Slots Hero

This myth is one that every single slots player encounters: the near miss. I say myth because what has started as a myth has actually worked its way into slots strategy.

And no slots player is untouched by this. Does not matter if you play online slots games or slot machines in a casino, you will have encountered this scenario:

You are sitting in front of your computer playing your favorite online slots game or are perched on the edge of your seat in front of a slot machine. This is a five reel game and you land four of the jackpot symbols on a payline. And that needed fifth symbol is only one space above the payline you need it to be on.

This is known as the near miss.

The near miss works its way into a slots slot strategy because it is believed that a slots game or a slot machine has a near miss when it is almost ready to make a jackpot payout. This, in terms of slot strategy, translates to ‘keep playing.’

But this near miss idea that a slots game or slot machine is almost ready to payout is a myth. Just because a near miss occurs does not mean that a jackpot is near. It is merely a near miss. Your odds of winning do not increase when a near miss occurs.

So what causes the excitement and the drive to keep playing?

The answer lies in the slot player’s brain. The near miss creates a stimulation in brain activity in the regions of the brain that is responsible to reactions to rewards. With more blood in that area of the brain, the player’s drive to keep playing in increased.

The player will unconsciously seek a reason for the heightened excitement, coming up with the idea that the slots game or slot machine must be almost ready to payout a jackpot. But that reasoning is a slots myth.

Still, the myth over time becomes a part of some players’ slot strategy so that when a near miss occurs they will keep spinning the reels.

What the smart slots player needs to understand is that a near miss is just a near miss and does not signify anything. Keeping that thought in mind when you experience a near miss will allow your strategy to shift a bit—to understanding that it does not mean anything.

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Part of the allure of online slots and slot machines is the huge jackpot offered by those casino games. These huge jackpots come from progressive online slots games and progressive slot machines. There is a bit of strategy, so to speak, to keep in mind when you gear yourself up to tackle playing for a progressive jackpot.

First off a summary of what a progressive slots game or slot machine is. Online slots games that feature a progressive jackpot are all linked together. Players who play that particular game are playing into that jackpot, which grows the more and more players play that game.

An online slots game that offers a progressive jackpot can run one of two ways. If the online casino that offers the game is not tied to any other online casino—meaning that its parent group does not own any other online casinos or have that online casino linked to others—then the only players who are paying into the progressive jackpot are those within that online casino. Anyone who plays pays in.

If the online casino offering the progressive slots game is tied to a sister site then anyone on any of the sites that offers that progressive slots game will be paying into it when they play.

So keep in mind whether the online casino you play at is linked to sister sites or not. The fewer players that are paying, in the better your chances of hitting the progressive jackpot on that online slots game—add that to your online slots strategy.

As for progressive slots machines, they are much easier to explain. When you see an offering for a progressive jackpot you will see it on a sign over a bank of slot machines. All of those slot machines are linked together so that anyone who is playing them is paying into the progressive jackpot.

Now for progressive slots strategy.

Typically when you play a progressive slots game you must bet the maximum in order for you to have a chance of hitting the progressive. If the maximum wager is not required then entry into the progressive pool is gained by a side bet.

If you are not going to be betting the maximum or making the side bet, do not play. Without making the required wager you are not in the running to hit the jackpot. And if you are not in the running there is no point in playing the slot machine or the online slots game.

For your progressive strategy understand and be prepared and then actually carry out making the maximum wager or the side bet. The whole point of playing is for the progressive jackpot. What is the point of playing if you are not going to make the entry wagers?

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Not everything is how it appears when it comes to slot machines. Initially they might seem like they are easy to read. All you really need to know is what the payouts are right?

Appearances can be on the deceiving side actually. And that is one of the downfalls in a player’s slots strategy. How can slot machines be one of those cases of ‘more than meets the eye?’

For one thing you do not want to base your decision to play a slot machine purely on its payout table. Work this into your slots strategy.

Let’s take a look at two example slot machines. And keep that above adage for your slots strategy in mind. Both machines have the same payout percentage of 95%.

For our first slot machine we are going to call it Little Winner. It is a $1 slot machine with payouts of $1, $10, $100 and $1,000.

The other slot machine we are going to call Big Winner. This is a $2 slot machine with these four payouts: $2, $20, $200 and $2,000.

The player with the almost non-existent slots strategy would think “Hey, I can wager $2 and win $2,000, which is a $1,000 more than if I were to play the $1 slot machine.”

In the above slots strategy the player makes his playing choice based on the payout table, believing that he should go with the slot machine that will give him the higher payout.

But here is what he does not know about slot machines: The probabilities on these two machines have been set differently. The probabilities of a slot machine are the chances of each winning combination being landed. The probabilities can be set differently and the payout percentage will not be affected.

Little Winner’s probabilities are set with 0.05% for $1,000, 0.24% for $100, 1.22% for $10 and 9.75% for $1 with losses at 88.74%. Big Winner looks like this: 0.02% for $2,000, 0.12% for $200, 0.61% for $20 and 4.62% for $2 with losses at 94.62%.

In summary, adding up the math, Little Winner has a hit rate of 11.26% while Big Winner has a hit rate of 5.38%. When comparing the corresponding payouts you will notice that the payouts on Big Winner are about twice as hard to land.

While a slots player is not able to know what the probability is on a slot machine, the whole point is to not immediately assume that the machine that has the highest payout is the machine to play. As we can see in the example, the player that assumed that would have lost more than the player who spins the reels on Little Winner.

Assuming is one of the things you do not want to base your slots strategy on.

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In the online casino industry it is not unusual for one parent company to own a few online casinos. They will generally have different names, but be owned, licensed and powered by the same software company.

Online Vegas and Go Casino are two such online casinos. Both are owned by the Hambledon New Venture group and are licensed in Curacao.

Recently Online Vegas and Go Casino got a little sister online casino: Grand Vegas.

I say little sister because Grand Vegas is still new, with only just over one hundred games. Its software is only available in a download format right now.

Despite being a new online casino, online slots players who enjoy playing the games at sister casinos will find their favorite Vegas Technology online slots games at Grand Vegas too.

Like Online Vegas and Go Casino, Grand Vegas is open to US players and offers a variety of deposit options: VISA, American Express, Neteller, MoneyBookers, and money transfers.

There is, of course, a Welcome Bonus for new players. And right now almost everyone at this new online casino is new. On a new player’s first deposit, they are eligible to receive a 100% match bonus worth up to $555.

But that is not the end of the bonuses available for online slots players. There are weekly bonuses on Tuesdays and Fridays. Online slots players have two options to choose from on each day.

Tuesday:
- 50% deposit bonus ($25 minimum, $1,000 maximum)
Or
- 20% cash back on all losses on that day

Friday:
- 75% deposit bonus ($25 minimum, $1,000 maximum)
Or
- 25% cash back on all losses on that day

Between the Welcome Bonus and the weekly bonuses, Grand Vegas has a good start to offering the kind of online gambling entertainment that her big sister online casinos are known for. Hopefully Grand Vegas will grow to the size of Online Vegas and Go Casino.

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In living up to its name, Party Casino is, in essence, having a party to celebrate the release of their newest online slots game.

The latest addition to this online casino’s lineup is called Palladium. Party Casino has made a whole VIP Lounge for this new jewel in their lineup which they have titled their Palladium Lounge. It is a smaller part of their larger VIP club.

And that is who this party is open to.

With Palladium opening this week, it will only be open for their VIP members. The initial ‘party’ will run through July 15th through July 31st, and there are five prizes to be one by five lucky VIP members.

Those five prizes are five vacation packages worth $5,000 apiece. Each of the five winners at the end of the launch party will win $5,000 towards a vacation destination of their choice. The $5,000 breaks down into $2,000 to go towards the cost of airfare, $1,500 to cover hotel accommodations, and the remaining $1,500 will be for spending money at the chosen vacation spot.

All the VIP members at Party Casino need to do is log in and play Palladium. Since this new online slots game is only open to VIP members there is no need for the online casino to charge an entry fee or find another way to separate VIP members from those who are not VIP members.

Once a VIP begins playing the new online slots game he or she will begin to accumulate points. Party Casino is keeping a leader board so that players can track their progress against others. At the end of the promotion the top five players will be awarded one of the $5,000 vacation packages.

It is not uncommon for online casinos to run such promotions when they launch a special new online slots game. Several Microgaming online casinos did so when Thunderstruck II was launched.

For those who are interested players, membership in Party Casino’s VIP club is by invitation only to online slots players who have earned 9,000 points in a calendar quarter.

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With a name like Crazy Slots insane offers should come as no surprise. And Crazy Slots is pulling out the stops to welcome new players to their online casino. Many online casinos offer new players less than $1,000 in deposit match bonuses. Crazy Slots, in living up to their name, is offering new players $12,500.

The online casino industry is growing at a rapid rate. This could be due to convenience or gaming technology. Whatever the reason, online slots players are able to take advantage of what is becoming a highly competitive market.

New online slots players at Crazy Slots are able to claim the Welcome Bonus being offered: $12,500.

This Welcome Bonus is spread out over the player’s first fifteen (15) deposits, each deposit with its own match. The breakdown looks like this:

1st deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
2nd deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
3rd deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
4th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
5th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
6th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
7th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
8th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
9th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
10th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
11th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
12th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
13th deposit: 100% match worth up to $777
14th deposit: 100% match worth up to $1,250
15th deposit: 100% match worth up to $1,250

Yes, those last two are correct. A new player’s 14th and 15th deposits could be worth up to $1,250.

But fifteen matched deposit bonuses are not the only rewards for joining Crazy Slots. New players also receive four free entries into tournaments. Those can be used to take part in online slots tournaments at Crazy Slots.

Crazy Slots is a Vegas Technology powered online casino that accepts US players. They run online slots tournaments regularly, including Frugal Friday tournaments, Red Eye tournaments and even $0.25 tournaments Monday through Thursday.

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Over that last year or so those who play slot machines have been saying that there are fewer and fewer jackpots being paid out to players. In turn some players believe that casinos have changed the payout percentage of their slot machines.

It is not true.

Here is the deal. When a slot machine is put together in the factory the chip that is programmed with that machine’s payout percentage is installed. This chip is in place to control the payouts of that slot machine. Once it is installed the payout percentage is a done deal.

The only way a casino could change the payout percentage of one of their slot machines is to first submit a sheaf of paperwork to the Casino Control Commission requesting to change the payout percentage of a slot machine. This sheaf of paperwork would have to be submitted for each machine the casino wished to change.

If the request is approved the casino then has to purchase a new payout percentage chip and then pay for the old chip to be removed and the new chip to be installed in the slot machine. None of which is cheap.

What does all of this mean to you, slot machine player? It means that the casino does not just flip a switch to change the payout of a slot machine. It is a very detailed and time consuming process.

So why do there seem to be fewer jackpots?

It does not have anything to do with the casinos actually. But it does have to do with the economy.

People are making fewer trips to casinos. Some because of a lack of funds and others because they are choosing to play online casino games. With fewer people in the casinos and fewer people playing on slot machines, there are now fewer jackpots being paid out.

It simply comes down to that. Less people playing slot machines means less opportunities for a jackpot on a slot machine to be triggered, which means less actual jackpots being won from slot machines.

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Back in November of last year, residents in Ohio voted on whether to allow casinos within their state. The idea from lawmakers was to use to tax the casinos and use them as a source of income. The residents of Ohio wound up voting in favor of allowing casinos within their state.

Within the next couple of years or so four cities will see the addition of casinos to their landscape. Those four cities are Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

But that is not the end of the matter.

Lawmakers as well as the Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, now want to add slot machines to the state’s racetracks.

With the economy down, racetracks have been having a hard time pulling guests in to their facilities. Strickland believes that adding slot machines can help increase the number of guests who drop by the racetracks. And, yes, the slot machines would be another source of income for the state on top of the casinos.

With the Ohio Lottery Commission looking to update their video lottery machines this month, lawmakers are looking at slipping in the opportunity for state residents to vote on allowing slot machines at their racetracks.

Gaming analyst Steve Schwartz said, “What we are seeing in Ohio is something that takes place in almost every state where casino gambling is legalized. Once the initial approval is signed, lawmakers keep pushing to see how much gambling can increase. With each expansion, more tax revenue goes to the state.”

But with a sad economy right now, more tax revenue might not be a bad thing. And residents in Ohio seem to be looking at it as personal taxes not increasing and programs kept running if casinos and slot machines are allowed within the state.

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Who is the best online slots player?

Really, no one knows the answer to that question, but All Slots intends to answer that question. At least as far as the online slots players in their online casino are concerned.

They are going to determine who is the best online slots player at their casino through a week long tournament called the Slots All Stars Competition. The top 1,000 players will receive some sort of prize, but the top player will receive $1,000 all to him or herself.

This crème de la crème online slots tournament is open to any online slots player at All Slots. Entry into this tournament is gained by any player who deposits and plays a minimum of fifty credits on any online slots game at All Slots.

This online slots tournament is point based rather than highest balance based. Points can be earned as so:

- 1 point for every 50 credits bet during the tournament
- 1 point of every 50 credits won each day
- 1 point for every 50 credits lost each day

I do like that last way of earning points—having the ability to earn points by losing. That was a nice touch on All Slots’ part.

The Slots All Stars Competition will run from Wednesday, July 14th through Tuesday, July 20th. Players have those seven days to work on establishing themselves as the best online slots player.

The leader board will be updated every thirty minutes to allow for players to constantly keep in touch with where they are placing and how much further they have to go.

This is an easy online slots tournament at All Slots to enter and play in—especially with points being given for money lost as well as won.

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With gaming technology being what it is today the appeal in online slots games grows daily. Graphics and animation are drastically better in online slots than they were several years ago. Gaming technology has also improved in the video slots that are in place of the classic slot machines.

One thing that has not changed between classic slot machines, older video slots and our beloved online slots games is strategy.

Strategy of online slots is the same no matter where you have chosen to play them. Meaning, there is no such thing as strategy for slots games.

Slots games are games of chance, meaning that due to the nature of the game, there is nothing that the player can do to influence the outcome of a round of online slots.

In a round of online slots the player begins the round be selecting how many paylines to play. Once the player has decided on their number of paylines to activate and the amount to wager on each payline, the player then clicks on Spin.

Once Spin is clicked the Random Number Generator (RNG) then selects one of the possible outcomes for that game. This means that as soon as the player clicks Spin the RNG pulls a combination of symbols to appear on the reels. The reels then stop on the combination that the RNG has selected at random.

Because the RNG chooses the outcome instantly there is nothing that the slots player can do to have an impact on the outcome a round of slots. And because there is no way for a player to have an impact on the outcome of an online slots game. The best you can do is to sit back and have fun with the online slots games.

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