Slots lessons

The lessons in this track

1. 2.1Reels, lines and what a spin costsThe big number on a slot machine counts credits, and a credit is not an amount of money. Here is where the panel says what one credit is worth, and how to work out what your next press takes.About 16 minutes
2. 2.2Return to player: twins that aren'tTwo machines can carry the same glass, land a prize just as often, and still give back different shares of everything staked — and the share is printed on neither of them.About 16 minutes
3. 2.3Hit frequency and volatilityHow often a slot machine pays and what a spin on it costs are two different numbers, and an evening at the machine shows you the first and never the second.About 21 minutes
4. 2.6Bonus rounds: who pays for the extra spinsThe extra spins take no new bet, and the spins in front of them are where their money came from.About 23 minutes
5. 2.8Due, hot, cold and the stop buttonWhat people do when an hour at a machine has given back next to nothing — and what that hour tells you about the next spin.About 21 minutes
6. 2.9Electronic table gamesSome tables run on terminals: the same games, read off a screen instead of a sign. What the rule book says a screen must show before your first bet.About 19 minutes
7. 2.12No near miss: the draw decides, the screen showsA jackpot symbol sits one row above the pay-line, and it feels like the machine almost paid. Here is what the technical rule says about the draw, the screen and the near miss.About 11 minutes

What this track is for

Every figure in these lessons is worked out when the page is built, by the same engines as our tools, or comes from a source quoted on the spot. More on how we verify.

Nothing here is a way to win. The course explains what each game costs to play and what the rules on the table actually change, so that the money you take in is a decision and not a surprise.

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