How Do Slot Machines Really Work?

There is a reason why this article is titled ‘How do slot machines really work’. We want to explain to you exactly how slot machines work. In addition to the structure of the slots – as the slot machine games are also called – this also includes the game mechanics, the chances of winning and a basic understanding of how the random number generators work and are secure.

If you want to know what online casino slots, like slot monster, are and how they work, you have come to the right place. Let’s start with an overview of the types of slot machines. This will help you better understand how the game mechanics work.

Slot Structure

Online gambling has changed significantly in recent years. This is not only thanks to technological advances, but also to the innovative power of many game developers. The range of slots available today is greater than ever before. You can classify slots according to various criteria. For many, however, the structure of a slot is the decisive criterion.

Basically, all slots have in common that there are always different symbols on a grid or reels (more on this below) and different winning combinations. Which symbols appear and what function they have, whether there are jackpots or additional features, depends on the structure of the slot. A distinction can be made between four main types, which we would like to briefly summarize for you here.

• Classic slots – These are slots with classic symbols that often have a bit of a retro flair but still have many features. The mechanics are usually kept simple, and these are usually slots with three or five reels.
• Video slots – These slots are a little more elaborate and offer animated graphics and often innovative game concepts. There is a wide variety of themes, with most video slots being either adventure slots or franchise slots. The latter uses well-known themes that are licensed for the slot. Adventure slots, on the other hand, are set in themes such as ancient Egypt, and everything in the slot revolves around the theme, from the symbols to the graphic design to the soundtrack.
• Fruit slots – Fruit slots have their origins in old one-armed bandits where you could win chewing gum. The slot machine showed the flavor with fruit symbols. The fruit symbols have remained until today and are very popular with slot fans. In a certain sense, they are classic slots.
• 3D Slots – These are particularly elaborately designed slots with 3D graphics that have developed in recent years. Virtual reality slots that you can enjoy in a 360-degree environment also fall into this category.

What all of these types of slots have in common is that they are usually designed like one-armed bandits. They have spinning reels and symbols that, in certain combinations, form paylines that lead to winnings. Today, however, there are also many slots that deviate from the classic reel design and are designed in a more innovative way. Nevertheless, there are also symbols here that are arranged in a grid, fall down, or can take up several rows at once.

Game Mechanics of Slot Machines

Regardless of the slot structure, the basic game mechanics behind all slots are the same. To fully answer the question “How do slot machines work”, you must therefore understand the game mechanics behind online slots.

It is not enough to understand the game principle, but also an understanding of the programming, the random generators and chances of winning as well as the grid or reel mechanics.

How Is a Slot Machine Programmed?

All slot machine games on the Internet are programmed according to the same basic scheme. The model is the mechanical slot machines that can still be found in gaming arcades today. Behind every slot, there is a random number generator, also known as an RNG (Random Number Generator).

The random number generator generates random numbers that determine the outcome of each individual spin. The individual spin never depends on the outcome of the previous spin – with the exception of certain mechanics where, for example, symbols from previous spins are retained. This is also never the case with roulette and other games of chance, even if common sense tries to convince you after the fourth spin of the roulette wheel on red that black should come up now.

The machines are of course always programmed in such a way that they pay out more money over a long period of time than the players have deposited in the form of stakes. This is how the operators – the online gaming halls – make their profits. During programming, the exact probability of winning is determined. This payout ratio determines the possible winnings for the various combinations or winning lines on slots.

Since every single game is a new, random event, there are no jackpots that are slowly coming due, hot slots, or cyclical processes in online slots. This may sometimes seem like this to you as a player, but each game is always independent of the previous one – as is also required by law. Over thousands of games, the machine will always pay out as much as the random number generator determines. Theoretically, this also makes several jackpots in a row or hundreds of zero rounds in a row possible.

Answering the question “how are slot machines programmed” will therefore not help you to outsmart them or to make more winnings. Rather, you should always be aware that every machine is programmed in such a way that statistically, it pays out between 93 and 98% of the stakes as winnings.

Slot Reels

Most machines work with reels that are modeled on mechanical slot machines. The slot machine symbols are randomly arranged on the reels and, depending on the machine can form winning lines in different combinations that lead to payouts.

Classic slot machines work with three reels and only have a few symbols. The number of possible winning combinations is usually quite low. However, most slots on the Internet have five reels or sometimes seven reels. New slot concepts even do without reels at all and work with grids, or the number of reels can even change during the game.

Ultimately, the reels or grids are only meant to represent the random generator because the final arrangement of all symbols after a spin is random. It doesn’t really matter whether the result is shown visually on reels, grids, or in some other way. Ultimately, it’s about the gaming experience, building up tension, and, of course, having fun. After all, it’s a different matter whether the playing field immediately displays the randomly determined symbol arrangement with a click or whether you watch as the reels gradually stop and reveal the result of the spin.

The more reels, symbols per reel, and features there are, the more winning combinations are theoretically possible. While a simple slot with three reels and three symbols per reel only has 27 different results (3 x 3 x 3), many slots today have hundreds of winning lines and thousands of possible combinations. This brings variety into the game and additional features such as wild and scatter symbols, free spins and more make the gaming experience even more entertaining.