The Perfect Time to Play Pokies
Gamblers have been researching the right time to play pokies for decades. There are hundreds of gambling myths on the internet which say that casinos adjust their slots on Friday evening to bring more people, or make adjustments on Monday morning to return some of the winnings received on weekends.
From the mathematics point of view, all these claims are pure nonsense because there is nothing about time in the code of an online pokie machine. But from the standpoint of game strategy, there is no doubt that time significantly affects the outcome of a pokie session.
Timing doesn’t affect the chances to get the winning combination of symbols during the spinning process, but it affects bonuses that players can get from casinos, the level of competition during tournaments, and the decision-making skills of gamblers. Now let’s take a closer look at how timing works.
There Is Nothing Like Lucky Hours
In order to understand that “lucky” hours don’t exist, one should know how modern online and brick-and-mortar pokies work. All licensed pokies use a Random Number Generator (RNG).
A Random Number Generator is a microprocessor that produces random number combinations constantly without stopping. As soon as a user presses the “Spin” button, the RNG stops and fixes the certain sequence of numbers that determine what symbols appear during the spinning.
Since the operation of the RNG is not affected by anything, including time or the history of a player, the chances to hit a jackpot are absolutely the same both at 9:00 AM on Tuesday and 11:00 PM on Saturday.
The probability to get a win is determined by two factors which are fixed in the code – Return to Player (RTP) and Volatility.
Promoting Timing to Maximize Value
Unlike the RNG, however, the casino marketing department is aware of what time it is. It is in this context that timing your games becomes beneficial financially.
Online casinos operate under constant performance metrics; they know when lulls happen – generally in early mornings on weekdays or late at night on Sundays. In order to combat the dead time, the marketing department releases time-based promotions. If you are lucky enough to hit one of these low-activity periods and access a particular casino, you’ll be treated to “Happy Hours,” reload bonuses, free spins, or special cashback offers. The fact that you get extra value from playing at an online casino such as Karamba NZ is simple mathematics: You get to spin using the house money or subsidized money, and therefore, your risk is minimized.
To capitalize on this knowledge, do not go to the casino blindly. Plan your sessions according to the promotion calendar.
Time-Based Strategies in Tournament and Jackpot Games
Two distinct types of pokie games rely heavily on the time factor: leaderboard tournaments and daily must-drop jackpots.
Casinos have developed a system of tournament play whereby you compete for prizes based on your wins or wagers accumulated over a pre-set period. So, in the event that you are partaking in a 24-hour leaderboard tournament, playing outside peak hours such as evenings or weekends will allow you the advantage of having to play against fewer opponents. You are more likely to get a higher leaderboard position just because the other players aren’t active during those hours.
Finally, many casinos now offer Must-Drop or Daily jackpots that are programmed to expire at a certain point and drop automatically. As the clock is ticking down, the jackpot grows increasingly likelier to drop.
Time Pressure and Wagering Conditions
Time is also one of the factors that must be taken into account regarding bonus terms and conditions. The vast majority of bonuses offered by online casinos are paired with wagering conditions. You have to spend the bonus in question, and then roll it 35 times in 72 hours.
The problem is that if you claimed an enormous bonus on a Sunday night but had a hectic working schedule on Monday and Tuesday, you would most likely not have enough time to fulfill the rollover condition. In such a situation, you will automatically forfeit both the bonus itself and any profits you managed to score while playing.
In other words, you must figure out precisely how much time it would take you to meet the requirements of any bonus offer. You could use online calculators such as the Wagering Calculator provided by DashTickets to get a good understanding of the exact amount of cash you would have to gamble away.
If you find that you need to perform 4,000 separate spins to reach the required volume, you would know for sure whether you would be able to dedicate the necessary number of hours to fulfilling the condition.
If you lack experience with these sorts of rolls, it is highly advisable that you learn more about wagering requirements and how they work.
Differences Between Physical and Online Timing Dynamics
Should you be planning to hit the slots in a physical casino, the timing of your visit may play a significant role.
In case you enter the venue late on Friday night, you may find that the high-RTP machines and the most popular game licenses are occupied. You should also expect the service to be rather slow as well as the overall noise level. For a player seeking to switch between different volatilities, Tuesdays and Wednesdays would be perfect days for a focused gaming session.
Online casinos, while not having physical crowds, do have their peak hours. Server crashes are quite rare these days, but if you play during one of the busiest hours of the weekend, you can experience some delay when loading certain HTML5 slots.
Psychology of the Clock: Fatigue & Bankroll
Perhaps the most dangerous element relating to the time you spend playing pokies is yourself – your mental state of mind.
The design of pokie games aims to keep you playing continuously. Effective money management requires discipline and boundaries. At 2:00 AM when you are tired from a busy day, you suffer from severe decision fatigue.
Players who spin on the late night hours or while under the effects of alcohol statistically tend to disregard their stop-loss limitations and place aggressive bets and deposits that they never would have placed at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday. The worst time to play a pokie machine is the point in time when you cannot clearly say “stop”.
Regulation
Responsible time allocation is directly connected to the concept of responsible gaming. An unregulated casino will let you spin continuously for up to 48 hours or even more. But playing within regulated environments gives you peace of mind, since there is oversight over excessive gaming and aggressive marketing.
In New Zealand, pokie gambling falls under the jurisdiction of the Gambling Act 2003. This regulatory framework provides players with such tools as session timers and reality checks that interrupt the gameplay with a reminder of how many minutes have already passed since you started playing. To learn about the measures taken by the regulatory body to protect players from the pitfalls of casino scams, read our guide onGambling Law in New Zealand.
Play the Promotions, Not the Clock
As far as the timing goes, no magic happens during the midnight hours to help pokies dispense their jackpots. The mathematics of gambling stays the same no matter what day or time it is.
However, everything else related to pokie games relies heavily on time. Your choice of time influences the bonuses that you have access to, the level of competition that you’ll be facing in tournaments, and whether you have sufficient time on your hands to complete the required number of gameplays.
