SLOT MACHINE TERMINOLOGY

You can’t be a decent slot machine player without knowing some slot machine terminology. Here you will find the most common terms used in the slot machine industry along with a comprehensive list of other slot machine jargon and terms. 

Below is a section of key slot machine terminology, anyone even thinking of slot machine gambling should be familiar with these basic terms. It is good to learn them now, for other articles on our Web site will use theses terms generally without any explanation.  If you are ever confused on this site or while gaming, please feel free to refer back to the terminology for clarification.  Most slot machine jargon/terms used in the definitions can be found defined on the corresponding Web page.

 

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KEY SLOT MACHINE TERMS

Below you will find the top terms that are either important for a slots player to understand, or are commonly misunderstood by slot machine gamers.

Hand Pay: This occurs for higher slot machine payouts, or if the slot machine releases an incorrect amount; if the amount of payout exceeds the amount of coin or credit in the machine, the slot machine attendant or the cage “hand pay” the player.

Hold Percentage: The “hold” is discussed among casino executives. It is the opposite of the payback percentage, and represents the amount of money the casino is making from a machine or the slot department in general.  This can be thought of as a betting fee.

Payback Percentage: This is the amount of money the slot machine eventually pays back to its slot players. This number is not over a few spins, but rather, covers tens or even hundreds of thousands of spins. This term is often misunderstood. The payback percentage applies to total dollars run through the machine and not the money you personally have entered.

Progressive Jackpot: The jackpot on a slot machine grows as each bet is played. There are two types of progressive jackpots: individual progressive jackpot and multiple progressive jackpot. Individual jackpot is a progressive jackpot that only builds on the bets of one slot machine. Multiple jackpots build as bets are placed on multiple slot machines. More than one slot machine is linked to a single progressive jackpot; jackpots grow very quickly on multiple progressive jackpots.

RNG: Each slot machine has a computer chip in it that selects random numbers. RNG means Random Number Generator. The RNG determines if your spin is a winner or loser. This computer chip constantly cycles though numbers until a coin is placed in the slot machine. Once the button or lever is pushed the reel stops on the symbol combination determined by the number the RNG stopped on as the coin was inserted.

Tilt: This term originates with the older mechanical slot machines. Mechanical slot machines had tilt switches. If a coin is jammed in the slot machine now, the tilt light comes on, if the machine owes the player any winnings it is stored in the memory and pays out once the problem is fixed. Today, the term tilt can refer to many different kinds of mechanical failure from reel motor failure to door switch problems.

KEY ROULETTE TERMS

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