One of the less often understood elements of slots with linked progressives is that while linking progressives can help them grow faster, because more players are playing for them, that also means they’re more likely to be awarded, since more players are playing for them at the same time.
Most of the time, this has a nominal impact. How often does a Grand jackpot go off in a bank of linked machines? (If it’s Dragon Link, it’s an average of once a month given four linked machines, we were told once.)
The odds of you and your neighbor triggering it aren’t that high, but as we advise about picking the largest progressive, once it’s hit, you should consider whether you want to keep playing that machine (maybe the Major is still nice), but there may be another bank in the casino that has a better Grand with a still nice Major as well.
Then there’s the games where the progressives hit more frequently. A linked set of Quick Hit machines can see those progressives go off pretty regularly, and it can be tempting to sit down when the lower ones in particular have been built up a bit. But the progressive can randomly go off on any spin.
Except there’s Quick Hit Blitz. In that version, you have the rare opportunity to win a progressive in the bonus round as well, something most Quick Hit machines skip. So let’s say you and your neighbor are both in a bonus (which isn’t unusual for a game like this). As you achieve various levels of symbol collection, your progressive prize award goes up a level.
But if you and your neighbor are both heading into the bigger numbers that don’t reset so often, potentially on track to win the same progressive prize, whoever gets there first and finishes their bonus would win the built up progressive, while the one who lags behind would win the reset (or slightly above; others may still be playing) progressive amount. The difference between them could be significant.
The original Ultimate Fire Link, which features four progressives at every denomination, is another great example of this. When you get into the Fire Link bonus, the balls will accumulate, but the prize is not awarded until the count up. So if you and a neighbor both land a hefty Mini or Minor, whoever collects it at the conclusion of the bonus would receive it first.
Dancing Drums? Same idea – four linked progressives awarded during the picking bonus. I vividly recall a time when both the Mini and Minor had built up and my neighbor got into a bonus. At the time I was purposely betting three gold symbols, to only have the Mini and Minor active, rapid spinning to get into the picking bonus.
My neighbor was contemplating his next pick, not realizing the bonus was predetermined, but the trick to this is the prize isn’t awarded until the third symbol is picked, so the prize being awarded is confirmed, but the amount is not. I managed to trigger the pot as well, swiped to a $50 Mini, taking it away from him. Luckily for him, he landed the also built up Minor.
So when you’re playing these games, the trick is to just make sure you get done before your neighbor, so you don’t get stuck winning the reset progressive. But make sure you know what type of machine you’re playing. This is true for Vegas-style slots using a random number generator.
However, if you’re in a bingo market, or Historic Horse Racing, or lottery systems that work like pull tabs or scratchers like found in New York or Washington, because the win is determined externally, the moment the wager is placed and the bonus triggered, those prizes are generally locked down for the player who triggered first.
A telltale sign is often the progressives will reset at the start of the bonus on the other screens (so don’t look if you don’t want your bonus spoiled). So this advice really applies to places where Vegas-style slots are available – commercial markets (Vegas, Atlantic City, Biloxi, and so on) and tribal casinos where they have Class III slots.
If your reason for sitting down is those built up progressives, knowing this can help you secure those bigger numbers more successfully. And be sure to keep an eye out, because those linked progressives can reset, making the game less enticing if that’s your goal.
And one final thought – in the case of Ultimate Fire Link, since the progressives are separated by denomination, if most of the bank is playing one denomination, you could also de-risk things by simply playing a different denomination, as long as the amounts on offer are worth it to you!
