Why Are Slots Said to Be Hot or Cold?
Many people play slots because they want to win money and make a profit. They pay attention to which slots are supposedly hot or cold as part of a strategy to focus on better-paying slots. However, this strategy isn’t guaranteed to work.
What Are Hot and Cold Slots?
If you’re into slots, whether online, physical or both, you’ve probably come across the terms’ hot’ and ‘cold’. These are quite common and refer to a slot’s recent payouts.
These two terms are very easy to understand. If a slot is said to be hot, it’s paid out more than it usually does in recent spins. You could say players have been experiencing a lucky streak.
A cold slot is the opposite: there haven’t been any payouts (or just a few small ones) recently. People who play a slot that turns out to be cold can be said to experience a losing streak.
Many people who play slots do so for the entertainment and enjoyment they get from the games. Others take the gambling aspect more seriously and try to earn a profit by playing slots.
Some of those who want to make money from slots pay attention to which slots are meant to be hot and cold. By doing this, they can focus on slots that are supposedly more likely to pay out.
It’s also worth mentioning RTP. This term stands for ‘return to player’ and is measured as a percentage. Every casino game has one, and it’s usually around 95%-96% for slots.
The RTP represents roughly how much of your money a game should pay back over long-term play. The higher the percentage, the better. Since RTP is an average, you can still win or lose a lot in the short term.
Let’s say there’s a slot with an RTP of 96%. If it’s been paying above this, e.g. 97%, it can be said to be hot. Likewise, it’s cold when its payouts are less than its average RTP.
Can Slots Really Be Hot or Cold?
When it comes to casino games, it’s important to understand that every single outcome is completely independent of all others. It won’t affect any future spins whether a spin wins or loses.
If a slot is said to be hot or cold, someone has looked at its recent payouts and seen a pattern. For a hot slot, for example, they will have seen that the slot has paid out a lot in recent spins.
But the thing is, patterns are just coincidences. This is because outcomes don’t have any influence over one another. If there are lots of wins, it’s purely down to chance.
Patterns can still happen, which is where the concept of hot and cold slots came from. But they’re not to be taken seriously as they happen at random and can end on any spin.
Online casino games at licensed casino sites use a piece of software called a random number generator (RNG). This uses complex numbers to determine outcomes and ensures each one is random and unaffected by all others.
Random number generators make games completely unbiased. When you play an online casino game, you can rest assured that each outcome is random and you’ve had the same chances of winning as everyone else.
Online casino games can go through so-called hot or cold periods, even when using a random number generator. It may be tempting to follow patterns, but it’s best not to take them seriously.
If you play a hot slot, you have the same chances of winning as if you were playing a cold slot. You aren’t more likely to win if a slot’s paid out recently.
What About Physical Slot Machines?
As for physical slot machines found in brick-and-mortar casinos and other gaming venues, they too can be hot or cold, according to some. However, the same basic idea of spins being independent applies.
Video slot machines that use screens use a random number generator. Purely physical slot machines that are entirely mechanical and lack a screen don’t use one. However, their outcomes are still random.
There can be patterns in the outcomes of mechanical slots just like screen-based ones that use a random number generator. However, patterns are still coincidental and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
How to Tell If Slots Are Hot or Cold
At many of the best online casinos for slots in the UK, there’s nothing to indicate whether a slot is hot or cold. This is because most players don’t believe in hot or cold slots.
A small number of online casinos put tags on slots to let players know whether it’s hot or cold. To determine the status of a slot, the operator simply looks at its most recent outcomes.
However, there’s no telling how many previous outcomes the operator has looked at to decide a slot’s status. Generally speaking, though, you can assume a hot slot has paid out big wins recently.
Conversely, you can assume that if a slot is tagged as cold, it hasn’t paid out any big wins in a while. If a casino marks slots as hot/cold, it should update the tags regularly.
As for slot machines in brick-and-mortar venues, again not all places tell people whether slots are hot or cold. Sometimes you find out through word of mouth or even by how often a slot machine is played.
Why Do People Believe in Hot and Cold Slots?
Many players who understand how slots work know that it doesn’t matter whether a slot is hot or cold. You can still win or lose, no matter what slot you play and when you play it.
Some people know that following patterns is pointless, yet they still use them to help them decide which slots to play. They might prefer hot slots even though there’s no increased chance of winning.
Likewise, these people might decide to avoid slots that are said to be cold, even though they could still win from playing them. For some players, the hot/cold status is just another part of the slot experience.
It’s not something they take seriously or use to win. Instead, it’s a way of helping them decide which slots to play and when. They know that whatever they play, they can still win or lose.
What Slots to Play If You Want to Win
If you’re trying to make money from playing slots, first you should accept that a profit is never guaranteed. The odds are always against you, and you’re likelier to lose than win.
It’s possible to make a profit in the short term. To make a long-term profit, you have to be incredibly lucky, which very few players are. This is why hardly anyone makes a living from gambling.
It’s best not to concentrate on hot/cold slots when it comes to playing slots for real money. Instead, you should focus on slot games with a high RTP, especially if you plan on playing a lot.
It may be tempting to play hot slots, thinking you’ve got a good chance of winning. However, you should remember that winning/losing streaks can end on any spin. Past outcomes do not affect the outcome of your spins.
