Playing Slots
by Jordan Walters

Round and round they go, where they stop, only the RNG knows. What's an RNG? More on this in a moment. Slot machines, especially today, can be a blast to play.

The one-armed bandits of generations past were very addictive and ruthless. Today, there's a new breed of bandits in town video slot machines. Many people still play the old style of slot machine, because they love the feel of pulling down the handle.

Video slot machines are the wave of the future. They showed up originally with games like Reel-Em-In. That game was wildly popular, and it immediately showed slot machine makers and casino executives what the future of slots would be. Soon after, more video slot games started creeping onto the scene.

Today, many casinos devote up to half of their slot space to video slot machines. And of course, all online casinos use only video slot machines. The machine is a computer program or video game that contains the traditional slot play along with bonus screens and other fun features.

How powerful are video slot machines? Well, even non-slot players are playing them. People who never even thought of putting a nickel in a slot machine suddenly became addicted to the many offers in the video slot world. In Las Vegas, there's a casino with a huge video machine. It seats multiple people and it's called the "Wheel of Fortune." Now, this isn't the traditional version of the video slot game. This one seats people around a huge wheel.

Whenever someone gets the bonus sequence lined up, play stops and that player spins the huge wheel. It's a sight to behold. On busy nights, many onlookers crowd the game --especially when the wheel starts spinning. There are literally lines to get in on the action. When the game shouts "Wheel of Fortune" to signify that the wheel is about to spin it's like a dog whistle for humans going off.

Earlier, I mentioned the RNG. RNG stands for random number generator. It's the little program that constantly cycles through possible outcome combinations 24 hours a day. When you pull the handle or hit the play button, the RNG stops and sends the combination out your fate is now sealed.

Here's what you need to know. The RNG is a separate part of the system. All it does is cycle through possible outcomes. The random number generator doesn't know whether you've won on the last spin or if you've put in $1,000 with not one single dollar back. What I've just told you busts a common myth among machine gamblers.

A machine is never due to hit. The slot machine, while it does advertise a payback percentage, is mathematical in nature. It's possible that the machine will stop paying for hundreds of plays or more. The cycle on a slot machine spans hundreds of thousands of plays. Unless you have a million dollars burning a hole in your pocket, never sit and play a machine all night, because you think it's due.