Progressive jackpots in slots are created in a variety of different formats. The most common one you will find will be the 5 reel video slot variety, though you will also occasionally find 3 reel and multiline progressive slots as well.

Usually, in order to win the jackpot, you must do the following: You have to place a Max Bet on the video slot to be eligible to win. The only way to win on 5 reel video slots is to get one of the paylines get jackpot icons across all 5 reels.

If you view the paytable of any slot game, you should either see what the jackpot symbol is or the substitute (wild) card may act as the jackpot winning icon. In any event, the game should have a designated place to tell you the rules and how to win the progressive jackpot.

Odds of winning a progressive jackpot

You will want to make sure that you understand the concepts of Free Spins, Substitute symbols and Bonus Rounds as the addition or subtraction of these features from a slot machine will increase the amount you can win on an average single spin, but decrease your overall odds of winning the progressive jackpot.

Also, it is very important to know the number of stops that there are on a reel. This information might not be available to you, but the average stops for a 5 reel video slot is generally around 64, more or less. If this is the case, remember that only 1 stop out of the 64 is the jackpot symbol.

Here’s a tangible example. I’ve highlighted the jackpot icon in the Aztec’s Millions jackpot. In order to win this jackpot, you must get this jackpot icon across all 5 reels on one of the 25 paylines available.

This means that it might be several million spins before anybody hits the jackpot. Of course, these are only estimates, but the overall theory works. Don’t expect to win the progressive jackpot even if you have done many thousands of spins.

Most importantly, make sure that you are meeting the expectations of the casino you are playing at in order to win the jackpot. If they say you have to make at least a $2 max bet, then you better do it unless you don’t want a chance to win the jackpot. If you don’t, your chances of winning go down to 0.

Why should I play progressive slot machines?

People who play slots do so for a variety of reasons. Maybe you aren’t good at the other casino games and you know that slots is pretty much the luck of the draw (or spin). The reason people are drawn to progressive slots is that a $1 to $2 spin can turn into a small fortune if you get lucky.

Progressive slot machines offer jackpots that get larger over time as more people play and more money is put into the machine. The jackpot keeps growing and growing until somebody hits the jackpot. After that person does, the jackpot gets reset to its base level and will start to grow again.

If you are looking to play on one particular progressive slot over the other, try to find statistics about how often this slot pays a jackpot and the amount that is normally won. Good progressive jackpots will usually hit every 1 to 3 months or so.

If one has not hit for longer then 6 months, this means one of two things: either its overdue to hit or people don’t play this slot machine often enough. It should be fairly obvious to tell especially when the amount to be won is much higher than normal.

No other game at the casino can someone make such a small bet and win upwards of a million dollars.  Whens the last time that someone has left the roulette wheel or blackjack table half a million dollars richer. This happens multiple times a year with online progressive slots.

There are definite reasons that people do not play progressive jackpot slots. First and foremost is the fact that progressive slots will payout less than standard slot machines do. If you are looking for entertainment and the ability to win a gigantic jackpot, then you aren’t worried about losing a few dollars to the slot machines.

This is the same principle people use while playing the lottery. Sure you would probably be better off not throwing your money at something you probably won’t win. But people do win all the time. The odds are against you, sure.  But these same odds are against everyone who plays.

If your preference is to spend more time playing slots with the money you put in or to have a better overall chance of making any money while playing slots, then you should think about playing on a regular slot machine. Better yet, if you are really on a limited budget and want a chance to win really money, try playing in an online slot tournament. This is really the best bang for your slots buck.

If you want to maximize your playing time and your potential winnings, I would suggest a mix of all three of these. Also, it is super important to understand how any slot machine works. There are literally thousands of these machines and all of them have different icons, rules and paytables.

Otherwise, you now know the general risk vs reward of playing on a progressive jackpot machine. Progressive jackpots exist because they aren’t won very often. The thrill of being the one to hit the jackpot is the main reason that people play them.