A lot of new players make a number of mistakes that can have grave consequences for their playing career. These can include hot and cold streaks, believing that the spins are related to each other or simply misunderstanding how online slots work. These errors are easy to make because there are many sources of misinformation out there that can lead players to believe things that are not true.
The first thing that every player should understand is that no two slot games are the same. Regardless of whether you’re playing at an online casino or in a real casino, there are no guarantees that you will win. Every online slot game uses a Random Number Generator (RNG) that determines the outcome of each spin. Unlike the physical mechanisms in a slot machine, these digital RNGs are not influenced by either the player or the operator and therefore cannot be tampered with.
Secondly, each slot has its own class of volatility, which can be low, medium or high. These are based on how often the slot pays out and what size of winnings it typically delivers. Low volatility slots will pay out small wins regularly while high volatility ones may not win you anything for a long time but when they do, the rewards are big.
Some players also believe that machines are designed to keep them playing by triggering bonus games more often than they would normally. While this might be the case for some slots, it is not a universal phenomenon and gambling regulators test RNGs on each slot to ensure that they are fair.