Slot Payback Percentage and Frequency Difference

Most slot players are able to encounter the terms slot payback percentage and slot payback frequency and use these terms interchangeably which is a common mistake. There is a difference between the two terms that are commonly used when playing the slot machine game.

As a player plays the slot machine, the machine is bound to pay a certain amount based from the overall percentage that the slot machine earns from its lifetime of operation. This is called the payback percentage of slot machines where the percentage is determined by the software of the slot machines that is programmed by its manufacturer to suit the specifications desired by the casino.

Usually the payback percentage set forth by a casino to their slot machine is regulated by a law within the jurisdiction of a particular state. The percentage lies between 75 to 99 percent which is considerably higher in the Vegas casino slot machines and online slots.

There are slot machines that are tagged as tight slot machines as these machines give a lower payback percentage to its players while loose slot machines are those machines that give a higher payback percentage to its players.

Casinos always use the slot payback percentage as a promotional tool to encourage more players to play at their slot machines. The higher the slot payback percentage a casino offers the more players are likely enticed to play their slot machines.

The slot payback frequency on the other hand is the spins that will give a player a winning moment. The slot frequency is usually based from the number of times each symbol is shown on the wheels and the frequency that the winning combinations will occur.

Oftentimes a slot machine is programmed to offer a low hit frequency where the winning combination only shows up after several times of spinning the reels while a high hit frequency may indicate that the winning combination is bound to show up after only a few spins.

Casinos usually program their slot machine software to a determined random frequency that will give its player the chance to win. Not all slot machines in casinos are set up at an equal payback frequency. It is up to a slot player to find a loose slot machine that can give them higher payback frequency at a higher payback percentage.

One strategy for a slot player to know whether the slot machine they are playing is loose is if does pay in the long run of playing it. It is best not to stick playing in a slot machine that has been unprofitable for quite a long time as it indicates that it is programmed to be tight on its payback.