I'm a bigot	4 votes (16.66%)
Must hit progressives are good for AP	13 votes (54.16%)
Must hit progressives are bad for AP	3 votes (12.5%)
I have a small betting unit	4 votes (16.66%)

24 members have voted

Quick Hit is a classic Bally’s slot machine mechanic that has among the symbols on any given game a Quick Hit symbol. Landing more Quick Hit symbols is better. Most Quick Hit machines have Quick Hit symbols in a 1-2-3-2-1 configuration, allowing for a maximum of nine Quick Hit symbols, which would trigger the top Quick Hit progressive jackpot. The biggest real money slot prizes and slot machine wins pay out via progressive jackpots. Progressive jackpots are so called because the jackpot increases gradually with each wager from players. Often, especially online, several or even dozens of machines are hooked up to the same jackpot. First on the list is IGT Interactive's Megabucks. The first wide-area progressive machine.

What casino gives out such information? Eastern Europe I'm guessing. You need to know the starting points and generally at about 90% of the way there. Just basically expected gain minus expected cost.

What casino gives out such information? Eastern Europe I'm guessing. You need to know the starting points and generally at about 90% of the way there. Just basically expected gain minus expected cost.

There are states in the US that require this information to be posted. The first place I remember seeing it was in Iowa.

I will try to give a very simple explanation:
The first thing you need to know is the meter rise. With no one else playing on that bank of machines. Take note of what the meter is at and play exactly $10. Now check the meter and see how much it went up. For an example let's just say it went up 5 cents. In your example the meter was at $96 and had to hit by $100. The worst case scenario is that you have to play enough to get the meter to $100. The fact that it goes up 5 cents for every $10 played we can calculate that the most you have to play is $800 which is (($100-$96)/0.05)*$10. I believe in your example you said the penny games had a 9% hold so $800x9%=$72 that is how much you should expect to lose before you hit the jackpot if it goes all the way to $100.

Anyone knows the answers to the following questions relating to 'must hit'/'maximum' progressives on linked slot machines -
1. We know that these are awarded only when the machine is played, hence when we hit the spin button are 2 things actually happening? i.e. 1) the main game where the RNG generates a win/lose result and 2) there is a separate mechanism to determine if the progressive is won; OR is the progressive win factored into the 'main game' RNG?
2. In most cases, I believe the first scenario is more likely which brings me to the next question - Do bigger bets (higher denom/more credits per line) increase the probability of a hit?
3. When such meters reach the maximum amount, does it mean that the progressive will be awarded on the first spin which gets the meter to that amount OR does it simply mean that the meter stop but the odds of hitting the progressive remains the same?
The reason why I am asking this is because if the bet size does not change the odds of the progressive being awarded and the jackpot WILL be awarded before or when it hits the cap, doesn't it make sense to play a few machines linked to the progressive at the lowest possible bet and the highest possible speed when the progressive meter is at about 95-98%? e.g. on a 1c Aristocrat type slot machine, most players would play a minimum 25-30 credits for all reels but we can also play 1c for just 1 line and keep our hands on the button and instead of burning 2500 credits ($25) for 100 spins, we can churn out the same number of spins for just $1.

Anyone knows the answers to the following questions relating to 'must hit'/'maximum' progressives on linked slot machines -
1. We know that these are awarded only when the machine is played, hence when we hit the spin button are 2 things actually happening? i.e. 1) the main game where the RNG generates a win/lose result and 2) there is a separate mechanism to determine if the progressive is won; OR is the progressive win factored into the 'main game' RNG?
2. In most cases, I believe the first scenario is more likely which brings me to the next question - Do bigger bets (higher denom/more credits per line) increase the probability of a hit?
3. When such meters reach the maximum amount, does it mean that the progressive will be awarded on the first spin which gets the meter to that amount OR does it simply mean that the meter stop but the odds of hitting the progressive remains the same?
The reason why I am asking this is because if the bet size does not change the odds of the progressive being awarded and the jackpot WILL be awarded before or when it hits the cap, doesn't it make sense to play a few machines linked to the progressive at the lowest possible bet and the highest possible speed when the progressive meter is at about 95-98%? e.g. on a 1c Aristocrat type slot machine, most players would play a minimum 25-30 credits for all reels but we can also play 1c for just 1 line and keep our hands on the button and instead of burning 2500 credits ($25) for 100 spins, we can churn out the same number of spins for just $1.

sure you could spin for $0.01 at any point but if it is a linked game then you run the risk of someone sitting down and getting it before you. A $0.01 spin could literally take you 3 hours to move it $1. Also some of the must hits are after a winning game only so by playing 1 line it would be much longer between wins.
FWIW, most must hit machines that I have seen don't let you bet $0.01. They have the preset bet amounts like $0.35 or $0.40 as the min.

sure you could spin for $0.01 at any point but if it is a linked game then you run the risk of someone sitting down and getting it before you. A $0.01 spin could literally take you 3 hours to move it $1. Also some of the must hits are after a winning game only so by playing 1 line it would be much longer between wins.
FWIW, most must hit machines that I have seen don't let you bet $0.01. They have the preset bet amounts like $0.35 or $0.40 as the min.

At our local casino, Aristocrat games like 5 dragons for e.g. has a 1 credit for just 1 line played on their 'mystery jackpot' or similar type of machines with capped progressives. And if I can know for sure bet sizes are not a factor (I know you can still win on the smallish bets as I have recently won a $93 (capped at $250) mini jackpot playing only 3 of 5 reels on Fortune Foo), and that the jackpot will be paid out as it approaches the cap for the tier, I would reduce my bet to the lowest possible in order to spin as many times as I can without making a big dent to my bankroll. Even though someone else may hit it, but if I am on 'even ground', i.e. bet size is independent and winning spin is irrelevant, it would not be too much of a loss to use this strategy. It will also not take very long for the meter to move as other players are betting much higher to push it closer to the cap. I hope you know what I am getting at. :)

Given this information, how would I figure out when to hit the jackpot.
I know part of the calculation requires how much the meter rises.
I'm still learning, and I don't have all that information yet. I'm not even sure I can figure it out watching the machine lol.
I saw one today that was must hit by 100, and it was at 96 something. 3 max bets later and POW! Right in the kisser!
It seemed pretty easy, maybe I just got lucky.

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If it was a linked progressive that 96 to 100 may have happened on several machines.
I will say one thing: don't look for fancy math on the final meter advance. The programmers do not want vulnerability, so it goes to final meter advance and advances to 100 for show.
I think you better do that long form math and figure out just what it takes to get that 'must hit' meter moving.

The ones that I am familiar with from the past choose a winning progressive amount right at meter reset. The winner is the player that causes the meter to hit the designated number. In that scenario, if you are the only player playing, the bet size will not make a difference. if multiple people are playing it is better to bet the maximum because that way you are contributing more to the meter and will be more likely to be the person that forces it to its target number.

Thanks! I think I get what you mean now. So I gather every time the progressive resets, a random amount for that progressive is set and basically the larger the bet, it is more likely for it to hit the meter first since it is 'pushing' the meter up at a greater rate. This also brings in timing and luck and also technically if you are able to throw in more spins near the designated hit point, your chances increase too?

Must Hit By Progressive Slot Machines Win

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“Must-hit by” or “mystery” progressives are all the rage in casinos these days. You can’t blame the casinos for putting an ever increasing amount of these types of slot machines on their gaming floors. They want players to gamble for as long as possible & what better way to keep them on a machine than by having them chase a progressive that is guaranteed to hit by a certain number.

Unfortunately too many gamblers have little clue whether the progressive they are trying to win is truly worth going for & this can sometimes lead to disastrous results. On several occasions I have seen someone chasing an Ainsworth hit by $10k machine that’s at $9900 & they’re already in around $30k because they started chasing at a number way too early like $9580. You can read the desperation in their face. It’s a face that’s begging that the machine hit & put them out of their misery.

The reason situations like this occur is often because the player has no idea about meter movement. I’ve seen several examples about how to calculate whether or not a progressive is playable but I’ve found them to be difficult to understand for a gambler who is new to advantage playing. Here I’ll explain the relatively simple method that some advantage players use to figure out if a must-hit progressive is worth playing.

Again, meter movement is key. On any progressive that you’re interested in, find out how much it takes to move it 1 cent either by playing it yourself or by watching someone else play the machine & tracking it.

For this example let’s say it’s a penny, must-hit by $500 progressive currently at $480 that moves one cent for every $2.50 played or $250 to move it a dollar. The midpoint therefore is $490, so we have to calculate how much coin in/play it will take to reach this midpoint which is $10 x 250 = 2500.

Must Hit By Progressive Slot Machines Jackpots

Of course no one knows what the exact payback percentage of any machine is. Because this is a penny machine I’ll assume it pays around 85%. Could be higher but that’s the number I use for penny progressives & 90% for 25c & $1 progressives.

Progressive Slot Machines Tips

Now plug in the midpoint coin in of 2500 & multiply it by my presumed payback of 85%.

2500 x 0.85 = 2125

Now add the midpoint number of $490.

2125 + 490 = 2615

Lastly, take that number & subtract the coin in of 2500.

2615 – 2500 = $115 which is your expected result. Because this number is positive, this is a playable situation.

I think it’s a good idea to prepare for the worst case scenario so I also calculate how much I can estimate to win/lose if the progressive goes to the very end. Same process except the meter movement number is now $20.

So $20 of meter movement x 250 = 5000 coin in
5000 x 0.85 = 4250
4250 + $500(hit point) = 4750
4750 – 5000 = -$250 loss

Of course the actual result from each individual play will be different. Sometimes you’ll hit one before the midpoint but lose. Some will run all the way to the end yet you still manage to win. Any & every result is possible but doing these calculations will give gamblers a good idea if a progressive is playable or not.