LadyDream.com - how slots work

[vinylweatherman]

I find this to be a contradiction. In a fair machine, all the reels should operate independantly of each other. That means the third reel doesn't "know" what the results of the first two reels is. The way they avoid paying jackpots is by weighing the jackpot symbols very lightly on all three reels so that the odds of all 3 coming up together are slim. But in no way does the result of the third reel depend on the results of the first two. (As I reread your paragraph, I think this may be what you were saying after all...)
I guess my contention is, while I completely understand that each reel must "spin" independantly, I don't see how "stepping" (adding some fixed integer to each RNGenerated) affects the randomness in any way
Thanks for the description of cycling slots. I also refer to these types of slots as "cheating" slots. I believe that one sure sign of a cycling slot is the lack of a specific sequence on the reels; ie the animation to display the wins don't represent the virtual reels.

It is the random number that produces the number of steps. It is not a case of ADDING steps to a random reel position. The addition of extra full rotations is purely so the reels stop one by one rather than simultaneously; this is simply for enhanced entertainment.
Where a single random number decides the win, it means the reels are not spun "naturally". It would be as if a single number decided whether you win or lose a hand of Blackjack (remember Spacejacks!), rather than having each card randomly allocated individually. Weighting can be included by increasing and decreasing the mathematical "width" of reel symbols; a Cherry symbol could be given for RNG 1,2 & 3, but the jackpot following is only given on RNG 4, and a BAR after could be RNG 5 & 6. Of these three symbols, the jackpot is not likely to be up one in three, but one in six when these 3 arrive "in view" so to speak.

[Slotmachine]

There is an interesting article on a really bad RNG at http://www.developer.com/java/other/...p/10936_616221.

Very interesting indeed. For someone like me, a layman when it comes to anything to do with computers or math, incredible stuff what these guys can come up with. Sooner or later (if not already) the Nerds will rule the Earth and we mere mortals will be at their mercy!

Cheers,
SM