If you’ve been playing slots for some time now, you’ve probably heard of the term “progressive” jackpot. You may even have a vague idea that it means the amount of money you will get after winning. However, this isn’t entirely true. While there is technically a progressive jackpot, this amount won’t keep on increasing indefinitely, like the case with a traditional jackpot.
Progressive jackpots are only created when a slot player wins a game. No matter how many people play at a progressive slot machine, there is only one jackpot prize and it never increases. A progressive jackpot can either be won by playing the machine continuously or by achieving a specific number of winning spins. Either way, the jackpot prize will never decrease. For example, if someone gets the jackpot prize and stops playing after winning it several times, the jackpot prize will eventually decrease.
As mentioned above, there are some ways to “buy” more time into the jackpot. These include purchasing additional spins on a virtual bet terminal or by depositing money into the machine. Many slot machines offer cumulative jackpots as well. The jackpots offered through this method cannot decrease. When a jackpot winner is chosen from the bet virtual terminal, this jackpot will be transferred to the virtual bet amount in the case of a “top bet” slot machine. A “low bets” slot machine does not offer cumulative jackpots.
In addition to being able to increase the amount of money you’ll be able to win on your bets, you also must-hit-or-miss in order to increase your chances of winning the jackpots offered through other means. For example, when playing slots that offer progressive jackpots, you must-hit in consecutive bets in order to move the jackpot forward. Likewise, all you must-miss in this case is a single bet. In a combination of progressive and non-progressive jackpots, though, you must-hit-all three in order to move the jackpot forward. If you don’t, you’ll have to wait until next season’s jackpot draw to play again.
All three of these requirements must-hint that you can expect to be at least somewhat close to reaching your full bet once you hit the jackpot. Beyond the three aforementioned requirements, though, things get a little trickier. To better understand how the progressive jackpots work, you need to understand how jackpot breaks down. All machines that feature progressive jackpots have a break-even point, which is the point at which you would end with the same amount you would if you had won your initial bet, no matter what. Once you reach this point, your jackpot will change hands and you will be the new owner.
Some machines feature what’s called a random number generator, which is essentially a software program that generates the numbers that must-hit in order to move the jackpot ahead. Depending on the specific machine you’re playing on, you might even be required to purchase a product from the manufacturer or dealer in order to use the software. In any case, though, you must-hit-at least three in order to move the jackpot ahead. This is where slot machine theory comes in. You must-hit three at random in order to make a profit; if you can’t hit the numbers randomly, then the chances are that you won’t be able to make a profit.
