Max Bet On Slot Machines
Look at the payout chart on a slot machine to determine how jackpots are paid. On many slot machines, the 5-coin bet pays out a higher percentage on the top fixed jackpot. For instance, a 1-coin bet might pay $200, a 2-coin bet might pay $400, a 3-coin bet might pay $600, and a 4-coin bet. For slot machines, the maximum bet can sometimes reach over 100 coins. The main reason why wagering the maximum amount is smart is that most slot games and video poker games tend to offer bonus payouts or jackpots to those who do so. If you can’t afford the max bet on a slot then drop down in denominations or move to a machine where the max bet is smaller and works within your bankroll. Class 2 slots aren’t really slots at all. Sometimes you’ll come across slot machines that are classified as class 2 slots.
Betting the max on slots is not always the right move
Remember too that max bet is a very diverse thing. There are quarter machines where the max bet is 75 cents, and penny machines where the max bet is $10. As such, max betting should be. There Are Two Kinds of Max Bets on Slot Games. You’ll only find one “Max Bet” button on a.
By John Grochowski
For decades, players have been told that, when it comes to slots, they should always bet the max to get the best payback percentage. That’s still the case on most three-reel stepper slots, and on a small percentage of video slots.
But getting the highest payback percentage isn’t the only goal of slot play. It’s also important to protect your bankroll and avoid betting money you can’t afford to lose. Like other casino games, slot machines have house edges built in through math, and bigger bets bring bigger average losses.
That’s no different than in blackjack, where the vast majority of us who are not card counters will lose more money if we bet $25 than if we bet $15, and more if we bet $10 than $5. It’s the same deal on craps, baccarat, roulette, three card poker or anything else – average losses are lower when you bet less, and lowest if you don’t bet at all.
Of course, we’re not going to skip betting altogether. The winning times make it all worthwhile, and the fun built into modern machines at least gives us a day’s entertainment when the wins don’t come.
Instead of asking “Should you bet the max?” it’s usually better to come at it from a different angle. The question can be, “When your bankroll can’t stretch to the max, should you choose a different machine?”
The answer to that question depends on the type of game.
Does Betting Max On Slot Machines
THREE-REEL NON-PROGRESSIVE
The reason you get a higher payback percentage for betting the max on such games is that a max-coins bet brings a disproportionate jump in the top jackpot.
For example, a one-coin bet might bring a top jackpot of 1,000 coins, which rises to 2,000 with a two-coin bet. Instead of a proportionate rise to 3,000, the payoff jumps to 5,000 with a three-coin bet.
Betting only one or two coins will lead to a lower overall payback percentage. How much lower depends on both size and frequency of jackpots.
There’s no way for a player to know the jackpot frequency designed into the odds of the game. However, we can make up an example to show you the effect.
Our hypothetical game has the paybacks listed above, and the jack- pot occurs an average of once per 20,000 spins. Assuming a three-coin bet, then per 20,000 spins you wager 60,000 credits. At 95 percent return – on the high end for dollar machines – your return is 57,000 credits, with 5,000 coming from the jackpot and 52,000 coming from other spins.
Now assume a one-coin bet, making the total risk 20,000 credits. Your average return is 1,000 credits for the jackpot and 17,333 credits on smaller pays – one third of the 52,000 you get on small pays with max bet.
That’s a total return of 18,333 credits. Divide that by your 20,000- credit risk and multiply by 100 to convert to percent, and you get a 91.3 percent return. A two-coin bettor also gets that payback percentage.
That 95-percent game becomes a 91.3-percenter when you bet less than the max. However, your average total loss of 3,000 credits when you bet max drops to 1,167 credits when you bet one credit at a time.
A player on a limited bankroll may find it worthwhile to accept the lower payback percentage and bet less than the max on three-reel step- pers. However, note that the 91.3-percent return takes the payback into normal range for quarter machines. Betting the max on a quarter machine usually will be as good a play on a percentage basis and a better play on a dollars-and-cents basis than betting one coin on a dollar game.
The bottom line is for players on a budget, betting less than the max isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it’s even better to drop to a lower coin denomination.
THREE-REEL PROGRESSIVES
The situation is similar to three-reel non-progressives, except that a big- ger share of the overall return is concentrated in the progressive jackpot. Let’s take the dollar machine above and make it progressive. Now lining up three jackpot symbols brings you 1,000 credits if you bet one credit, 2,000 if you bet two and a progressive pot if you bet three.
The money to fund that progressive pot has to come from somewhere, and where it comes from is you. A portion of each bet is added to the pot. The tradeoff is that you get less in smaller pays.
Let’s say you get one percent less in smaller pays and that money goes to the progressive pot instead. Then instead of the one-coin bettor getting 17,333 credits in smaller returns, he gets 17,160.The overall payback for a one- or two-coin bettor drops to 90.8 percent. If smaller pays are reduced by two percent, the overall return drops to 89.9 percent, and so on.
On a dollar game, the return to a one-coin bettor quickly drops below the normal return for betting the max on a quarter machine.
In a nutshell, if you have a big enough bankroll and want to chase the big jackpots, go ahead and bet the max. But players on a budget should avoid short-coin play on three-reel progressives. If you can’t afford to bet the max, change machines and pick either a non-progressive machine or a game at a lower coin denomination.
VIDEO NON-PROGRESSIVES
It’s always worth checking the pay tables to make sure, but video slots in the usual five-reel configuration almost always have proportionate pay all the way up the pay table. There is no bonus for betting the max. The payback percentage is the same regardless of whether you bet one coin per line or bet the max.
The situation gets a little trickier if side bets are required to activate game features such as pick’em bonuses or free spins. If you don’t make the side bet, you’re left with a game with no bonuses. We have no way of knowing the payback percentage on such games if the bonuses are not in play, but aren’t the bonuses why most of us play video slots in the first place?
On most non-progressive video slots, there is no penalty for betting minimum coins. One-coin-per-line customers can enjoy to their hearts content, while those who want to take a shot at multiplying winnings can bet more if they wish. However, if a side bet is required to activate bonus features, players whose budgets won’t stretch to the extra bet should choose a different game.
VIDEO PROGRESSIVE
There have been video slots with progressives that give a big jump in the top jackpot with a max bet, just like three-reel progressives. However, these are rare. Should you find one, the situation is the same as on three-reel games: If you don’t want to make the required bet to be jackpot-eligible, choose a different game.
The most common video slot progressive formats have multi-tiered jackpots, with levels named mini, minor, major or grand, or bronze, silver, gold, platinum, or some other combination with names corresponding to jackpot sizes.
The smallest are designed to occur frequently and might be only a few dollars. These are rapid-hit jackpots, there to hold your interest and keep you involved in the game. The top level can be hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
Two common formats for multi-tiered progressives are mystery jack- pots and separate-bet jackpots.
In mystery jackpots, all players are eligible for the same jackpots, regardless of how much they bet. Those who bet more will win more frequent jackpots, because the bigger bets give them more chances to push the jackpot up to the mystery trigger. However, that’s offset by the bigger risk of bigger bets.
On video progressives with side bets, you must make the extra bet to be eligible for the progressives. With the frequent-hit small pays being an important part of keeping you in the game, you want to be eligible for the progressives.
If you’re playing video progressives with mystery triggers, there is nothing wrong with making minimum bets per line. However, if a side bet is required, you should either make the extra bet or choose a different game. Too much of the game’s fun and payback is tied up in the progressives to play without jackpot eligibility. If you need to conserve bankroll, choose a game where the extra bet is not required.
One of the oldest slots tips is that you need to make the maximum bet to qualify for a jackpot. I emphasize the word “old” here, because this tip doesn’t apply to the modern slots world.
Max bet slot machines have largely been replaced by different types of slot games today. Therefore, you no longer have to risk several dollars on every spin just to play for a jackpot.
But what exactly happened to the dated max bet games? I’ll answer this question by first discussing more on slot machines, why they were so popular, and how they were replaced by multi-line games.
What Are Max Bet Slots Jackpots?
Casinos used to be filled with three-reel slot machines that operated on mechanical reels. These games were quite limited in terms of their betting options and paylines.
A typical classic slot machine had the following characteristics:
- Single payline
- One coin denomination (e.g. $1)
- Option to bet between one and three coins
The good news is that these games at least offered a choice on how many coins to bet. But most of them required that all three coins be wagered in order to qualify for the jackpot.
If you were playing a dollar slot, for example, you’d have to wager $3 to have a chance at the top prize. Assuming you only use one or two coins, then your top prize would be worth much less than the jackpot.
Video slot machines entered casinos in the 1970s. These games, which are the standard today, run on computerized software.
Nevertheless, the earlier video slots still operated like the mechanical games by requiring a max bet for jackpots. This trend even continued as video slot machines grew more complex and began featuring betting options.
Why Were These Jackpots so Popular?
As I’ll discuss later, modern slot machines don’t typically force you to bet the max to win a jackpot. These games are much more popular among gamblers than max bet slots.
So, why then did max bet jackpots exist in such a large degree years ago?
One reason is the limitations of the earlier mechanical games. Developers couldn’t simply program a slot to feature more paylines.
The latter is key in today’s slot machines, because more paylines increase the average bet size. For example, a penny slot machine with 100 lines requires a gambler to spend at least $1 per spin.
Mechanical slot machines only have a single payline. Casinos would be losing money based on their overhead costs if players could wager as little as one cent per line.
Therefore, older slot machines have a single coin denomination and require players to use every coin to qualify for a jackpot.
Casinos and developers needed some way to drive up the spin cost and make money from games. They used max bet jackpots as incentive to force gamblers to bet more.
Decades ago, players didn’t really have any other options in terms of games. So, they were essentially forced to take what was given if they wanted to play slot machines.
This trend had been set in stone by the time video slot machines came along. That said, many early video slots also required max bets to win the jackpot.
The Rise of Multi-Payline Slot Machines
Eventually, the gambling industry became bolder with their innovations. Developers started using video-slot technology to create advanced games that offered more paylines.
Casinos have found it much easier to sell players on the idea that they can play 20-50 lines per spin, rather a single line with one to three coins.
Slots have since given players even more options in terms of bonuses and animations. Today’s slot machines bring a touch of video games and movies to the gambling world.
It’s easy to see why multi-line games have largely replaced classic slot machines. They offer more opportunities to win along with exciting animations and features.
Is the Move to Multi-Line Games for the Best?
On the surface, multi-line slot machines are superior than the max bet jackpot games of yesteryear. They’re more entertaining and offer dozens of chances to win.
It seems like a no-brainer that modern slots are better. Gamblers have spoken with their dollars, too.
Max bet jackpots have all but disappeared for a reason. Once players had more options, they realized that being forced to make larger bets on a single payline wasn’t ideal.
Playing Max Bet On Penny Slot Machines
However, this isn’t to say that multi-line slots are perfect. In fact, they’re programmed in a way that can cause players to spend more money than they normally would.
Multiple lines allow for very small prizes that can be worth much less than the total spin cost. For example, one might bet $1 and win a $0.05 prize.
Anybody can obviously see that this payout is worth much less than the original spin. However, one might have trouble fully comprehending this when a machine’s lights go off and celebratory sounds ring out.
This effect is what’s known as losses disguised as wins (LDWs). An LDW refers to an occurrence where a player is subconsciously fooled into thinking they’re a winner when they really lost money.
Another problem with multi-line slot machines is that they feature deceptive jackpot odds. Just because a game has 50 to 100 lines doesn’t mean that it provides a better chance to win big.
The main reason why multi-line games offer much bigger jackpots than max bet slot machines is because they’re more popular. Again, though, more lines don’t necessarily equate to superior jackpot odds.
Do Max Bet Jackpots Still Exist?
Max jackpot games haven’t completely vanished from gambling floors. However, they hold a very minimal place in the gaming world.
Even mechanical slot machines can still be found in some gambling establishments. They attract players who want to relive Vegas trips from years ago.
Realistically, though, those who want to play max bet slot machines will have to put some effort into the matter. After all, these games aren’t found in most brick-and-mortar or online slot casinos.
Players may ultimately find that the effort isn’t worth the reward. Most of these games are extremely limited in terms of their options. Moreover, they require larger bets just to qualify for the jackpot.
Conclusion
Max bet slots once ruled the gaming scene. They filled casinos in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and other popular gambling destinations.
These games also found a prominent place in online casinos during the formation of the internet gaming industry. However, they’ve been surpassed by modern slot machines that feature multiple paylines, bonuses, and animations.
The problem with max bet slot machines is two-fold.
- They require a bigger bet on average to win a jackpot.
- Most of these games are limited in terms of their features.
I’m not saying these games should be avoided at all costs. Some players like a simpler gaming experience and don’t mind having to bet big.
Max Bets On Slot Machines
Furthermore, these games don’t fool players with LDWs and deceptive jackpot odds. The majority of them have single lines, leaving no illusion about wins and losses.
But when the typical gambler is given a choice between max bet and modern multi-line games, they’re going to choose the latter almost every time.
The truth is that the slots industry has advanced greatly within the last few decades. Technology now rules the day.
Max Bet Jackpot Slots
Some casinos still offer max bet slot machines either for nostalgic purposes or because they’re just classic games. But by and large, max bet slots ran their course and will never return to prominence in gambling.