Multi Line Video Slots

When Losses Are Disguised as Wins

The problem with multi-line slots is that many losing spins are disguised as wins. Here’s how it happens: You play a slot with 20 active paylines and place one coin on each line for a total bet of 20 coins. The reels are weighted so that low-paying combinations occur more frequently than top-paying ones.

Imagine the slot pays 6 coins for a combination of three Qs and 7 coins for three Js. Both low-paying combinations hit on lines 12 and 20 at the end of a spin. You “win” a total of 13 coins against your 20-coin bet. In reality, you are 7 credits down for this round.

What’s troubling is the psychological impact of losses disguised as wins. Multi-line slot machines behave as if the player has hit a big win instead of a loss. The overall shortfall is “masked” by celebratory sounds and animations.

Worse yet, this behavior encourages players to keep betting. Many spinners overestimate their winnings during a session and underestimate their losses.

As a side note, players respond in a similar way when they experience near misses on classic three-reel slots. Research shows that nearly winning and actually winning affect the brain in almost the same manner.

In short, losses disguised as wins motivate players to bet on more than one line, enabling designers to create slots that award payouts on almost every spin. Despite the higher hit frequency, the amount of money returned is often less than the player’s overall wager.

Multi-Line Slots and Random Number Generators

The driving force behind advanced multi-line slots is the Random Number Generator (RNG). This technology is used in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos and guarantees that the outcome of each spin is entirely independent of previous results.

The RNG begins generating thousands of random numbers per second the moment the slot machine is powered on. The outcome of each round is determined in the very millisecond the player presses the spin button. The reels spin solely for aesthetics and authenticity.

The software selects a random number for each of the five reels. Each randomly generated number corresponds to a specific stop. The machine instructs the reels to halt on the stops chosen by the RNG. Many of these stops contain blank spaces or low-value symbols, which explains why top-paying combinations occur less frequently.

Modern multi-line machines do not even need physical reels to award payouts. You could simply place your wager and the game could immediately tell you whether you win and, if so, how much. The reels exist only to show the result the software has already selected.

As explained earlier, all slots have their reels weighted to ensure the casino turns a profit over the long run. Physical reels are not large enough to hold a greater number of symbols. The RNG therefore uses virtual reels where more symbols can be mapped.

The positions of the symbols on the virtual reels always remain the same. The symbols are permanently mapped in place, ensuring the slot achieves its expected theoretical return percentage.

There are countless strategies for sale online that supposedly enable players to beat the slots. Unfortunately, all of them are ineffective because it is impossible to predict randomly generated results.

Return Percentages and Volatility in Multi-Line Slots

All video slots are preprogrammed with a specific theoretical return percentage. This figure represents the amount paid back to players over the long term. For example, a game with a 97% payback percentage is expected to return $0.97 for every dollar wagered.

Payback percentages are cumulative and are shared among all players who bet on a given slot. Wide fluctuations can be observed in the short term, with spinners losing or winning big within just a dozen or so spins.

No slot game in the world offers a theoretical return of 100%. All machines are programmed to return less money than players collectively wager. If you play long enough, you are guaranteed to end up in the red. For this reason, reel spinners are advised to keep their sessions short and collect their profits as soon as they hit a decent win.

Machines with higher minimum denominations typically have better payback percentages. For example, a slot that uses a $1 minimum betting unit usually pays better than a $0.50 game, which in turn pays better than a $0.25 game, and so on.

Developers achieve this by improving the paytables of high-denomination slots and mapping more random numbers onto the high-value symbols. The theoretical return percentage is almost always the same regardless of how many coins you wager per payline.

Some players believe they win more frequently when they bet the minimum and less frequently when playing the maximum. This leads them to think the RNG is programmed to pay out more often on minimum bets and less often on maximum bets.

This misconception stems from the fact that these players are working with a very small sample size. The results would balance out with extended play and closer observation. Betting patterns are irrelevant to the Random Number Generator – it has no way of knowing the size of your bet. Bet size has no impact on the random numbers or the probability of identical symbols lining up on the paylines.

The hit frequency of a slot tells you how volatile the game is. Slot volatility measures the distribution of outcomes over a specific period. It also denotes the level of risk involved in the game, i.e., how likely you are to deplete your bankroll while playing.

Games with low volatility are less risky and have higher hit frequencies, but the payouts they award are lower. In contrast, video slots with high volatility are riskier because winning combinations occur less often; however, they compensate with larger payouts.

Provided that high-value combinations yield large enough returns, a slot with high volatility might have a better return percentage than a low-volatility game where most of the returns come from low-paying symbols.

Video Slots without Paylines

Most video slots include scatter symbols that pay whenever three or more land anywhere on neighboring reels. In most cases, the matches must occur from left to right, although there are games that pay both ways. It does not matter whether the symbols appear on the top, middle, or bottom positions of the reels.

Some developers have taken this concept even further by creating video slots where all symbols behave like scatters. These games have no paylines at all. They offer many winning combinations but low dispersion, meaning wins occur more often but the payouts are smaller.

Their Simplicity Renders Them Suitable for All Experience Levels

This is perhaps the most compelling factor behind the immense popularity of slots. Many novice gamblers are intimidated by table games, where things can become hectic and confusing, especially during busy hours.

Slots are different, offering a solitary experience. At a land-based casino, you sit at the machine by yourself and can play at your own pace, without dealers urging you to place bets or table mates giving unsolicited advice.

Additionally, you do not need much instruction to understand how slots work. The intuitive interface and gaming controls allow anyone to learn in under a minute. You simply place a bet, press the spin button, and wait for the outcome. If you’re lucky, you collect a payout; if not, you keep your fingers crossed that the next spin will bring a win.

Casinos Offer a Broad Choice of Options to Slot Players

One particularly appealing aspect of slots, especially online, is the vast selection of games available. Many web-based gambling operators offer collections so large that it would take forever to try them all.

Games are typically organized into categories based on theme, number of paylines, bonus events, and even volatility. New titles are released regularly, often featuring improved and unique mechanics. Software developers continually strive to enhance the experience for reel spinners by introducing newer and more advanced games.

Video Slots Are Broadly Available

Finally, let’s consider availability. Tables at land-based casinos are often overcrowded, but you will experience no such issue with slots, especially at larger venues where there are hundreds of multi-line machines.

The situation is even better online, where there is no limit on the number of players who can join and play the same slot simultaneously. This provides round-the-clock access to your favorite games, and you can often try new releases for free before risking your hard-earned money.