When you play a slot, you insert your money into the machine, place your bet and press a button. The digital reels then spin and stop randomly, revealing symbols that determine whether or not you win. The odds of winning are dictated by the paylines and payouts specified in the paytable for that particular machine.
Despite this simplicity, it never ceases to amaze us that many players dive right into an online slot without reading its pay table. It can help you decide what your goals are for the game and if it’s something that fits within your entertainment budget.
Before the advent of microprocessors, the number of combinations of symbols was limited by the number of physical stops on a reel. Manufacturers used to weight the probability of specific symbols appearing, but it was still a random number generator that ultimately determined how often the machine paid out.
Today, manufacturers use microprocessors that assign a different probability to each symbol on every reel. This means that you’ll be less likely to see the same combination of symbols if you leave the machine and return later, but that doesn’t mean you won’t win in the future.