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Since slot machines are basically computerized there is very little a player can do to gain an advantage short of breaking the law, so the rules governing slot machines are fairly simple. In this article I will take a look at how slot machines work internally to help give you a better understanding of how the payouts are determined.

Each slot machine has an independent reel of numbers/symbols/what-have-you and the computer inside randomly picks one of these from each reel –choosing a bar on the first reel has no impact on the second or third reel’s outcome.

There are two main principles when it comes to slot machines:

Think of a slot machine’s inner workings like a deck of cards, where each number (or symbol in the case of slot machines) is represented equally, so the payouts would be the same since receiving a ‘3’ on all three reels has the same probability as an ‘Ace’ on all three reels. But if we start removing and adding numbers then certain combinations become harder –hence the higher payouts.

Once the possible outcomes are determined it is then up to the slot machine provider to determine a payout system that will reward the player with a certain percentage in the long-run. These payouts are determined based on the chance of each outcome.

So, if a specific slot machine pays a jackpot on Bar-Bar-Bar there may only be one bar on each reel, while cherries, blanks, and other symbols are more heavily represented –making them more likely to appear.

Here is an example of a possible Reel on a slot machine:

In this instance you can see how difficult it would be to get 3-Bars since you have only an 8% chance (roughly) to get a bar on each reel, whereas you have a 50% chance of receiving a blank on each reel.

Your odds of hitting 3-Bars on this particular slot machine would be about .005%; on the other hand, your chances of getting 3-Blanks are in the neighborhood of 12%; while 3-Cherries are around 4%. Obviously if there were 64 possible outcomes and only one of them was a ‘Bar’ your chances would be exponentially smaller, which is why slot machines can sometimes have huge jackpot payouts.