We’ve spent a lot of time talking about maxed out progressives on the site. But today’s article looks at the other side of the coin – this is the Progressive Seed Value, or where a progressive jackpot begins its journey.
A seed value is what the slot defaults to when a machine is first installed or a progressive is won. Then, it will grow, usually based on how much is bet on the machine over time. Often this is based on a percentage of the amount bet, but it can vary on certain machines. If there are multiple progressives, each progressive will increment at its own pace.
The seed value is baked into the overall return to player, or RTP, of the machine because the odds of that progressive hitting are part of the various combinations that are possible within the slot’s programming. Generally speaking, the bigger the prize, the less frequently it will be likely to win it.
One thing some players worry about is if a prize has just been won, it won’t be able to be won again for awhile. That isn’t true, because slot outcomes aren’t affected by things like that – the prize is just as likely to be won on the next spin.
Some also worry that bigger prizes are harder to win, but as progressives go that’s not how they work – your chances are the same whether they are close to their seed value or have had a significant amount of time to grow.
Given those two points, if you’re staring at a bank of machines and each one has its own progressive, you should choose the one with the biggest progressive. That’s because if your odds are the same for winning one regardless of the size of the progressive, it’s smart to select the biggest progressive, so if today is your lucky day, you get the biggest payout possible.
