Psychology Behind Slot Machines
Low bets: The first thought when you see a penny slot is that you can have some fun here because it just costs well, a penny! The Psychology of Winning. The great thing about slots is that there are thousands of games to play, and even more ways to win. No studies are needed to prove the obvious psychological fact that everyone loves winning. The studies on slot play keep coming By Frank Legato. I just read an article on the “Study Breaks” website titled “The Psychology Behind Slot Games.” It is yet another article that attempts to dissect our brains to reveal why it is we love slot machines, and it’s all stuff I’ve reacted to, debunked and busted on in this space. A Note About Scent and Slot Machines Another element that can be used to get people to gamble more is scent. In a 2006 study, two smells that had been previously determined to be 'pleasant' were. One of the most interesting cases where slot psychology really makes sense, was when a Harvard University professor called B.F Skinner conducted an experiment using pigeons. The birds were put into a box with a food container which was controlled by a lever. This last point is the subject of Choliz’s experiment, which puts a group of ten pathological gamblers in front of two different slot machines. One machine produces a result (win or lose) 2 seconds after the coin was virtually dropped (it was computer program), the other delayed the result until 10 seconds after the gambler hit play.
- Psychology Behind Slot Machines Machine
- Psychology Behind Slot Machines Spin
- Psychology Behind Slot Machines Invented
- Psychology Behind Slot Machines Heavy Duty
Near Misses
This week we are mainly going to discuss slot machines throughout three articles and then have a fourth article highlighting another WoO promotion.
As with anything else involving gambling, slot machines are all about Math, but, they are also about Psychology. One of the most important components of slot machine design is not just making sure the Math yields a House Advantage within a certain range, (that part is easy) but also about making sure that the player is having fun playing the machine while bucking the House Advantage.
In so doing, the slot machine designer must tap into the Psychology of the players, and one of the most important ways to do this is to design a machine with, 'Near-Misses,' which make it appear as if the player almost hit a jackpot. These near-misses accomplish two things: First of all, they make it appear, Psychologically, as though the player is close to getting a jackpot, secondly, they must happen frequently enough to make hitting the jackpot SEEM much more likely than it actually is.
We're going to throw up a completely fabricated slot machine here called Golden Goose Eggs, and this will be a single line game with thirty reel assignments for each of the three reels. The reel assignments will be as follows:
Golden Goose Egg: 2, 2, 5
Golden Goose: 5, 5, 2
Three Bars: 4, 4, 2
Two Bars: 4, 4, 4
One Bar: 5, 5, 5
Cherry: 10, 10, 12
Not only are the reels assigned this way, but, the Cherries are also going to be designed such that each reel is only going to have two different physical spots representing the Cherry and there shall be a Golden Goose Egg above the Cherries on Reels 1 & 2 with a Golden Goose below as well as Golden Goose Eggs BOTH above and below the Cherries on Reel 3 and also above the One Bar, in one instance, on Reel 3.
The probabilities, pays, and contributions to the return are as follows:
Three Golden Goose Eggs: 0.00074074074 * 200 = .148148148
Three Golden Geese: 0.00185185185 * 100 = .185185185
Three Three Bars: 0.00118518518 * 75 = .088888888
Three Two Bars: 0.00237037037 * 50 = .11851851851
Three One Bars: 0.00462962962 * 25 = .11574074074
Three Cherries: 0.04444444444 * 5 = .222222222222
The overall return on a bet is going to be 0.87870370247, thus the House Edge is about 12.12963%. The House Edge is probably actually a little high for such a simple game, especially given the low hit rate which is just north of 5%, but this works just as an example.
If a player is going to get, 'Hooked,' to playing this machine, so to speak, it is going to be because of the seemingly frequent appearance of the Three Golden Goose Eggs which would yield a $200 Jackpot per dollar bet. It is important to remember that, every time a player sees Two Golden Goose Eggs on the Payline, there is a reasonably good chance the player will see a Third Goose Egg on one of the other reels either above or below the Payline.
Remember, every time a player hits a Cherry on the Center reel on Reel 3, the player is going to see a Golden Goose Egg both above and below said Cherry. Also, if the Cherry is just above appearing on the screen, then a Golden Goose Egg will appear on the screen in the top spot on the third reel, if the Cherry is just below appearing on the screen, then a Golden Goose Egg will appear on the bottom part of the Third Reel.
Now, what we're going to do is situate the Cherries two reel spots away from the One Bar symbols, when we can. Effectively, this is going to put a Golden Goose Egg between the Cherry and the One Bar symbol, which means, if either of those results hit, there will be at least one Golden Goose Egg appearing on the third reel.
Psychology Behind Slot Machines Machine
Effectively, this makes the probability of hitting a Golden Goose Egg 5/30 on the third reel, that's unchanged, but the probability of one appearing on the screen without hitting is now 17/30!
If we combine the probability of Golden Goose Eggs landing on Reels 1 & 2 with the probability of Golden Goose Eggs being visible, but not hitting, on Reel 3, the probability of such an occurrence is 0.00251851851 or 1 in 397.06.
For our next trick, we're going to design the First and Second Reels the same way with respect to our two Golden Goose Eggs. We're going to wedge them below two of the One Bar symbols and above two of the Cherry symbols. However, this Reels are going to have a more accurate visual representation.
This means that if a One Bar symbol lands on the payline, there will be a Golden Goose Egg below it and if a Cherry lands on the Payline, there will often be a Golden Goose Egg above it. The result of this is going to be a 2/30 probability of appearance, per reel, without it being on the Payline.
This way, the probability of it appearing on EITHER Reel 1 or 2 as well as one Reel 3 with two of them on the Payline is: 0.00148148148.
The new combined probability of at least Two Golden Goose symbols appearing on the Payline without hitting is: 0.00399999999
That represents Odds of 1 in 250 on a Jackpot with a probability of 1 in 1350.
Okay, now we can throw in the probability of a Golden Goose Egg being visible on either Reel 1 or Reel 2, but not on the payline, while one is on the Payline for either Reel 1 or Reel 2 and one is visible on Reel 3, but not on the Payline. The probability of that result is 0.00503703703 or 1 in 198.53, approximately. There's also a 0.00251851851 or about 1 in 397.06 probability that it will be visible on all Reels, but not hit any of the Paylines.
0.00251851851+0.00503703703+0.00399999999 = 0.01155555553
Thus, there is a total probability of about 1 in 86.5384617298 that Three Golden Goose Eggs will be somehow visible without that 1 in 1350 result hitting, and that's if I didn't miss anything.
The point of this little thought experiment is that we go our entire lives watching objects in motion and our brains are trained, by our surroundings, to believe that the closer an object comes to hitting a desired target, the more likely it is to actually do it.
Imagine learning how to shoot free throws in basketball. For all but the naturally gifted who intuitively project an object in an accurate parabola with the desired amount of force, it is going to be a process. With modicum physical ability, you're going to get closer and closer to accurately making free throws until your percentage is significantly better than it was.
This is how our minds are trained to believe and behave by our surroundings. This is also the reason why some people claim to be able to, 'Predict,' when Free Games are, 'Due,' by the behavior of the slot machine. When we see things get closer and closer to happening, or better yet, getting close to happening with great frequency, we tend to believe that it is closer to happening within the next few attempts.
The most important thing for a slot player to understand is that the slot machine is specifically designed to take advantage of the player's Psychology and get into the player's head. It is also important to recognize that slot machines do not do this in spite of being fun, it is the fact that they do this that makes them fun.
Think about it: How many players have you seen leaving a machine saying, 'This machine isn't even pretending it's going to hit,' or, 'This machine doesn't even look like it's going to hit,' or some other variation of that complaint?
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Gamblers psychology
The gamblers develop new rituals of winning. In this way, they feel safer and more confident while playing at slot machines. Rubbing the horse, so that it runs faster, laughing at the tomato which talks to you when the bonus drops. You need to press 12 times on the button and Bet 4 times the maximum bet, then double down, all these to get more free spins. You can also press the button as quickly as possible to confuse and beat a slot machine. Without looking at the screen during a spin or bonus and any other methods that you will get lucky and finally will be the winner. Like it or not, our minds trying to develop a system and create dependence on external factors and events. Many serious players believe that their psychological state (courage, sadness, despair, confidence in the victory) has an impact on the results.
Common sense vs faith
Our staff had a saying: 'Do you know why the machines are called machines? Because they beat the players like real machines'.The slot is configured so that it makes a guaranteed profit for the owners (excluding the failures and the outside impact on the software). The psychological state of the player has nothing to do with this and any of its actions.
If the slot return percentage (RTP) is 98%, despite everything, at a certain distance (billion of spins) the house profit will be exactly 2% of bets made. However, players do not believe in common sense or logic, and they do not want to see the hopelessness side. They come up with all new systems, rituals and tricks. They want to believe that there is a secret, a method.
Psychology Behind Slot Machines Spin
My story of slots plays
A few years ago, I worked as an operator administrator at a prestigious casino. There were quite expensive slot machines, but they were not up to the Net Entertainment quality. So, I even managed to make new friends among the players who seemed to be quite balanced.
Thanks to these people, of entirely different mentalities and social status, I learnt a lot of things and finally understood what drives them — the game passion.
For example, one of the players once told me such a thing: 'I can control myself when I get a winning, but it is a different story when I am losing'. Gambling psychology has such a thing called the feeling of revenge. It forces the players to come back again and again. It is the psychology feature which makes the slot machines more 'luckier'.
Several years ago slot machines were not popular. The serious players preferred the games with live dealers: roulette, blackjack, oasis poker, – reasoning their choice by the fact that the slot is a program and it decides the outcomes, and the probability of getting a win is quite impossible (even if there is a small chance). But let us have a look at the Netent slots.
Magic and mental attitude
The average NetEnt slot return is 97%, and the dispersion is so high that during a bonus game, the 100 Euros wager is multiplied by 700 times with no problems at statistics.So, the Netent slot return is higher than at roulette, and thanks to it, here it is more profitable to play at high stakes than at most board games.
By the way, there is a phenomenon in the casino – no matter online or land-based — the first time is always a win or in other words, the 'beginners luck'. That is how the slots draw the attention of the players; they are real one-armed bandits.
Quite often, the player who plays first wins the game. If there were a loss – he would think that it is not worth his time, where he loses money, and he better stops doing this.
You may tell me anything about mathematics and statistics, but I firmly believe that there is something more in the casino magic. And this 'something' is quite often the player who wins or loses, is it lucky or not, it is not about statistics, it is a different phenomenon. Many players believe that an individual impact comes from mental attitude.
For example, at Mega fortune slot machine, two jackpots were won by the same player. Imagine the chance to win a jackpot is 1 out of 10 million. What is the probability that a player will win it? Unfortunately, I do not know such a large number. The possibility is the indefinite value which tends to zero.
Lucky one
Psychology Behind Slot Machines Invented
Now let me take another real-life example. In the recent past, there was a player who was playing via our partner links. He was playing exclusively with us; – we guarantee the account safety and the withdrawals of big wins. By having a bad experience with Microgaming (its reputation is long behind NetEnt), he decided that it would be safer to play at honest casinos (like Fastpay).Most of the time was spent at Jack Hammer slot machine, and he was wagering the maximum bet of €250 per spin. It was the most popular game at best Netent online casinos. Within six months he won €50,000 per month, and statistically, it was just luck. As a result, he earned about half a million.
The money has been paid without any delay. Imagine the values of the dispersion (statistical deviations), which include the х2,000 win via €250 stake. You may get this at Netent casino only.
Caring about the psychological state of the players
The European operators are guided by the principles of caring about the players, their mental problems; they give to the players the opportunity to set deposit, stake, overall loss limits. The setting of your own limits does not allow you to lose more than you can afford. According to the license requirements, the limits may be changed only after seven calendar days. Thus, by increasing the restrictions today, we will be able to change them just after a week. During this time, the player may balance his psychological state.
Psychology Behind Slot Machines Heavy Duty
Where to play?
- Fastpay casino has over 5000 games in their portfolio. Their VIP bonus program and excellent customer care make them one of the best in the online gambling industry