One of the most common questions you’ll see about anything in the casino gambling industry relates to “honesty”. You’ll see this question asked about every casino game under the sun. You’ll also see it asked about every casino, especially the online gambling sites.
He began cheating slot machines in 1980 when he used a metal device that was inserted into the coin slot and then triggered a payout. When the big casinos started updating their slots with newer machines, Carmichael found his device no longer worked with them. Latest Casino and Gambling News, Casino Cheating, Conspiracy, Crime, Fines, Lawsuits & Litigation, Rhode Island In Rhode Island, a man has reportedly been arrested and charged for allegedly running an illicit scheme that resulted in counterfeit slot play vouchers being used inside the. Slot machine outcomes are controlled by programs called pseudorandom number generators that produce baffling results by design. Government regulators, such as the Missouri Gaming Commission.
In this post, I want to address this specific question:
Are slot machines honest?
How Do You Define Honest?
When I use Google to look for a definition of honesty, I see some of the following definitions listed:
- “Free of deceit and untruthfulness”
- “Sincere”
- “Morally correct or virtuous”
- “Fairly earned, through hard work”
I think most people are thinking of the first definition when they ask whether slots games are honest. They want to make sure they’re not being cheated. In this context, the answer is yes, slot machines are honest. I’ll explain why in detail in the rest of this post.
In the second context, where “honest” means “sincere”—I’m less sure. Are the casinos sincere when they want you to think you’re able to win money? I think so, but they know in the long run, anyone who plays slots long enough will lose all their money.
In the third and fourth contexts, I’d have to say that slot machines are NOT honest. Slot machines are closer to morally neutral than they are to sinful, but you might have a different belief system about such things. It’s hard to say that slots don’t appeal to one of the seven deadly sins, though (greed).
I’m not sure anyone could (or would) consider money won on a slot machine “earned” or to have anything to do with “hard work”. It’s a game of luck. If you win, then you got lucky—it has nothing to do with working hard or being smart.
I’ll explain more about that later in this post, too.
How a Slot Machine Works Mathematically
Answering the question “are slot machines honest?” begins with learning how the games work mathematically. The math behind the games is easier to understand than most people probably think.
The first concept to understand is basic probability. When someone says “probability”, they’re talking about the mathematical likelihood that something is going to happen. That “something” is called an event.
The probability of an event is always represented as a number between 0 and 1. An event that will always occur no matter what has a probability of 1. An event that will never occur has a probability of 0. An event that will occur half the time has a probability of 0.5.
For simplicity’s sake, and to make understanding the concept easier, I just used whole numbers and decimals in the previous paragraph. But probabilities are almost always expressed as percentages or fractions.
How to Express Probability as a Percentage
You’re watching the evening news, and the meteorologist says there’s a 50% chance of rain tomorrow.
That means it’s just about as likely to rain as it is to not rain.
Here’s another example:
You flip a coin. You have a 50% chance of it landing on heads. You also have a 50% chance of it landing on tails.
If you add the probabilities of all possible events together, you always get a total of 1 (or 100%).
Probability is the mathematical engine that makes gambling games possible.
How to Calculate a Probability
Here’s how you calculate a probability:
You take the number of ways an event can happen. You divide that by all the total events possible (including what can happen and what happens if it doesn’t.)
You’re rolling a single six-sided die. You want to know the probability of getting a 6.
There are 6 possible outcomes. Only one of them is a 6.
The probability of getting a 6 is 1/6.
Another way to express that is using odds, which can be useful when calculating whether a bet is expected to be mathematically profitable or not.
Odds expresses the number of ways something can’t happen versus the number of ways it can happen.
In the six-sided die example, the odds of getting a 6 are 5 to 1. You have 5 ways of NOT rolling a 1, and only 1 way of rolling a 1.
If you want to calculate a probability that includes the word “or”, you add the probabilities of the events together.
If you want to calculate a probability that includes the word “and”, you multiply the probabilities by each other.
You want to know the probability of getting a 1 or a 2 on a roll of a six-sided die. The probability of each is 1/6.
1/6 + 1/6 = 2/6
You can reduce that to 1/3.
Here’s another example:
You roll 2 dice. You want to know the probability of getting a 6 on both dice. The probability of each is 1/6.
1/6 X 1/6 = 1/36
Applying Probability to a Simple Hypothetical Slot Machine Game
But how does all this apply to the honesty of slot machines?
I’ll use a super simple hypothetical slot machine game to explain how this probability affects the integrity of the game.
This super simple game has 3 symbols on each reel—an orange, a lemon, and a cherry.
The probability of getting a lemon on the first reel is 1/3.
The probability of getting a lemon on the second reel is also 1/3.
In fact, it’s the same on each reel.
But the game only pays off if you get 3 of the same symbol on each reel.
The probability of that is 1/3 X 1/3 X 1/3, or 1/9.
Let’s suppose the payoff for getting 3 lemons is 4 for 1.
And let’s suppose the payoff for getting 3 cherries is 3 for 1.
Finally, we’ll suppose the payoff for getting 3 oranges is even money.
- The probability of winning 4 coins is 1/9.
- The probability of winning 3 coins is also 1/9.
- The probability of winning 1 coin is also 1/9.
- The probability of winning nothing is 6/9, or 2/3.
Now let’s suppose you’re putting $1 in on every spin, and you play 9 spins, getting every possible result once.
You win 4 coins once. You win 3 coins once. You win 1 coin once. That’s a total of 8 coins you’ve won.
But you’ve inserted 9 coins into the game.
Where did the extra coin go?
In the pockets of the casino, that’s where.
By setting up the payoffs so that they’re lower than the odds of winning, the casino sets up a situation where it’s guaranteed a mathematical profit over the long run.
Of course, most modern slot machines aren’t quite this simple. They have more symbols on each reel, for one thing. For another, the probability of getting a particular symbol might be different from the probability of getting another symbol.
For example, you might have a 2/3 probability of getting a pear, and only a 1/24 probability of getting a cherry.
What Happens in the Long Run vs. the Short Term?
By manipulating the payoffs and the probabilities of the symbols, the casino can guarantee that over a long period and many spins, they’ll profit.
But in the short run, a player might win a big jackpot or lose several times in a row.
That’s the nature of random events. In the short run, anything can happen. In the long run, the numbers get closer to the theoretical probability.
This is obvious when you look at it with an extreme example.
On an infinite number of spins, your average loss per spin will mirror the mathematical expectation.
The closer you get to an infinite number of spins, the closer you’ll get to the mathematical expectation.
Do Slot Machines Cheat?
The casinos don’t need to cheat to make a healthy profit.
The slot machine designers and manufacturers don’t need to cheat to make a healthy profit.
In fact, in well-regulated jurisdictions (like Nevada), games are thoroughly audited for fairness. When they’re auditing a game for fairness, one of the things they check is whether a game has a jackpot that’s impossible to win.
That’s the main concern many players have when they ask if slot machines cheat.
Does the game have jackpots that are impossible to win?
The short answer in almost every case is no, they don’t.
But you have no way of knowing what the probability of winning that jackpot is. Slot machine games have opaque odds and probabilities. The results are generated by a computer program called a random number generator (RNG).
The only people who know the exact settings for that RNG are the designers and the casino managers.
In fact, you could be playing two identical slot machines located right next to each on the casino floor and have different odds of winning. Not only is this legal, it’s common.
Does that sound like cheating?
By the strict letter of the law, it’s not.
Is it honest?
I’d say yes. Having two games next to each other offering different odds is intentionally misleading. It’s legal, but it’s not sincere in any way.
Online slot machines are no different, except that in some cases, these games HAVE been known to cheat. But not reputable casinos and not reputable software providers.
How do they cheat?
They set up games which are impossible to win.
The reasons baffle me. You stand to make far more money in the long run if you offer an honest game.
Even an idiot can tell after a while that he’s never going to win a rigged casino game on the Internet.
But otherwise smart people will continue to deposit money and wager it at a breakneck pace if they’re winning something every now and then, even if they’re showing a net loss over time.
That’s how gambling works.
What About Video Poker Games?
You need to understand immediately that video poker games are NOT the same thing as slot machine games. They look similar on the surface, but the math and the gameplay couldn’t be more different. And the philosophy behind these games is different, too.
Here’s why:
A video poker machine uses a random number generator that duplicates the odds found in a 52-card deck of cards. You know the probability of getting a specific symbol. Any specific card has a 1/52 probability of appearing.
A card of a specific suit has a ¼ probability of appearing. A card of a specific rank has a 1/13 probability of appearing.
Payback Percentages and the House Edge
Knowing this enables mathematicians and computer programs to calculate the actual payback percentage for these games.
What’s a payback percentage?
It’s the percentage of each bet that’s paid back to the player on average in the long run. It’s the opposite of the house edge.
On a slot machine, you have no way of calculating a game’s payback percentage. It’s impossible, because you have no way of knowing the probability of getting a specific symbol.
But on a video poker game, you can calculate all the possibilities. And since you know how much the game pays out for various combinations, you can add the expected value of each to get an overall payback percentage for the game.
And you know what’s even better than this?
The payback percentages for video poker games are significantly higher than the payback percentages on slot machines in almost every case.
Even the worst video poker game usually has a payback percentage of 95% or so. But the better games offer payback percentages in the 98%+ range. Some (rare) games have pay tables which offer a slightly positive game for the player, like 100.2%. But those numbers assume perfect strategy on your part.
But even the best slot machine games usually have a payback percentage in the 95% range. The more common games slip down into the lower 92% or so range.
Expected Hourly Loss Rates in Slot Machine Games vs. Video Poker Games
What does this mean to your bankroll?
Let’s look at how much money you can mathematically expect to lose playing 2 different games:
We’ll start with an average slot machine game with a 94% payback percentage. You’re playing for $1 per spin, and you’re making 600 spins per hour. You expect to win 94% of each bet back, which means you expect to lose 6% of each bet.
6% of $600 is $36, which is the amount the casino expects you to lose on this game on average over time.
Then we’ll consider a 9/6 Jacks or Better game which you’re playing with perfect strategy. The payback percentage for this game is 99.54%, which means the house edge is 0.46%.
We’ll assume you’re playing a quarter machine and betting 5 coins per hand. You’re putting a little more money into action on each bet–$1.25. Most video poker players are as fast as slot machine players; they play 600 hands per hour. That’s $750/hour in action.
But with a house edge of 0.54%, your expected loss on that kind of action is only $3.77.
That’s right.
Playing slots costs you 10 times as much as playing video poker.
Video poker offers other advantages over slots, too. One of these is the skill element. You might not want to think about what you’re doing when you’re gambling.
But if you’re anything like me, you want to be able to at least exert a little bit of control over your destiny.
In video poker, you get to do that. The decisions you make playing each hand have a direct effect on your bottom line.
Play your hands well, and you’ll be playing one of the best gambling games in the house.
Should You Play Slot Machines at All?
This is a legitimate question. Should you play slot machines at all?
Here are some pros and cons of playing slots:
Pros:
- You can win bigger jackpots on slot machine games than any other gambling game except maybe keno. If you’re looking for a life-changing jackpot, like you’d see if you won a lotto drawing, slots are the way to go.
- They require little in the way of attention or effort on the part of the player. This suits some temperaments just fine. Relaxing in front of the spinning reels seems like a good deal for a lot of people.
- They’re available in an endless variety. You can find a slot machine game with any theme you can imagine. Love Elvis Presley? You’ll find a slot machine for it. Play Dungeons & Dragons when you were 12? There’s a slot for that, too. The themes and games are almost endless.
Cons:
- They offer some of the worst odds in the house. The house edge for slot machines vary widely. Some of them might offer good odds, but most of them have a house edge of between 5% and 10%. This isn’t awful. After all, roulette has a house edge of 5.26%. The problem is that slots play so fast that you can easily put more money into an action than you thought you could.
- You can’t figure out what the odds are. I have a philosophical problem with slot machine games. No other casino game is opaque about your odds. You can calculate the house edge for any table game in the casino. You can calculate it for video poker, too. But you’re never given the information you need to figure out the house edge on a slot machine. This is unacceptable to me.
- They’re designed to be addictive. Slot machine manufacturers spend millions doing research into what kinds of stimuli are going to put most people into the “flow” state. Flow is great if you’re interested in personal productivity at work, but if you’re playing a gambling game, it’s awful. No other casino game is as addictive as a slot machine.
Conclusion
Yes, slot machines are honest—in a manner of speaking, anyway. Casinos don’t make claims about slot machines that are blatantly untrue. If a game has a maximum jackpot of $1 million, you do have a chance of winning that much money.
What you don’t know is how likely or unlikely it is to win that amount.
Is this disingenuous on the part of the casinos?
I think it is, at least to some extent.
But all casino games have math behind them that puts the odds in the casino’s favor. That’s just the nature of the games. Slots are no different in that respect.
No matter which casino game you play, if you stick with it long enough, you’ll eventually lose all your money.
The only exceptions are certain games that can be played with advantage techniques, but that’s another subject entirely.
The only way for you to get an edge against a slot machine game is to cheat.
In most jurisdictions, cheating is blatantly illegal. You’re better off learning to play poker at an expert level, or learning how to count cards in blackjack.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.“How to win on slot machines” is a popular search term, but we all know that the real question most of the gamblers want to know if there are “ways to cheat a slot machine”. That’s ok. Everybody wonders that. Since it is just the reels turning and symbols placing, there must be a “trick”, right? Well, we will answer this question right below but we are warning you: Don’t get your hopes up.
IS CHEATING ON SLOTS POSSIBLE?
No. It is certainly not possible. This is not a click-bait article, we are giving you the answer right away. No, you cannot manipulate slot machines. There are no cheats, no hacks. Sorry. There was a time when this was possible, but not anymore. (We are giving a couple examples below.) To understand why, you must learn how slot machines work.
Most of the players still think that they are made of cogs and wheels. Thing is, they are totally “digital” since the 90’s. The spinning reels you are seeing are actually a piece of a computer code. If you open a slot machine cabinet and look inside, you won’t be seeing any “cogs”. The inside of a slot cabinet looks like a computer case. Each cabinet is connected to a central server, which actually “spins” the reels. A computer software decides whether you have won or not. You cannot manipulate such a system with a screwdriver – you cannot manipulate it at all.
CHEATING THE COGS AND REELS
Up until the 60’s, slot machines at casinos were mechanical devices. Believe it or not but they did not actually require “electricity” to run. They were like mechanical watches and some casino worker manually winded them every couple of days. These were the games that could be cheated: In fact, most of the slot cheats are made to work with that type of machines. It was even possible to understand when a winning spin would happen – the cogs were making a weird sound when that was about to happen, especially if the machine was old. Thing is, there are no mechanical slot machines anymore. In 1960, all casinos switched to electro-mechanical games, which worked with electricity. These were still using cogs and wheels, but they were much harder to cheat. In the 90’s, IGT presented video slots: Games that ran on a computer software. All the wheels and cogs were gone, it has been only computer code from now on. And this is the case since the last 30 years: All slot games have been running on a central server (even the ones in brick-and-mortar casinos) and they are using advanced software, which cannot be “hacked”.
WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHEAT MODERN SLOT MACHINES?
That’s because the results are determined by an RNG (random number generator) and it is impossible to predict the outcome. Let’s explain this so it will be easier to understand. The symbols you see on the slot machine screen are not actually symbols. They are computer codes that have a numerical counterpart. Here is an example:
- Watermelon symbol: 22343
- Grapefruit symbol: 34342
- Jackpot symbol: 33525
Each time you spin the reel, the RNG software randomly generates a series of numbers. If this number is in the range of the symbol’s number, that symbol is displayed on the screen. For example, if the RNG software generates a number between 22.340 and 22.350, you see the watermelon symbol on the screen, because its numerical counterpart is 22.343. Basically, it works like this:
- The RNG software tells the central server which numbers it generated.
- The central server checks the numbers and decides which symbols to place on screen.
All this happens in mere seconds. The results are really random, even the programmer of the RNG software cannot predict them. In other words, even if you have full access to the central server, you still cannot change the result of the RNG. That’s why “hacking” won’t work: The results of a spin are checked by multiple sources and all this happens in a very short period of time. To “cheat” such a system, you must hack several servers, listen to every digital communication, and get full access to the entire network. To tell the truth, if you are capable of such things, do not waste time on cheating slots. We are sure some intelligence agency will find a job for you. It will be a futile effort anyway: The RTP values of these games are known by the casinos, and if those values change, someone will notice you. In short, there are no slot cheats for modern slot games, whether they are in a brick-and-mortar or an online casino.
THE MOST FAMOUS SLOT MACHINE CHEATS: TOP 10
We mentioned that there was a time when slot cheats were possible, due to mechanical defects of the cabinets. Well, here are some examples. These are known as the most famous slot cheats of all times. We must warn you though: None of them work anymore. So if you are planning to visit a casino with this “knowledge”, know that it will be a punishable crime and a very shameful situation.
- Cheat Code: This was a cheat method that was not open to “public”. When the video slots first appeared, they were using simple computer code and even simpler chips. There is a thing called “backdoor” in coding, which means the programmer leaves an open door for himself to access the software anytime he wants. Ronald Dale Harris was one of those programmers. He left several backdoors on slot codes he wrote and used some of them to gain full access to the games. Basically, he was able to predict the results before the reels start to spin. He got arrested and the casinos switched to the central server audition we mentioned above. It is impossible to do this anymore.
- Shaved Coins: Slot machines use simple light sensors to identify the value of coins inserted. The name of this slot cheat is literal: People were shaving the outer rims of the coin. The light sensor accepts it as a normal coin since it is unable to check the outer rim. However, the payout mechanism is able to do that, so detects it as a faulty coin and refunds it. Basically, it was possible to insert a coin, spin the reels, and get the coin back. This was a mechanical fault and it is mostly fixed now. Modern light sensors check the whole surface of the coin (sides included).
- Fake Coins: This is actually counterfeiting. Some gamblers were using hardened metal dies to make their own “coins”. A person is able to tell the difference but a light sensor can be tricked, which was the whole “concept” of this cheat. Once more, modern light sensors do not fall for this scam. A person named Louis Colavecchio was especially successful at this tactic and he is in jail now.
- Yo-Yo: Get a monofilament fishing line. Tie it around a normal coin. Drop the coin to the machine. Right after the light sensor accepts it as a payment, pull the line and get the coin back. This “tactic” used at phone cabinets too for years. It does not work anymore. But it was possible to trick the old mechanical slots back in the days.
- Light Wand: Invented by the famous slot cheater Tommy Glenn Carmichael, this was a weird looking device. Remember the light sensors of slot machines we keep telling you about? Yeah, most of the slot cheats were designed to manipulate that system and the light wand is no exception. This device is inserted at the coin slot of the cabinets, where the light sensor is placed. Then, the device starts to flash a series of lights to confuse the sensor. With this “technique”, you can place a penny and the sensor will think you just placed hundreds of coins. The device was very small and portable, and once it goes into the slot, it is impossible to see it. The fun part is, it is actually still possible to use this technique because light sensors are unguarded against it. However, you need to know which “light codes” the sensor accepts. This was the trick of Carmichael. He bought a couple of scrap slot cabinets, analyzed the sensors, and programmed his device accordingly.
- Piano Wire: Take a mini-drill. Find a mechanical slot cabinet. Open a small hole next to the cogs. Insert a 20-inch long piano wire to the hole and manipulate the wheels & cogs. If you know what you are doing, you can jam the cogs and stop them at the winning spin. All of these happened back in the 80’s. Well, not anymore. There is a reason why casinos stopped using mechanical slot games.
- Top-Bottom Joint: Another device designed by Tommy Glenn Carmichael. Yes, he was the most famous slot cheater of all times. He loved to manipulate gaming cabinets – the guy had a talent for it. A top-bottom joint is a long wire. The top looks like the letter “Q”. The bottom is connected to a mini-battery. You insert the Q part into the coin chute and give a little electricity to the wire. If you know where to “touch” inside the cabinet, you can hot-wire the payout mechanism and force the cabinet to release all of the stored coins. Again, this technique required a very detailed knowledge of how slot cabinets work. Tommy Glenn Carmichael was buying those used slot cabinets for a reason. In theory, it is still possible to do this.
- Monkey Paw: This was the primitive version of a top-bottom joint. Basically, a monkey paw is guitar string attached to a metal rod. If you know where it is located, you can put a monkey paw to a coin chute and trigger the release switch of the payout mechanism. Once more, it is invented by… you guessed it right, Tommy Glenn Carmichael. He used this device on mechanical slots and switched to the top-bottom joint when video slots appeared.
- Bill Validator Device: You can insert bills into a slot machine too, coins are not the only way to pay them. This is a simple device: The top part is covered by a 100 USD bill. You put a 1 USD bill inside. Insert the device into the chute. The light sensor will accept it as a 100 USD bet. Pull the device out (and the 100 USD bill that is tied to it) and the 1 USD bill will drop into the machine. Congrats, you just made a 100 USD bet with paying only 1 USD. This technique still works on some old slot games.
- Computer Chip Replacement: Buy a second-hand slot cabinet. Reverse engineer its chips. Write the entire code and get a chip of your own, which will favor the odds in your favor. Go to a casino. Open a cabinet, insert your own chip. Start spinning. A skillful cheater can open the cabinet & insert his own chip in less than 15 seconds. This technique does not work anymore due to the multiple control mechanisms we described above.
HOW CASINOS PROTECT FROM SLOT CHEATS?
They are investing in better light sensors, for starters. In addition, the whole casino floor is watched & recorded 7/24. Note that almost all of these cheats require physical manipulation of cabinets. So they watch the recorded streams right after anybody wins a prize. If they see the manipulation, you get arrested – simple as that. There will always be cheating players, but they will always get caught.
Casino Cheating Slot Machines Games
IT IS LUCK AND NOTHING ELSE
Cheating Slot Machines With Magnets
Do you wonder how to win at slots? It is luck and nothing else. You cannot cheat slots or use a “system”: All games are random and you cannot predict the results. Sure, there are some tips and tricks you can use to increase your chances of winning, such as choosing games with high RTP rates but that’s it: You cannot cheat the system. Read our other guides that focus on slot games tips & tricks to see the “legal” ways of increasing your luck. Using a cheat is… well, it won’t end well, we can guarantee that.