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JACKPOT – Somehow, we think that you will probably know this one without us explaining it! A slot machine jackpot is the grand prize for that game, and is symbolic of having “won” the pokey in question. Slot game jackpots can vary widely – there are some of less than fifty bucks, and some that have been cleaned out at millions and millions of dollars! Slot jackpots are basically divided into two classifications – flat tops and progressives.

Flat top jackpots –also known as “fixed” or “static” prizes- are set at an unchanging amount. No matter how many players have put money in the machine or how long it has been since the last hit, you can only win so much money on these slots. (Which is not to say that some flat top prizes aren’t simply spectacular!) Progressive jackpots, on the other hand, grow “progressively” with each wager that is placed, so that the pot increases constantly from the starting level – less any smaller prizes paid out. Some online slots on the World Wide Web have massive progressive jackpots linked up to players all over the world; land casino progressives are probably connected to a network of machines located within the same city, state, or region.

The general rule regarding slot machine jackpots is this: the size of the prize and your likelihood of winning it are inversely proportional. In other words, the lower the jackpot, the greater your chance of winning and the more often it pays out. Your odds of landing a multi-million dollar jackpot are about as good as being struck by lightning, and these prizes may not pay out for weeks at a time.

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