Video slot bonus rounds keep players coming back for more
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It’s very easy to fall into the trap of playing a slot machine longer than you had intended. It’s happened to all of us.
In all likelihood, it occurred because you were waiting for "just one more bonus round" on that video game that kept teasing you with two of the three screen icons required to trigger the illusive second screen bonus.
Interactive bonus and free spin rounds are a carrot-on-a-stick for slot players. They keep us pushing the machine's "play" button far more often than when pulling the handle on traditional spinning reel slots was the way to initiate a play.
What’s more, the lure on the reel slots was hitting the jackpot. Now the lure is first getting into a bonus round for the chance of hitting the jackpot.
The lesson to be learned is just that it is never wise to chase jackpots, so is it financially damaging to chase bonus rounds.
Jackpots and bonus rounds are very different. The former, when hit, fulfills the promise of a sizable win. It's generally the top award the machine can pay and comes with all the associated bells and whistles.
Getting into a bonus round, on the other hand, offers no guarantee for a big win; just a "maybe". But that's a mighty big five-letter word for many people, who will play longer, spend more, and worse yet, put all their winnings back, in quest of catching one.
The difference is significant. Slots are mathematically programmed to pay sizable jackpots infrequently. The odds are very tall against lining up the jackpot symbols on any given spin.
The hit frequency of bonus rounds on low-denomination multi-line/multi-coin video slots is much greater. The anticipation of getting into a second screen bonus, or being awarded free spins, is the most significant attraction of the games, and the most addictive.
The results of some bonus rounds net players significant wins. Many others are minor awards. The dilemma players face is magnified because of the fact the number of penny games at casinos in The Region has increased dramatically while the number of higher denomination units has dropped.
When you take into account the fact that the average payback percentage among penny slot machines is lower than their higher denomination cousins, you can recognize why the emphasis has shifted.
Penny games can also give players a skewed perception of just how well they are doing on a particular game. For example, celebratory audio and visual effects kick in for every win, even when the payout is less than the amount that was wagered.
Essential to the understanding of how slot machines operate is the fact that all of the decisions that are reached on every spin are predetermined the instant you hit the play button.
The virtual reels on video slots and the mechanical reels on traditional slots do not spin independently of one another, even though that is the illusion the games are designed to convey.
On video slots, the virtual reels may spin and stop one by one left to right, but the entire grid of symbols that you are going to receive is already established.
Video slots are equipped with "stop" buttons that allow players to view the results of the spin immediately. The grid of symbols appears instantly without the spinning reel show.
The grid of symbols you get when you hit stop, however, is the same you would have received had you just waited for the spinning reels to lock into place. The function has no impact whatsoever on the payback percentage of the machine.
Hitting the stop button does, however, impact a player's bottom line. It merely speeds up the game and allows you to make more plays and wager more money in a given period of time.
BONUS ROUND-UP
BLUE CHIP: Here Come the Mummies bring their terrifying brand of funk to Stardust Event Center on Saturday, March 11, for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are on sale through ticketmaster.com
HARD ROCK: Van Halen Nation, the premier '80s Van Halen tribute, will perform on Hard Rock Café Stage on Friday (Feb. 3) starting at 9 p.m. They’ll turn over the stage to Nate Venturelli on Saturday, also for a 9 p.m. show. Over at Council Oak Bar Stage it will be Sharon Lewis on Friday and Mississippi Heat on Saturday for 8 p.m. performances. All shows are complimentary casino entertainment.
HARRAH’S JOLIET: “Cupid’s Wheel of Winnings" promotion takes place this weekend on Friday and Saturday. Four winners will be drawn every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. to spin Cupid’s wheel and win up to $1,000 in free casino play. The prizes will be doubled for winners who are Diamond and Seven Stars tier level.
Opinions are solely those of the writer. Reach him at jgbrokopp1@gmail.com.
