“Must-hit by” or “mystery” progressives are all the rage in casinos these days. You can’t blame the casinos for putting an ever increasing amount of these types of slot machines on their gaming floors. They want players to gamble for as long as possible & what better way to keep them on a machine than by having them chase a progressive that is guaranteed to hit by a certain number.
Unfortunately too many gamblers have little clue whether the progressive they are trying to win is truly worth going for & this can sometimes lead to disastrous results. On several occasions I have seen someone chasing an Ainsworth hit by $10k machine that’s at $9900 & they’re already in around $30k because they started chasing at a number way too early like $9580. You can read the desperation in their face. It’s a face that’s begging that the machine hit & put them out of their misery.
The reason situations like this occur is often because the player has no idea about meter movement. I’ve seen several examples about how to calculate whether or not a progressive is playable but I’ve found them to be difficult to understand for a gambler who is new to advantage playing. Here I’ll explain the relatively simple method that some advantage players use to figure out if a must-hit progressive is worth playing.
John Robison is an expert on slot machines and how to play them. John is a slot and video poker columnist and has written for many of gaming's leading publications. Hear John on 'The Good Times Radio Gaming Show,' broadcast from Memphis on KXIQ 1180AM Friday afternoons. There are different types of progressive machines. One is a standalone machine. These are like the big machines that you might see when you first hit the casino floor. The big, shiny and flashy slots that are usually pretty expensive to play – like $5 or $10. They always have a large jackpot and are only built by the money wagered on THAT.
Again, meter movement is key. On any progressive that you’re interested in, find out how much it takes to move it 1 cent either by playing it yourself or by watching someone else play the machine & tracking it.
For this example let’s say it’s a penny, must-hit by $500 progressive currently at $480 that moves one cent for every $2.50 played or $250 to move it a dollar. The midpoint therefore is $490, so we have to calculate how much coin in/play it will take to reach this midpoint which is $10 x 250 = 2500.
Of course no one knows what the exact payback percentage of any machine is. Because this is a penny machine I’ll assume it pays around 85%. Could be higher but that’s the number I use for penny progressives & 90% for 25c & $1 progressives.
Now plug in the midpoint coin in of 2500 & multiply it by my presumed payback of 85%.
2500 x 0.85 = 2125
Now add the midpoint number of $490.
2125 + 490 = 2615
Lastly, take that number & subtract the coin in of 2500.
2615 – 2500 = $115 which is your expected result. Because this number is positive, this is a playable situation.
I think it’s a good idea to prepare for the worst case scenario so I also calculate how much I can estimate to win/lose if the progressive goes to the very end. Same process except the meter movement number is now $20.
So $20 of meter movement x 250 = 5000 coin in
5000 x 0.85 = 4250
4250 + $500(hit point) = 4750
4750 – 5000 = -$250 loss
Of course the actual result from each individual play will be different. Sometimes you’ll hit one before the midpoint but lose. Some will run all the way to the end yet you still manage to win. Any & every result is possible but doing these calculations will give gamblers a good idea if a progressive is playable or not.
How Much Is Gvc Progressive Slot Machines
Here are some great ways to increase your chances at winning at the slot machines in a casino, or just about anywhere that you encounter a slot machine! Luck plays a huge role in successfully winning at slot machines, but there are some slot machine strategies that can maximize your chances to win. The probability of winning a significant amount of money on slot machines is slim to none. Casinos do not ordinarily disclose the odds of winning at their slot machines, so the slot players cannot be informed of their chances of winning. Believe me… the chances of winning big money on the slots are very low. However, most people do love to play the slots, and you can still increase your chances of winning some money with a few tips as follows.
Some video slot machines have a fixed maximum payout while other machines have progressive jackpots, which means they have a meter which increases the jackpot with every play where there is no return. The more people play these slot machines… the higher the jackpot becomes.
Progressive slots might seem to be the most attractive, due to the supposed high return, however the huge disadvantage of the progressive slots is that in most online casinos they are all linked together. Because of the number of people all playing for that huge jackpot amount, your odds of winning on a progressive slot machine are much lower. That lower probability of winning not only applies to the jackpot amounts, but also for the overall odds of winning smaller amounts. So it is more profitable to stick to the machines with a fixed maximum payout and limit your play on the progressive ones with the huge jackpots.
To have the very best chances of winning, at least in the short term, you should choose the slots that offer the smallest jackpots. These smaller jackpots are easier to win, which will increase your chances of walking away a winner. The bigger the jackpot, the harder it is to actually hit, and it is more likely that you might lose. It takes a lot of playing hours to create the huge jackpots which is why your chances of winning them are much lower. Games that are novelty themed with enormous jackpots have the worst odds of all, so you really should stick to the machines with the smaller prizes.
This is an amazing book, which everyone should have, if they play slot machines regularly!
You won’t find it in a library or bookstore, but you can click on the photo and find a site where they sell it at a bargain price! Some online retailers charged $29.95 or $19.95 for the very same booklet!
If your favorite casino offers some sort of slots-specific promotions, or even a Player’s Club, where you get an ID Card and can insert it into a machine before beginning to play, it is definitely worth your time to take full advantage of these promotions. You might earn some points which can get you free food or merchandise, there might also be daily or nightly drawings where you can win prizes. Even a few free spins on a slot machine can possibly have the potential to earn you some massive prizes, and there’s really no cost to you to take advantage of these free offers from the casino.