, or by pulling the arm of the slot machine downwards. In online slots, the player gets the same result by clicking on the Spin (or Play) button, or by clicking the machine arm on the side of his machine. Both actions will start the reels spinning.

The reels will spin for only a few brief seconds, slow quickly and come to rest. When the reels stop, the play is over. The play is accompanied by flashing lights, musical sounds and in the event of a win, the tinkle or crashing of coins.

The Payout

In the event of a win, one or more coins will immediately drop into the trough at the bottom of the slot machine. The number of coins won will depend on the number and type of winning combinations displayed in the machine window, and on whether the player bet on the combinations shown.

A typical sweet win would be where a number of the symbols, i.e., cherries, or bars, or stars or numbers etc., line up on a payline in one of the winning combinations listed on the payout table. For example, three bars in a row may pay 20 to 1. Three cherries in a row may pay 3 to 1. Paylines can be horizontal, vertical and/or diagonal depending on the type of machine and related payout table.

Usually, when a player hits one of the smaller winning combinations, he is paid automatically by the slot machine. Larger jackpots, however, are paid personally by a casino employee, who is notified of the win by a flashing light on the top of the machine.

In the event the player wins a larger jackpot, accompanied by a flashing light, he must stay with his machine until the responsible casino employee arrives with his payout. To leave the machine in search of a casino employee often leads to problems in identifying the winner.

How Slot Machines Work

The player, who wants to improve his odds of winning has to understand how the modern electronic slot machines actually work. In most casinos, the operation of the slot machine, and the size and frequency of payouts are dictated by a computer.

The total function of each machine is determined by programmed microchips, which include random number generators, a coin totalizing counter, and sub-programs which take into account the number and denomination of coins played each time. They also record the frequency with which each payline is activated. The master program calculates the results for each play cycle, and will set the type and frequency of payout in accordance with the house payout percentage for the machine in question.

Naturally, the number or reels, the symbols on each reel, and total paylines are taken into account, but they are not be as critical as they were in earlier times. In effect, the greater the number of reels and symbols, the harder it is to hit the jackpot or any other winning combination. The payout, however, can be proportionately greater.

It is important to understand that the number of symbols on each reel is programmed into the computer that operates the slot machine, and the actual number of symbols depends on the size of the jackpot that the machine offers. The reason for increasing or decreasing the programmed symbols is to control the size and frequency of payouts, i.e., jackpots. Initially, these are normally reduced until such time as the machine has generated sufficient cash to pay for the larger jackpot and, at the same time, yield a profit for the casino.

Average Payback

The term, average payback, refers to the average percent of the money bet, in a slot machine, that is paid back to the player. Most machines are programmed to pay out from 83 to 98 percent of the coins that are played over the course of a pay cycle. It is particularly interesting to note that, on average, the payback increases progressively with the higher denomination machines. See the following chart for recently confirmed average paybacks.

Cash Denomination $0.25 $0.50 $1.00 $5.00
Average Payback % 91.6 93.0 94.3 95.6

The player should be aware that the average payback may well be different from machine to machine and from casino to casino. For example, the big casinos in downtown Vegas may have paybacks which are different from those of the casinos on the Vegas Strip. Those paybacks can differ from the average paybacks of a casino in Laughlin, or Vancouver, Reno, Winnipeg or Tahoe. The wise player, therefore, will always carefully research the types of machines, payout tables, and average paybacks offered in whichever casino he chooses to play.

Slot Machine Website Suggestions

I have two new online casinos that offer a better than average Payback Percentage for their slot machines. Just be aware that the more bonus prizes that are offered (I.E. progressives and bonus slots) = a lower payout percentage, closer to 85%

I don’t often do slot reviews since most of them are very similar to each other, except for the slot theme, symbols and bonus rules. The reason that I have decided to review It’s A Mystery because it has a unique feature that I have not seen before.

There is a guaranteed Feature meter that lets you know how likely it is that you will trigger the Bonus Feature. There is one caveat, however; you cannot change the bet level while the Feature Trigger is counting down. If you do, the counter will reset back to 150 spins.

It’s a Mystery slot can be played at  online casinos like Gaming Club

Gaming Feature

Symbols

Lady, A butler, A Gentleman, A Detective, A Stately Home and Ace through 10.

Introduction

It’s a Mystery is a new video slot game from Realtime Gaming Based on a theme of murder mystery. The slot game delivers several gaming features and offers super graphics and sound. The gaming features offered include free spins, wild symbols, scatters and multipliers.

Other advanced features include the win-win feature and autoplay feature. It offers a jackpot of 7,500 credits and to include a random progressive jackpot that can be triggered at any given time during the proceeds of the game.

It’s a Mystery Betting Limits

It’s a Mystery slots offers betting limits of $0.01 – $0.10 well suitable for penny slot players. Players can wager a max bet of $25 per spin and pays from left to right except for scatters that can pay anywhere. The currencies used include USD, GBP and EUR.

Wild Symbol

The wild symbol used in this slot game is the Question Mark (?) symbol that substitutes all other symbols to complete a winning combination with the exception of the scatter symbol. Hitting 5 wilds on an active payline triggers the top fixed jackpot.

Scatter Symbol

It’s a Mystery Logon symbol is the scatter symbol used in this video slot game that can appear anywhere on the reels to trigger an entry. Hitting 3 or more scatters anywhere on the reels awards multiplier values of 2x, 10x, 200x respectively. The scatters are responsible for activating the Mystery Portrait Puzzle Bonus Feature.

Mystery Portrait Puzzle Bonus Feature

Hitting three or more scatters anywhere on the reels triggers the Mystery Portrait Puzzle Bonus Feature game. The bonus feature comprises of two rounds – the free spin bonus round and multiplier.

In the first round, puzzle pieces fall and locked on any selection and three shuffles commence. The number of pieces collected determines the number of free spins to be awarded. Players have an opportunity of winning up to 50 free spins. After this, you are taken to the next round, players will get to receive a multiplier value of up to 6x. Once you have received the free spins and a multiplier value, you proceed to play the free games.

During the free spin bonus round, players have an opportunity of winning up to 45,000 coins when you hit 5 wilds during the free spins.

It’s a Mystery Additional Features

The advanced features offered are the win-win feature and the autoplay feature. Players will get to activate the win-win feature if they have failed to win 10 times their triggering bet during the Mystery Portrait Puzzle Bonus Feature game.

Another additional feature is the autoplay feature that enables players to set the number of spins and coins for the slot game to play automatically.

It’s a Mystery Fixed Jackpot

1st Top Fixed Jackpot – 12,000 credits = 5 Question Mark (?) symbols

2nd Top Fixed Jackpot – 1,200 credits = 5 Lady symbols.