The random number generator

7 April 2018

By Jerry Stickman

Hi Stickman,

I took your slot class a while back. I remember you saying that the number generator in the slot machine is constantly "churning" numbers and that it is possible to hit back-to-back jackpots.

My question is if someone walks up to the slot machine and puts in $100 and spins four times and hits the jackpot, would I have hit the same jackpot had I put the same amount into the machine and hit the same sequence of plays? It is not the number of hits but the timing of the spin that activates the number generator.

Therefore, I would have had to hit the spin buttons at the exact same times as the other player to win. Also my win may not have been the same jackpot as the other player's.

Is my assumption correct or am I missing something?

Donald

Donald,

You are exactly right in your assumption. The random number generator is always active. It cycles through numbers very rapidly. In order to get the same results as another person you have to hit the spin button at EXACTLY the same instant as that person. Clearly, that is not possible. This fact is true for slot machines as well as video poker machines. They work exactly the same. The only difference is the numbers from the RNG are used to select positions on a slot reel on a slot machine and to select cards from a deck of 52 (or 53 if it is a joker’s wild game) in video poker.

Not long ago, I left a video poker machine I was playing and moved to the one next to it. Wouldn’t you know it, another person sat down at my previous machine and hit a royal flush on the very first draw.

Many people would be tempted to say that it was their royal – but it is not. There is no way you would have hit the draw button at exactly the same instant as the other person. While it may be disheartening and even upsetting to see someone else hit it big on a machine you have been pouring money into for the last hour or so, the jackpot they hit is truly theirs – not yours. Each and every time you hit the draw button you have the same chance of hitting the jackpot.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerry@aol.com.