Non-Random Devices

The Making of a Slot Game: Alternative Result Methods

It’s also possible to use “canned” results. In this instance every result that is possible in a game cycle will occur at one time or another, and will never be duplicated.

If a slot has 5 reels, all of 30 stop positions (stops), the total number of combinations in a given cycle is going to be 30^5, or 24.3M. In a canned result situation when a bet is placed and a result is called it is calling for a result out of remaining combinations still in the pool.

In these cases all results are stored, and there will never be a duplicate result until the cycle has been completely exhausted. It’s like printing a run of lottery tickets, where 1 might have the top prize and most have no win.

That top prize will be won, but all of the tickets get sold.

Many spins in a game of this type will look the same as another spin, because there will often be duplicate possible combinations of the same type across the reel strips.

A cycle system will always yield the exact RTP to the operator, but to the player that is only playing a small batch of results in my opinion it’s unfair, particularly when top prizes are no longer available.

“Reactive” or “Dynamic” pay components

These systems spring from AWP (Amusement with Prize) games, a type of machine found predominantly in U.K. and some European pubs, which have since been translated across to the internet by some providers.

The games look like slots, they often play like slots, but they are very, very different from being a random slot on which you stand to win or lose based on random spins.

AWP games operate by constantly maintaining RTP within a defined range (a range that is not displayed to the hapless player), by dynamically determining whether or not to win or lose prior to a given result being generated.

Before any given spin of the game the software on an AWP will test to see whether the RTP over a given period (such as the previous 1000 spins or even the life cycle of the game) is currently running high or low in comparison to this defined range.

If it's running low, it will award large prizes, or more often a succession of wins, in order to bring RTP back into line...so a player may hit 4 or 5 top prizes or features literally one after another.

Conversely, if it's running high, the game will arbitrarily award non-winning spins until RTP has fallen back into line.

This is why players develop strategies in these markets to throw away (through voiding reel nudges that are part of these games) small wins in order to decrease overall RTP over a period.

For the operator it represents a guaranteed way to avoid losing…while individual players might score a win, overall there is absolutely no way to suffer negative return.

Personally I think it’s a terrible proposition compared to a random product. To allow players to be under the impression that they might win, but in fact there is no chance that they will, is deceptive to say the least.

Some may dispute, but it’s a system that will inevitably reward some players but annihilate others without ever giving them the chance of winning.

It’s a very slippery slope once that sort of software is on a system, and can often lead to it being adopted for general slot operations…marketing a no lose solution to an operator might be easy, but for the players it’s a bust.

If you’re playing on software that supports AWP games make sure the software is actually producing truly random results.