Probability on a Poker Machine

To work out the probability of a winning combination of symbols on a poker machine we need to find out the probability of that symbol appearing on each reel.

For our example, we will look at the chance of getting the top prize ( 5 x ) on our
example Golden 7’s game paytable. Reel one from this game is shown below.

This reel has 32 positions. That means on every spin there will be an equal chance of getting any of the 32 positions. However many of the symbols are repeated on the reel because even though there are 32 positions, the
paytable only has 12 types of symbols. 

This means that most of the symbols will be repeated more than once on the reel. If we look at the reel strip we find that there are two

on the reel strip. This means there is a probability of 2 in 32, or 1 in 16, of getting a

on this reel on any spin. To find the probability of getting five
on any given spin, we need to know the probability of getting lighting on each of the reels. 

We then multiply these probabilities. If we do this for our example Golden
7’s game , we would get a probability of 1 in 13,312,000. 

That’s why its so hard to win the top prizes. The odds are against you!