The oldest type of fruit machines, the one with reels, has long been attracting tens of thousands of players to online casinos every day. The reasons for popularity of these are clear – the very simplicity and quite good chances of a win.
Calculating probability for reel slotters
Slot machines with reels are operated by a random numbers generator, which rolls certain symbols for each of the wheels during every new spin, the rotation of the reel. In theory, it’s easy to estimate the probability of a win or the probability that a particular symbol will appear on the reel. In real life, it’s impossible to either perform such calculation or to use its results, simply because in order to estimate the probability of a win, it’s essential to know the number of symbols on each reel (hard to do when it comes to a the fruit machine online slot).
THE FORMULAE TO CALCULATE THE PROBABILITY FOR WINNING IN A REEL SLOT MACHINE
Let’s consider a case where we are playing a standard 3-reel machine, and each reel has 60 symbols on it. The odds to win a jackpot can be calculated in two steps:
- If there are 60 icons on the reel, and only one of these is a winning symbol, the probability of it appearing is 1 in 60;
- There are three reels, then the probability would drop to 1 in 250,047;
- If we are playing a 5-reel machine with same amount of symbols on a reel, the probability of a win would be several times smaller – 1 in 605;
In reality, in many cases all these calculations are not applicable as there are too many variables that remain unknown. First of all, the number of symbols on the reel, the number of times that certain symbols are repeated on the reel and so on.

Basic strategy for reel fruit machines
When selecting slot machines to play, be wise enough to take into account the following factors:
- The larger the jackpot on the slots, the harder it is to win it;
- If the slot machine does not offer progressive jackpots, regardless of the type and name, the probability of winning a standard jackpot is always the same;
- The larger the jackpot on the slot, the higher is the chance that you will lose;
- The simpler the game, the higher the probability of winning. Thus, it’s best to select simple 3-reel machines with one winning line in a virtual casino;
- The higher the bet in a fruit machine, the higher the probability of winning. So it’s logical to play on machines with a £5 minimum bet, and betting one coin per line instead of playing with £1 minimum bet and risking five coins per line. The costs are exactly the same, but the probability of a win at a more ’expensive’ machine is higher;
- Examine the table of payouts and bonuses carefully. Bonus rounds can sometimes be worth a lot more than an actual win.