You might ask yourself how much math you really need to know to play slot machine games and the answer is simple: none. You can sit there and push buttons without a care in the world. Many people do.
But despite their bad reputation among professional gamblers who prefer card games and table games, slot machine games have some things going for them. For millions of people they are fun to play and most professional gamblers have hit the slots at least once in their careers.
So if you’re going to play slots, why not get a little better insight into how the math works for them? You just may look at these games in a whole different light from now on.
The maths behind the slots can take time to understand Slot machines use a random selection process to achieve a set of theoretical odds. Random selection, however, means that each and every time the lever is pulled and the reels are set in motion, a combination of symbols upon the reels are randomly selected. Dan from Communication Group 34 takes you through the rules and mathematics of Casino slot Machines! Hub Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOl-ycNvSE. 5 – Baccarat and Slot Machines. It might seem strange to find a section about baccarat and slot machines on a page about baccarat math, but there’s something important that every slot machine player needs to know. People play slots for many different reasons, but one of the main reasons they play is because it’s easy. All they have to do. Modern slot machines are more complicated it’s much more difficult to mathematically predict the odds, because the numbers are theoretical and are essentially developed from a pool of infinite spins. Modern slot machines. Slot machine games can be fun to play but they rarely demand that players think the way good card games do. The need for applied math skills in slot machine gaming is minimal. However, savvy slots.
The Truth about Random Number Generators
The conventional wisdom among gambling pundits for many years was that slot machine games are governed by random number generators and therefore they are not predictable. Reality began cashing in on this widespread misbelieve around 2014. A gang of Russian criminals acquired some old slot machine games and reversed engineered the random number generation algorithms on their chips. Using live camera feeds and a supercomputer the gang was able to win guaranteed jackpots on a number of games, catching the land based casino industry by surprise.
Until 2017 it was believed by mathematicians that a true random number generation algorithm would be impossible to design. No matter what we do to make our algorithms more random-like they are never truly random. Expensive, high-end random number generation hardware relies on external natural factors, such as the decay of certain heavy elements, to keep refreshing the algorithms with new unpredictable “seed” values. This is good enough for science but not economical enough for industry.
A new quantum random number generator device has now been designed that may revolutionize the gaming industry. Until large scale production of these chips begins, however, the gaming industry will have to rely on improved security practices and policies to protect their games. More recent RNG chips are also better at being hard to predict than the chips that were reverse-engineered, but the myth that slot machine games are truly randomized has been busted.
Let’s Begin with Some Simple Definitions
A Probability
This is computed from a distribution of values or scores. All of the probabilities in the distribution add up to 1. Probabilities never predict the outcomes of random events. We use probabilities to set expectations about the likelihood of a large number of future outcomes falling into a known or recognizable pattern.
You can compute probability distributions from the total number of distinct possible outcomes or from a historical record of actual outcomes. The historical distribution often differs from the distribution of distinct possibilities. Although neither type of distribution can predict future results the distribution of distinct possibilities is the one statisticians prefer.
The classic coin toss example illustrates the differences between these two types of distributions. A coin has two sides. If you toss it only one of the two sides can land face up. Hence, the probability of either side landing face up is calculated to be 1 divided by 2 or .5. But suppose you toss a coin 10,000 times. Because of many random factors that could affect your tosses, you may find the coin lands Heads up a total of 5,329 times. The laws of science and probability have not been violated. That is just the way random chance works.
Randomness is the Same as Unpredictability.
An event does not have to be truly random to be unpredictable. If you the player do not know all the factors that are used to calculate the outcome of a game, such as where the reels on a slot machine stop, then the event is considered to be random enough. We say “the more random a game is, the more unpredictable it is” to mean that the less we know about how the outcome of the game is produced the less likely we can predict the outcome if the game is repeated over and over.
The Return to Player is the Inverse of the House Edge.
In other words, you take all wagers played in a game and add them up. This is the “pot”. The House Edge is that percentage of the pot that the casino expects to keep, either as a fee for brokering the game (such as in sports betting or poker), or as a percentage of wagers that is deducted because of the odds paid on the game when the casino bets against the player.
The Odds Paid on the Game.
These are calculated to be less than the probability of distinct possibilities. In European Roulette there are 36 slots on the wheel, but the highest odds you can win are 35-to-1. That difference of 1 represents the House Edge on a single number bet. The more green slots there are on the wheel the worse the Return to Player becomes for any bet. In slot machine games the odds paid on the game are based on the number of possible permutations of the reels.
Where a Knowledge of Math Helps the Average Slot Gamer
Although you will never be able to map the random sequences your favorite slot games use to determine results, there are other ways you can use math. We categorize these applications of math in four ways:
Cost per Game Analysis
This is the simplest use of math in slot games. There are two levels of slot game costs: the initial cost per spin and the cost per any additional game. The initial cost per spin is deducted from your stake or balance. The cost per additional game is deducted from your winnings. An example of an additional game that costs money would be a “gamble” feature that becomes available only after your initial spin wins a prize.
Money Management
You begin with your stake or bank balance. You decide whether to bet conservatively (minimum bets per game), aggressively (maximum bets per game), or somewhere in-between. In the worst case scenario you lose every bet. A conservative strategy allows you to play more games but you’ll win smaller prizes. An aggressive strategy allows you to win larger prizes but you may play fewer games. In practice it often does not matter but that is not guaranteed.
Progressive games may require that you play maximum bets to be eligible for the additional progressive jackpots. Games where you can change how many pay lines are active adjust your total bet amount.
Probability Assessment
If you cannot see the game’s inner workings then how can you estimate any probabilities? You have to make assumptions and try to err on the low side. It helps to have a basic familiarity with how mechanical slot games were designed. Most of today’s virtual slot games still follow their basic principles.
For example, look at the highest non-progressive prize a traditional 3 reel slot game pays. Say that is $1000. Now look at how many reels the game uses. If there is only one pay line the total number of possible combinations the reels can form must be somewhere above 1000. In other words, especially on older games, the maximum prize is usually paid only on 1 out of X combinations. If you have three reels then they each probably have no fewer than 11 slots (allowing for 1331 possible combinations).
Here is another example. If you play a slot game where you can deactivate pay lines, what is the optimum selection of active pay lines? The answer is all of them. The more pay lines you deactivate the fewer winning combinations the game will award you. This is because the game is designed to return the most money to players who play all the pay lines.
If a slot game uses multiple pay lines you can still calculate a minimum number of slots per reel based on the maximum possible prize. Just treat all the pay lines as a single active pay line. The more possible combinations your estimate gives you, the harder it will be to win that maximum prize.
Risk Assessment
We can look at risk in a simple way and a more complicated way. The simple definition of risk in a gambling game is your wager: how much are you prepared to lose on the outcome of the game? The more complicated solution combines the wager amount with your probability estimates. A game that pays a $50,000 non-progressive jackpot is more likely to take your wager than a game that pays a $1000 jackpot. Why? The jackpot has to be paid for out of player wagers.
Yes, smaller prizes must also be covered by player wagers. A game could be designed to pay more small prizes than large prizes. We use “volatility” to describe the ratio of prize sizes and frequencies. But the bottom line is that the more risk the casino accepts in terms of the jackpot the more likely the game pays for that jackpot by paying fewer or smaller “small” prizes.
Volatility Assessment
Gambling pundits are divided on how to define and measure volatility. They may use “variance” interchangeably with “volatility” as well. Confusing the issue further you’ll find that volatility has many different uses in science, math, and statistics. Variance is most often used in finance. A variance is computed for a set of scores by squaring their standard deviation. In gambling the more unpredictable the variance is the more volatile the game is said to be.
Another way to look at volatility and variance is to say that a game is more volatile if it pays prizes less often than other games. You can also measure a game’s volatility by how much the prizes differ. A game of roulette where all the players only make outside bets (Black, Red, Even, or Odd) illustrates low variance or volatility. The players should win frequently but they only win small prizes.
You can estimate the volatility of a slot game in several ways, depending on what information the casino shares with the players. Some slot games may bear a label indicating the ratio of expected prizes to spins. Such a label might say, “This game has a prize ratio of 4:1”. State-run lottery games throughout the US display similar ratios on their tickets. A high volatility game has a higher ratio.
Some slot games disclose their theoretical return to player in the rules or help screens. These returns are given as percentages. A game with a lower return to player and a larger jackpot most likely has high volatility.
If you spend a few minutes observing several people playing the same slot game on different machines, you can guess how volatile the basic game is by how often they win prizes. Player betting practices may influence how fast their balances change. Casinos may also program one machine to pay better than others.
Intuitive Math in Bonus Game Scenarios
Although slot machine gaming is largely automated and doesn’t require much skill, there are also some bonus games that allow players to develop skills. These are random shooter style bonus games that require “skill stop” timing. If the game directs you to press a button to fire a weapon, that is such a game. Your intuitive ability to time movements will help you. Other shooter style bonus games merely simulate the experience and require no player interaction.
![Mathematics Mathematics](https://www.gamblingsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/slots-math.jpg)
Conclusion
Slot machine games can be fun to play but they rarely demand that players think the way good card games do. The need for applied math skills in slot machine gaming is minimal. However, savvy slots gamers learn to judge the quality of the games by the measures described above, and to manage their money and their risk accordingly.
Some players enjoy high risk, high volatility games. Sometimes it’s as simple as looking for the high roller versions of your favorite slots. But even among the general collection of games on the main floor of the casino there are ways to differentiate between the slot games. If you ever wondered why players congregate around certain machines, you can apply a little bit of math to analyze what makes the games so appealing.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.If you’re looking for a combination of an easy gambling game and a low house edge, baccarat is exactly what you’re looking for. The house edge is lower than almost every other option in the casino, and you only need to know how to make a single wager.
Everything you need to know about baccarat is based on math, but you don’t have to figure out any of the logistics by yourself. Here are five things that you need to know about baccarat math. Once you learn these five things, you can quickly use them to help you win.
This page is about baccarat games available at smaller tables. This is called midi or mini baccarat, and the casino has a dealer that runs the game. The baccarat game at larger tables is basically the same, but players are more involved in dealing the game.
Slot Machine Mathematics
1 – The Banker Bet and the Commission
The thing about baccarat that can be a little bit confusing is the commission that the dealer takes out of winning banker wagers. This isn’t a big deal, but some players struggle with understanding the process and how it influences how much they win or lose.
Basically, any time you place a wager on the banker hand and win, the casino collects a 5% commission. This means that if you make a wager of $100 and win, you only get back $95. Or, if you bet $20, you only get back $19.
This seems simple enough, but where some baccarat players get confused is when they try to understand the house edge on the banker hand wager. The house edge on this wager is 1.06% after the casino collects the commission. This is really all you need to know.
The problem is, if you don’t understand that this is the edge after the commission, it might lead you to think that the player hand wager is better. The banker hand wager is always the best bet when you play baccarat. You don’t have to compute the commission, so there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t make the banker hand wager every time.
It’s best to make wagers that are easy to compute the commission so you know that the dealer doesn’t make a mistake. If you usually wager $20 a hand, keep a stack of $1 chips. The dealer can pay you $20, and you can slide a $1 chip forward to pay the commission.
2 – Player Bet Math
The second wagering option at the baccarat table is the player wager. The player hand doesn’t charge a commission when you win. But even without the commission, it has a slightly higher house edge. The house edge on the player hand wager is 1.24%.
This is not the worst wager you can make, and in truth, it doesn’t cost you too much more to wager on the player hand than the banker. Here are some exact numbers to show you the long-term difference in losses.
Total Amount Wagered | Banker Hand Expected Loss | Player Hand Expected Loss |
$100 | $1.06 | $1.24 |
$500 | $5.30 | $6.20 |
$1,000 | $10.60 | $12.40 |
$2,000 | $21.12 | $24.80 |
$5,000 | $53.00 | $62.00 |
$10,000 | $106.00 | $124.00 |
$100,000 | $1,060.00 | $1,240.00 |
As you can see, the expected loss difference, even at $10,000 total wagered, is only $18. This means that if you simply want to avoid the commission that comes with the banker hand wager, you can lose a small amount more in the long run and use the player hand option. The choice is yours.
I still recommend the banker option because the casino takes care of taking the commission. This way, you don’t have to do anything except make the wager.
3 – Tie Bet Math
I know that this page is about baccarat math, but there’s no need to dig very deep in the math behind the tie wager in baccarat. The main reason why is because the tie bet is so bad that you should never make it, no matter what.
The house edge at most baccarat tables for the tie wager is a huge 14.36%. Let me put this in perspective a couple of different ways.
The first way to put this in perspective is that almost every other wagering opportunity in the casino is better than this.
Even the worst slot machines usually have a lower house edge than the baccarat tie bet. And all of the popular games like real money blackjack, roulette, craps, and video poker have lower house edges.
Another way to put this in perspective is to do some quick math to show your expected loss on the tie wager. Every $100 you wager on the baccarat tie option costs you $14.36. Every $1,000 you risk on this wager costs you $143.60.
Skip the math behind it, and simply skip the tie wager option at the baccarat table.
4 – Bet Sizing Considerations
I’m going to give you the answer to the question first because it’s simple. The best wager size when you’re playing baccarat is the smallest wager you can make. When you’re playing baccarat in land-based casinos, this is the table minimum.
When you’re playing baccarat in an online casino, this is the smallest wager they accept.
The reason why you should always make the smallest baccarat wager that you can is because this is the best way to alleviate the house edge. You’re always going to be at a disadvantage in the long run when you play baccarat.
This is the answer to what size wager you should make when playing baccarat. This means that the best course of action is to not play at all, and the second-best course of action is to always make the banker wager with the lowest possible bet amount.
This advice is true for almost any casino game you play. You need to learn the best strategy, then play with the lowest possible bet amount. Any gambling option that has a house edge, and this is almost all of them, needs to be played with the lowest wager possible.
5 – Baccarat and Slot Machines
Lucky club casino no deposit bonus codes. It might seem strange to find a section about baccarat and slot machines on a page about baccarat math, but there’s something important that every slot machine player needs to know.
People play slots for many different reasons, but one of the main reasons they play is because it’s easy. All they have to do is put some money in and press a button. The biggest problem with slot machines is that they have a higher house edge than most other gambling options in the casino.
You might think that this doesn’t make as much difference because you’re making smaller wagers, but this is offset by how many wagers you make in an hour.
If you’re wagering $2.50 on every spin and take 550 spins every hour, you’re risking $1,375 every hour. Compare this to wagering $20 on every hand at a baccarat table and playing 70 hands every hour. In this case, you’re risking $1,400 every hour.
Now, consider how much you can expect to lose playing slots and baccarat. If the slot machine has a 5% house edge, you’re expected loss is $68.75 every hour. Your expected loss playing baccarat is only $14.84.
As you can clearly see, baccarat is much less costly to play than slot machines. And it’s just as easy to play online baccarat as it is to play online slot machines. All you have to do is place a bet on the dealer hand. Everything else is taken care of by the casino, just like when you bet on slot machines.
Slot Analysis Training
Many gamblers worry about the need to understand how baccarat is played and scored. You’re welcome to learn all about how to score baccarat hands, but you don’t need to know anything about the game to play.
The only reason why you might want to learn how to score baccarat hands is to make sure the dealer doesn’t cheat you out of a win. And this isn’t something you need to worry about in most modern casinos.
Slot Machine Math
Conclusion
Baccarat is as simple as any game in the casino. All you have to do is place a wager and wait for the result. And baccarat offers a much lower house edge than slot machines and many other options in the casino.
Slot Machine Math
The best strategy is to use the banker hand every time you play, even with the commission on winning wagers. With a house edge of just over 1%, your bankroll is going to last longer and you’re going to have a better chance to walk away from the table a winner than most games give you.