You've most likely heard plenty of stories about how to best play and win slot machines, well now its time to debunk some of the most common slot machine myths so that you can get to the business at hand - simply having a good time!

Pulling the handle is better than pushing the button.

Whether you prefer to pull the handle or push a button both techniques will produce the same end result - spinning the reels. Neither is designed to produce a different result its nothing more than superstition and personal preference.

A machine has not been hit for hours so it is due to hit any time.

Each and every slot machine is designed with a random number generator (RNG), which determines when a winning combination will come up. Time is not a determinant so a machine which hasn't hit for hours might not hit for several more hours - then again the very next spin could hit - its totally random.

A machine was just hit so it will not hit again for a long time.

This is a variation of the myth above and as described above, this is not true - the games are random thanks to the slot machines RNG, which keeps things random.

That machine was just hit two times in a short time span - its a hot machine!

No doubt everyone who has ever played a slot machine has seen a machine get hit, then the player gets up to leave and someone else rushes over to play that particular machine. Well thanks to the RNG - the machine has no better chance of hitting based on those previous wins.

That player just won my jackpot - leaving a machine and then its hit.

Ahhhh yes another RNG response - its simply not true as the payoff was a totally random event. You could have played the machine for another hour and not hit, just as the player who took your machine may have not hit - it was blind luck so stop kicking yourself for walking away.

Inserting coins manually rather than playing with a loaded card.

Another false myth - both techniques produce the same result. However, one is a bit more efficient and will permit you to play quicker which might produce the sensation of being better.

The casino controls which machines are hit and when.

Well this partially is true as casinos can set payout percentages for each machine, but they can not determine when those payouts will actually occur! One machine might be set to payout 98% while another could be set to payout 88% - obviously the machine with the higher payout percentage will give you the better chance to at least play longer.

Some machines are loose and some are tight..

This one can be explained best using the explanation above regarding payout percentages of different machines. One could be set at 98% while the machine right next to it could be set at 88%. These payouts however are determined over a very large sample, so you still will be at the mercy of the RNG.

Jackpots are hit more often when the casino is busy.

Well of course more people win when more people are present. If you have 10 people playing only 10 of 100 slot machines they wont win as often as 100 people playing the 100 slot machines. More spins = greater opportunity to win; though those wins are not predictable thanks to the RNG.