Whether you’re playing penny slots or slot machines with progressive jackpots, it’s important to remember that winning at slots is still ultimately about chance. But you can do a few things to tilt the odds in your favor. Here’s a quick list of tips and tricks for slot players of all levels:
A candle is the light on the top of a slot machine that flashes to indicate that change is needed, a hand pay is requested, or there’s a problem with the machine. It can also flash to alert the player to the existence of a bonus round or other game feature. On mechanical machines, this is usually a seven-segment display; on video slots, the information is displayed on a screen.
The credit meter is a display of the amount of money or credits that the machine has on it. On mechanical slot machines, it is often a seven-segment display; in modern video games, this information is displayed on a computer screen that is part of the machine’s user interface.
Skill stop buttons were a feature on mechanical slot machines that allowed the player to stop the reels earlier than by pressing the traditional timing bar. This reduced the chances of a spin ending in a “miss” and increased the likelihood of a win. These devices were marketed as a way to make slot machines more exciting, and they were popular among younger players. They are now used only in a few specialized slot machines.