If you’re looking to win a jackpot that could change your life, then progressive slots are the game to play. Let’s face it—you’ll never win several hundred thousand playing blackjack or roulette. The payouts just aren’t high enough.
The purpose of this page is to provide an explanation of what progressive slots are, how they work, and why you might be interested in playing them. We’ve also included descriptions of some of the more popular progressive jackpots available both online and in traditional brick-and-mortar casinos.
What Is a Progressive Slot, and How Does It Work?
On most slot machines, the jackpot is a fixed amount, but on a progressive game, the jackpot rises as players put coins in the machine and spin the wheels. A tiny percentage of each coin played is used to “feed” the jackpot. There are three types of progressive slot machine games.
Standalone Progressives
A standalone progressive slot machine has a jackpot ticker on the game, but only bets placed on that specific machine feed the jackpot. This was, at one time, the only kind of progressive slot machine game available, but most progressives feature multiple machines that are linked together. Still, so many standalone machines were manufactured that these games are still easily found in casinos throughout the world. Usually the jackpot on the games will be under $10,000.
By playing a 25-cent machine at maximum credits, a player is already betting more than $1 per spin, while moving to a higher denomination is a good way to improve odds. It is important to note this only applies to machines, which do not have a penalty for a single-coin play.
- Some slot machines pay out better when you play max bet. For example, on some 3-reel slot machines, if you hit a line of the top-paying symbols you might win (for example) 1,000 credits if you are playing a credit per line. However, if you had been playing maximum credits per line (for example, 3 credits), then the top win might rise to 10,000.
- The largest ever payout on a slot machine came back on March 21, 2003, when a 25-year-old engineer from Los Angeles triggered a jackpot worth $39,710,826 on the Megabucks slot at the Excalibur casino.
Local Progressives
Local progressives were the next step in the evolution of this type of game, and they’re still commonly found. These games feature jackpots within a specific casino that are linked. This network can include as few as a dozen or so machines, or it can include a hundred machines—it just depends on the casino. Usually the jackpots available on these games are under $1,000,000, and often they’re under $100,000.
What Is The Biggest Bet On 1 Spin Slot Machines
Wide Area Network Progressives
These are some of the most popular casino games on the market today. A wide area network jackpot links slot machines from multiple casinos in the same state. This allows the jackpot to accumulate into astronomical sums of money, often over $1 million and sometimes even over $10 million. The most well-known brand of wide area network progressives are the Megabucks games from IGT, which is the most successful slot machine design company in the world.
How Do You Win a Progressive Jackpot?
No strategy or system can increase your chances of winning a progressive jackpot on a slot machine game. The odds of winning are similar to the odds of winning the lottery, although you get many more chances of winning per hour with a slot machine game than you would get playing a lottery game.
An important thing to keep in mind about progressive jackpots is that they don’t become “due”. The chances of winning are astronomically small no matter how large the jackpot has gotten. It’s possible for a jackpot to grow large enough that a bet on a particular slots game will be a positive expectation bet, but it’s not a practical opportunity to win. A 1 in a million shot is still a 1 in a million shot, even if the jackpot is up to $2 million.
Online Progressive Jackpots
With the rise of online casinos, progressive jackpots on the Internet have become just as popular as the games in actual land-based casinos. Microgaming is one Internet casino provider which has established its fame and reputation based largely on its large assortment of fun, colorful, and relatively loose progressive jackpot games.
Online progressives work just like their land-based cousins. Every wager you make on your computer feeds a tiny amount into the progressive jackpot for that game. Since lots of players are now gambling from the comfort of their homes, these jackpots can become just as large and life-changing as the progressives in Vegas or Atlantic City.
Most Popular Progressive Games
Megabucks is one of the most popular progressive networks available. The probability of winning this jackpot has been estimated at 1 in 50 million. The amounts won on this machine vary from $10 million into the hundreds of millions. Like many lottery games, Megabucks is paid out as an annuity over 25 years.
Wheel of Fortune is a popular brand of slot machine, and it’s available in multiple denominations. One of the most common versions is the quarter version, which has a starting jackpot of $200,000. The jackpot on this game has gotten close to $2 million in the past, but it’s usually won when it’s still under $1 million.
The dollar version of Wheel of Fortune progressives starts with a $1 million jackpot. It’s not unusual for the game to reach $5 million or more, and it’s almost reach $10 million on occasion. Like Megabucks, this jackpot is paid out as an annuity over time.
Elvis isn’t just the king of rock and roll. He’s also a symbol of classic Vegas, so it’s entirely appropriate that he has a progressive slot machine network named after him. The game starts with a $100,000 jackpot, and it costs 25 cents per spin. Keep in mind that to be eligible for the jackpot, you have to make the max bet, which is 3 coins, or 75 cents. We don’t recommend playing progressive slots without making the max bet, because you usually won’t be eligible for the top prize unless you do.
Mega Moolah is an online-only progressive jackpot available at Internet casinos powered by Microgaming software. Multiple games feature the brand name, and the jackpots and betting limits vary. This progressive network features some of the largest jackpots online, often reaching $1 million or more.
Another of the rather bizarre yet well thought out slot playing strategies we came across when compiling our article which asked the question What Kind of Slot Player are you was a playing system known as the ten spin max bet slot playing strategy.
This is not the most complicated slot system we have come across, for all it entails you doing is to first select a slot machine to play for real money and then playing on 10 initial spins on that slot to determine whether you are likely to have a winning or losing session, based on the results of each of those ten spins.
Anyone with an understanding of the way a slot machine works and plays will know that every now and then, even though a slot is completely random, you will encounter a slot game which no matter what you do you can never spin in a winning combinations or trigger a bonus game which awards a large winning payout.
Conversely, sometimes when you start to play a slot game you can do no wrong, and will spin in win after win and could also trigger a large number of bonus game features in a very short period of time.
This is where this slot machine strategy actually has some merits for you are going to be able to judge, based on you playing only ten initial maximum bet spins whether the slot is in a paying out cycle or one where it is more than likely to suck your slot playing bankroll dry.
Benefits of the Ten Spin Max Bet Slot Machine Playing Strategy
This particular slot playing strategy is really only going to appeal to slot players who truly believe that slots go through dump and pump type of cycles.
Whilst many players will argue that a slot game being random can and will do anything. Then it is just as likely that they will go through these types of cycles and by playing only a limited amount of spins to evaluate the likelihood of you winning or losing if you carry on playing that slot after the initial ten spins, and you will be making a good judgement call based on how you ended up doing on those ten initial maximum bet spins.
You could of course spin in a huge paying winning combination or get awarded with a mega sized winning payout during your initial ten maximum bet spins, and when that happens then it may be wise for you to immediately stop playing, cash out your winnings and leave the casino, safe in the knowledge you have made a profit and have won.
However, slot players do not usually wish to leave a slot game that is paying out especially when they have planned on having a session lasting a few hours at least, and as such this is a great slot playing system to consider using as you are always going to be able to make the decision on which slot games you choose to play and also whether to carry on playing or not, and will not be following a predetermined set of rules which most betting and gambling strategies rely on.
Many slot players rely on their gut feeling and their sixth sense in regards to which slots to play and this system certainly allows you to go with those gut feelings.
Risk of Using the Ten spin Maximum Bet Strategy
As any slot game is random you could end up playing those initial ten spins and decide that as the slot hasn’t paid anything of any significance out or has not awarded you a bonus game, that the slot is in a dry run cycle, and then stop playing it.
When you walk off you may then see another playing sit themselves down in front of that slot and immediately start to win or trigger a bonus feature round! This is often going to result in even the most mild mannered slot player getting a little annoyed! So do be aware this system is in no way fool proof and such a situation may occur.
Never be tempted to lower the stakes you are playing any slot game for during your ten initial maximum bet spins, for there could come a time when you lower the stakes you are playing for and will trigger a bonus game as soon as you do or you could spin in a winning payout that would have been much larger when playing maximum bet spins.
Best Slots to use this Slot System On
There are a huge number of slot games available online, and as such you are going to find thousands of different slot games which will make ideal slots to use and put this particular slot playing strategy into play on.
However do consider and take into account your actual slot playing bankroll before choosing which slot games to play, should you have only a modest sized bankroll to play with then it may be the three reel slots that you should look to play such as the Crash Crazy slot from Microgaming or those video slots from this industry leading casino game and software company such as the Crazy Chameleons slot which have just five paylines.
However, if you do have a large bankroll and wish to give this system some play time then look out for the brand new All Ways slots for with those particular slot games give you the option of playing 243, 1024 or even 3125 ways to win on each spin of the reels you make, and as such if you pay them for some very high stake amounts, you will soon be able to decide whether that slot is in a paying out cycle or a cycle that is going to eat your bankroll up.
If you do decide to give this slot playing system a try then here’s hoping you make the correct judgement call and have a successful and profitable slot playing session.
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