Although gambling is ultimately a matter of chance, some players seek ways to increase their odds and win more often. There are certain strategies and tips for playing slot machines which may increase your odds, though most methods require skill or specific inside knowledge to succeed.
First among these techniques involves tying a string around a coin in order to make it appear like regular currency to the machine’s sensor, an approach often employed on coin operated machines in the past but no longer viable with online slots. Another popular strategy was using a bill validator – a small device folded in the shape of $100 bills placed over coin slots that tricks machines into thinking it has received high-value bills but is no guarantee for winning jackpots.
Magnets were once used as a popular hack on older mechanical slot machines to stop reels on winning combinations more reliably; however, this method does not guarantee success and won’t work on modern machines.
Another old-school hack was to place a piece of metal in the coin chute to deceive the light sensor that registers coin insertion, although this only worked on older machines – not online slots! Louis “The Coin” Colavecchio became notorious as an expert slot cheat through using fake coins to cheat casinos for years before finally being caught and put behind bars.
Ronald Dale Harris was a computer technician who attempted to cheat slot machines by understanding their source code and reconfiguring it so as to pay out after specific coin insertions. Unfortunately for Harris, authorities eventually caught on and banned him from casinos altogether.
Software glitches have also been exploited by cheaters in order to trigger slot machine jackpots; however, this method can be very risky and difficult to pull off successfully; many cheaters have been caught by casinos for using it and it is therefore not advised.
Additionally to these tried-and-tested strategies, more recent tactics have proven to increase your odds of winning at slots. These include keeping your bankroll under control, not being greedy, and only betting with money you can afford to lose; greed and betting more than what is comfortably affordable are two major pitfalls associated with slot gambling.
No matter what strategies you employ, no guarantee exists of winning a slot machine jackpot. Each spin is an individual event and your chances of pressing the button exactly at the right moment to hit that winning combination are extremely remote. Therefore, it is vital that you know the odds of a winning combination before spinning the reels, giving an idea of how much your gambling experience may yield in winnings.