- The reels are stopped by using the 3 buttons on the front of the machine which is why it is called a Skill Stop machine. It still takes more luck than skill to hit a jackpot though, because these machines seem to have a mind of their own.
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Readers ask if quick reflexes are the key to winning
A Beat the Dragon vintage slot machine. This Japanese skill-stop slot machine (model 004031) features three buttons to the front that when pressed, stop the reels; it requires some skill – and a lot of luck. It accepts standard tokens (not included).
By John Grochowski
I keep a list of questions that I’m most often asked about slot machines. You could probably tick off some of them: “Are games programmed to go cold after a big win?” “Do you get less payback when you use your rewards card?” And the big one, “Can you tell me how to win?”
Those have been standards ever since I started writing about casinos and casino games 20 years ago. But recently, another question has been shooting up the charts. I have it all the way up at No. 2 on the readers’ hit parade:
“I’ve noticed on a lot of video slot games that if I hit the button a second time while the reels are spinning, they stop right away. I was wondering if I could use this to my advantage. If I see the bonus triggers or the jackpot symbols at the top, should I quickly hit the button again and try to stop the reels?”
I had that thought myself the first time I accidentally double-hit a button and saw the reels click to an immediate halt. Could this be an answer to the chart-topping question, “how to win on the slots?”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. In nearly all slot games that allow you to stop the reels, there is no skill or timing involved on your part. The random number generator has already determined your outcome when you hit the button to spin the reels, and you’re going to get the same result regardless of whether you stop the reels early, or let them halt in their own time.
When you play a slot machine, the game isn’t actually being played out on the reels, whether it uses “real” reels or video reels. It’s being played internally, on the game’s random number generator. The reels are just a player-friendly interface, and are told where to stop by the RNG. If there’s a malfunction and the reel display doesn’t match the numbers generated, it’s the RNG that counts. Large jackpots can be denied—and have been denied—if a check shows the random numbers on the internal computer chip don’t match the winning symbols on the reels.
Show Me The Dragon Skill Stop Slot Machine Jackpots
But this is extremely rare. The engineering is good enough that almost all the time, the RNG and reel display are going to match up. This doesn’t change if you double-hit the bet button. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a single bar, then you’re going to get a single bar—regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a “quick stop,” or just let them take their own sweet time.
There are rare exceptions. When I’ve answered similar questions in the past, I’ve mentioned IGT’s Reel Edge games. In their original incarnation, Reel Edge games enabled players to touch and stop the reels one at a time. There was actual skill involved. Your timing in stopping the reels determined the outcome. The reels spun very, very fast, so it was going take a keen eye and sharp reflexes to get better than random results, but it was possible.
I gave it a try, and found my reflexes just weren’t fast enough to generate more than my normal share of winners. In the original three-reel Blood Life game, I identified a green 7 as the easiest symbol to pick out as it whizzed by. I touched each reel individually as I saw a green 7 reach the top of the slot window, and managed to stop 7s on all three reels. Alas, I failed to land them all on the same payline. Some younger folks with quicker reactions may have been able to do better.
I don’t know if any of the first generation of Reel Edge games remain on casino floors. They were never widespread, and I don’t get lists from casinos or manufacturers telling me what games are available in any given casino. The new generation of Reel Edge puts the skill-based portions of the games in the bonus events.
Blood Life’s updated video incarnation, Blood Life Legends, allows you to test your skill with a joystick to guide a bat through the ups, downs, twists and turns of a cave as you try to collect gems for bonuses. There is actual skill involved, but it’s not the reel-stopping experience readers have been asking about.
On most slot games, even in the bonus events you’re getting an illusion of skill rather than actual skill. And when it comes to stopping the reels, it’s the random number generator, not your reflexes, that determines the results.
What about my readers’ other top questions?
To answer another—no, games are not programmed to go cold after big wins. Results remain as random as humans can program a computer to be. As long as the RNG keeps doing its thing, any big jackpot, any hot streak, and any cold streak eventually fade away into statistical insignificance, and the machine comes very close to its expected payback percentage.
No, you don’t get less payback when you use your rewards card. The player rewards system doesn’t interact with the RNG.
And no, with rare exceptions, there is no way to beat the slots except by being in the right place at the right time. There have been opportunities for small profit on games with banked bonuses such as the old WMS game Piggy Bankin’, where the sharpies would start to play only when there were enough coins in the bank to give the player an edge.
Show Me The Dragon Skill Stop Slot Machine Games
Such games are not common. Just as with stopping the reels early, your results are up to chance and the RNG.
- Details
Only our creators know it better. You should make the correct conclusions about it after a long test on the various parameters. We want to share our user information with you on this page.
Personal testers opinion
The machine allowed me to get some decent winning during the usual spins. I am interested in playing such games, and I can say with certainty that this slot has never disappointed me. And that`s why I play it again and again like the music record on repeat. I want to share my secrets which always help me to win with you. So, at first, having tried the variants with a different range of the stakes, I concluded that it would be irrational to spend the large sums because the risk to stay without anything significantly increases. I liked the option with the bet of €1.20- €1.80. It allowed me to keep the balance and at the expense of free spins, in the end, to be in a positive balance.
Free spins launch relatively simply, so they will be fairly regular. During the numerous tests, I only once triggered the most expensive bonus game Reel Blast, but the rest dropped alternately. Once at the stake of €1.20, I won a total of €51.28, and the second time €48.48. I will say right away that if you are waiting on the winning of €1000 or more, then this game is not for you. In any case, I had a maximum final result of €275. On average, this figure was from €50 to €100. So, this game deserves that you try it and luck will be on your side.
Hidden parameters and settings of the slot (data from testing)
- Cycle length is short.
- Tester recommendations - neutral.
- RTP of 95,96% does not allow getting a positive mathematical expectation at the casino.
- Variance (volatility) of the slot machine is low.
Secrets of the slot machine
Below are the strategies that will help you figure out how to win at Dragon Spin, and also do it with the minimal risk for your bankroll:
- Testing has shown that the game behaves the same on the stakes, both for real money and virtual coins;
- Because the variance of the winning tends to be lower than average, there is no reason to expect the frequent occurrence of the pay combinations. But the probability of obtaining an attractive payment in the usual spins is excellent;
- The change in the value of the bet left the slot indifferent to our tricks, more often it did not pay from it;
- From the very beginning the gambling machine deals only with one thing - eat up your money, but then after a couple of dozens spins launches to gradually heal and return a certain percentage that`s why do not despair after first losing;
- During the regular game we managed to increase the initial stake in x20 and even x30 times, but not as often as we would like;
- The main payment is for the bonus of free spins and due to the additional prize functions;
- In the current situation, we do not consider it rational to make the large stakes. In our opinion, it is best to build a strategy based on small amounts that allow you to wait for the launch of free spins with a low loss, which can then be compensated, and during the usual spins there are occasional excellent winning that help keep your balance afloat;
- Often, we managed to collect combinations consisting of 4 or even 5 symbols, but these symbols all represented the card images that did not pay much;
- We had to go from 100 to 1300 rounds to get to free spins;
- If you want to try all kinds of free spins in one game session at once, then it will be challenging, even if it is possible. Also, you will need to have an impressive budget;
- The profitable option of free spins is Reel Best, it generates the most significant winning, allowing you to increase the initial bet by 70 times or more.
How to use the bonus features
In Dragon Spin, all bonus features are concentrated in five free spins. At first glance, it may seem that this is not enough, but in the process of the game it turned out that not everything is so wrong. The appearance of three scatters gives you the right to trigger free spins, but before that, with the help of the wheel of fortune, a variant of the bonus game will be chosen. As noted above, the best of them will be Reel Blast, as the winning here is the largest and the number of active lines increases to 90, and the three central reels.
We also noticed that the main winning during free spins falls on the last, the fifth spin. In the rest, four can be as average victories, and not be them at all. Direct player participation is not required, so you will not be able to influence anything.