Myths are common in all cultures and all walks of life. Some are loosely based on truth, but most have no basis in reality.
Even history is full of famous myths and one of the most well known is that Jesus was born on the 25th December. The reality is that he was a spring baby, but the myth still lives on and has come to be considered as fact.
Another historical myth that is false is that Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas. They had already been discovered before he reached their shores.
It will therefore come as no surprise to learn that the gambling industry has conjured up a fair few myths of its own too, especially when it comes to slot machines – play slot games.
Separating Fact From Fiction
Slot machines both online and in brick and mortar casinos continue to grow in popularity. The UK alone turns in annual revenues from slots that are thought to be approaching the £2billion mark.
With so many players out there, it is easy to see how such slot myths have been created and have come to pass as fact.
Slots are gambling machines that can either exist online or at land-based casinos. These computerized gaming units produce thousands of spins and each has a random result.
Therefore the outcome of each spin is not predetermined and this alone debunks many a slot myth.
Imagine you are playing a slot and it churns out continuous dead spins and no bonuses. A popular myth is that it will eventually pay out big and deliver numerous bonus rounds.
The slot will eventually produce winning spins but since every spin is generated randomly, it is impossible to predict when a change in your spinning fortunes will occur.
This fact also dispels the myth that slot machines are programmed to pay out at certain times of the day when it is quieter, or online at hours when it is thought that few if any people are playing.
Instead of waiting for certain times to play, you can actually increase your chances of winning by following the RTP percentages of each game. If you play on the slots that have the highest Return To Player stats, then you will win more often.
Another popular misconception centres around Jackpot slots. If you have ever found yourself at a land-based casino and you observe a lucky punter win a jackpot, you will probably notice that the certain slot that just paid out, will remain vacant for some considerable time.
This is because players believe that once a game pays out a jackpot, it will no longer pay out anything else for some considerably time.
Again if this were true then it would go against the fact that each spin is random and jackpots can and do fall within short times of each other.
Another popular myth spread amongst the gaming world is that slot machines are deliberately fixed to give the house the edge.
If you consider the nature of slots and the number of possible combinations of symbols that can land on the reels, then the odds are already on the side of the house before you have even taken your first spin.
This makes it sound like you are always going to lose. However, since the spins are random, there is always the possibility that a winning combination of symbols is just around the corner too.
Another myth is that high rollers are the only players likely to hit a large jackpot win. There is some truth In this, as some slot machines increase the size of the jackpot, with relation to the spin value. This means that the higher your bet goes, the jackpots that can be won increase too.
The main theme here is that randomness is the name of the game, yet this does not seem to prevent the myths stacking up like a deck of cards and spreading like wildfire across the gaming community.
One of the most popular myths is that slot machines use phycology against the player and you end up in a battle with the game you are playing.
There are those out there who think that slots are programmed to use tricks that suck the player in, before fleecing them of all their cash.
Again, this is not possible when you are dealing with randomly generated spins. This, however, is how the myth goes. Imagine that you have finally chosen a game to try your luck on and when you start spinning, you generate win after win after win.
You are then tempted to either up your stake or continue spinning on the chosen slot. Very gradually, the wins begin to try up under your nose until you eventually lose all your money.
If this theory were true, then most players would win when they start playing a game. The reality is that there is no set pattern. You can start off on a huge losing run until your balance is running on empty and then hit a big win.
This is the attraction of slots, each spin is a risk but a thrill at the same time. The more you win, the longer you spend playing and this decreases your chances of winning more.
Hot and cold streaks do occur in slot games but again, these are naturally occurring patterns and are not programmed by the house, in order for them to win.
Slot Myths Final Thoughts
There is no denying that slots give the house the edge over players. However, if they were pre-programmed to always make players lose, then casinos would have no customers.
The odds are against you when you spin slots and these games are very profitable to casinos. This is why there are so many slot-focused casinos around.
However, this does not mean that you have no chance of winning despite this setup and this is down to the random nature of each spin that disproves most myths.