A lot of people wonder when the best time to play slot machines is as if there’s some sort of secret window during the day when you can hit the jackpot every time.
At Realmoneyonlinecasinos.com, we’re all about busting casino myths and teaching our readers the truth about casino games. We don’t make unqualified statements, though. We’ll show you why we don’t believe there is a best time to play slot machines.
To understand why that is, you’ve got to understand how slot machines have evolved.
Slot Machines – A Quick History
Back in the old days, slot machines were mechanical. Cogs and pulleys operated the parts inside, and jackpots were triggered when certain parts inside the machine moved a certain way.
Those days are long gone. These days, slot machines are electronic. The only mechanical parts are the reels, but even how they spin is determined by a computer.
Modern slot machines are powered by Random Number Generators. This changes the game significantly and kills off the myth about the best time to play slot machines.
What Are Random Number Generators?
Random number generators are algorithms which, as you might have guessed, randomly generate numbers. They generate millions, and sometimes billions, of numbers per second. When you click spin, one of these numbers is generated, and it determines which symbols land on the reels.
Each number is associated with a game outcome. That means that the jackpot is associated with either one or a series of numbers. Those could be generated on any spin, so it really doesn’t matter when you play.
Are Vegas slots and those found in physical casinos the same? Basically, yes. Most of them are electronic slots now. You might find some old-school mechanical slots here and there, but they’re increasingly rare.
The Myth of the Hot Slot
Another closely related concept is the hot slot. This is the idea that a slot machine is due to pay because it hasn’t done so in a while.
There’s some wisdom in this idea. After all, the jackpot has to drop eventually. It can’t go on forever, but that does not mean there’s a best time to play slots to win the jackpot.
Superstitious players believe that hot slots are about to drop at any minute. In casinos in Vegas, Atlantic City and elsewhere, you’ll even see these players hanging around and watching for someone to stop playing. They believe that if another person has been playing a slot machine for hundreds of spins and didn’t win the jackpot, then it must be due to drop at any moment.
When you understand the role of Random Numbers Generators in how slot machines work, you know this is not the case. It can’t be. There’s no such thing as a hot slot. You have as much chance of winning on your first spin if you’re the first person into the casino for the day as you do if you watch someone lose 1,000 spins in a row and then try your luck.
The Best Time to Play Online slots
Having said all of the above, there is a best time to play online slots. It’s when the progressive jackpots haven’t been won for a while, and they’re worth millions.
Remember what you learned above – just because the Mega Moolah jackpot is over $10 million does not mean that it’s about to drop at any minute. It could easily grow to $15 million or more, and it has done on several occasions.
However, while you aren’t any more likely to win these “swole” jackpots, it’s still the best time to play slots online because if you do win, you’ll win so much more than if the jackpot had just recently returned to its seed amount.
Another great time to play slots online is when slots tournaments are taking place. You can win tonnes of real money free spins, and if you finish in winning positions on the leaderboard, you can win a share of the slots tournaments prize pools.
Player’s Questions About the Best Time to Play Slots
Q. When is the best time to play slots at a casino in Vegas?
When the jackpot is biggest! Look at slots like Megabucks. Pay the casino a visit when it’s well into the tens of millions. If you can’t control when you visit, for example, because you’re on a weekend break to Vegas, it’s better to play in the evening simply because that’s when all the entertainment begins.
Q. Are Random Number Generators really 100% random?
That’s a hot topic, and lots of players argue that since humans program these things, they can not be absolutely random. However, since billions of numbers are generated per second, they’re random enough for the purposes of slot machines.
Q. So the best time to play slot machines is another slot myth?
Basically, yes. It used to hold some weight back when slot machines were mechanical, but you can basically forget about it now. The best time to play slot machines is when you are feeling lucky!
