When you get a big win on a slot machine, it tends to make a big show of it. That can be too much for some players, who don’t want to draw attention to it, or don’t want to wait for the animation to complete. So for those players, slots often let you speed the count up. One players wonders if there’s any specific value to doing it:
My question is if you’re in a bonus round that a machine spins automatically (like the drum bonus on Dancing Drums or the flags bonus on Golden Century), is it better to let it spin out or hit the play button yourself? I tend to let it spin itself, but I watch a lot of “influencer” videos on here that just hit the button the whole time.
Nancy S.
Officially, this is one of those neutral choices – in the long run, letting it count up or hitting the button doesn’t change your chances of winning. However, it does introduce one key difference, which we’ll address in a moment, and will lead to us recommending one over the other.
First, regarding the influencer element, one thing to keep in mind is they’re filming in part to entertain an audience. Many influencers will move it along because their audience wants them to – the period where it’s counting up is effectively dead space because nothing’s really happening. And so as entertainers they’ll move it along so the action can continue more quickly.
But what can be boring for people watching can be a benefit for us when we’re the ones doing the spinning. That’s because when you hit the button to speed the count up, you’re moving on to the next spin faster. If you do it in a bonus, you’re bringing your bonus to the finish line faster. That means you’ll start spinning with your own money again sooner, placing more bets than if you had let it count up.
Every bet you make in a casino is exposed to a house edge that’s built in to the game you’re playing. The more you bet, and the more frequently you bet, the more likely the casino is going to come out ahead. So sometimes, letting the bonus roll along and count up means you’re taking a break from giving them a chance at your money, and getting paid (especially in a bonus) to do so.
So our recommendation is to let it play out and enjoy. While the bonus is active, you’re not putting any money at risk because you already won that bonus with your wager. Instead, enjoy the entertainment, and let the casino wait for more chances at that money.
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Would it also be safe to say that letting a bonus count up changes the timing, especially if a bonus is at its end? It would make sense to me since the RNG would change. Your thoughts?
Hey Brad, yes – the bonus counting up can impact timing, when the bonus is not predetermined and based on the RNG. Of course, we’ll never truly know if it helps or hurts the bonus.
Yes !! My thoughts all along… I let the bonus roll along and count up … In the past I would be annoyed when winners let the bonus ride, I thought it was waste of time. Nowadays I let the the bonus roll along .. I think of it as a psyche reset !! And yes, I agree, it saves money bc it stretches play time.
That’s a thought we didn’t have, Stella, but we like the thought of a psyche reset. If things aren’t going great and then you get a nice win, letting it count up can help reset things mentally. We recently talked about mood and being in a good mindset can be helpful to not make mistakes, so we like this!