If you’ve ever spent any time playing online, there’s a good chance that at some point you came across the word, “RNG.” It’s a term used almost exclusively with slots, video poker, blackjack, roulette and other games that feature results that need to be 100% random at all times.
As such an RNG has an immensely important role to play in the industry, even if all of it is behind the scenes. But what is RNG, and how does it work?
From old fruit machines, classic 5-reels, and the multi-reel monsters that dominate the online sector, slots have become the most popular casino game in the world.
If you’re a fan of slots and want to understand more about them and the mechanics that drive them, then RNG is the first place to start. RNG is a part of every slot available on the market right now, and should help improve your game the next time you enjoy a few spins of the online pokies reels.
Understanding RNG
To understand RNG, you first have to understand the premise behind a slot game. The player adds a token, a coin, or real money. They then choose the parameters of the slot, and use either a button or a lever to start. From there, the reels begin to turn, and after a specified amount of time, will come to a stop.
Special symbols on the reels, which are often based on the theme of the game, will appear on the reels in a seemingly random order. The order is determined by a special system designed for slots, namely RNG.
When slot machines first began to become popular in casinos, they were clunky machines that were easily manipulated. This changed when the circuit board was created and became more widespread; for the first time ever, designers were able to program their slot machines and have them run automatically on automatic systems.
It quickly dawned on them that they could design and implement a system that kept everything as random as possible, ensuring that everyone who played the slot had an equal chance of winning.
It proved to be a success for the most part, and it’s a system that was adopted across the world as a universal slots mechanic. It went on to the digital age, too, and almost all slots found online today have some sort of RNG-based system.
Can You Cheat RNG?
The fundamental premise of RNG is that it’s a system designed to always be as random as possible. Because the RNG of a fair, equal slot that has not been tampered with in any way by the developers maintains the randomness of every round, it’s virtually impossible to cheat the RNG in any way apart from digging around in the programming that runs it.
Cheating in a slot that utilizes a fair RNG system may be impossible, but there are other ways to improve the overall chances of winning, such as choosing the right machine, playing the highest number of paylines, placing the biggest possible bets, and dedicating as much time to one machine as possible.