When choosing a slot machine to play one of the choices a player is confronted with is whether the machine is a straight machine or a progressive slot game. What is the different? Well let's focus on what a progressive slot does and how it works.

Progressive slot machines mean they have an additional jackpot that players can win. Generally this jackpot is extremely large and it is meant to entice the players to play that game for maximum coins. You can only win the progressive jackpot if you play maximum coins.

The progressive games are also usually networked with other properties. Either land based on online progressive games can easily be identified by the rolling dollar counter usually found at the top of the slot machine. This ticker grows and grows until finally the slot jackpot is won.

The dollar balance of the ticker grows based on a contribution calculation that may be different for each slot machine. For example a slot machine may have a maximum bet of $1.00. If that is the case then we can speculate in this instance that 30 cents may be allocated to the casinos profit, 30 cents may be set aside for reserve and 30 cents will be allocated to grow the ticker. The reserve is the term used for that amount of funds set aside in the instance the slot jackpot, or in this instance the progressive jackpot is won the ticker must start at a preset base amount. For example the ticker may be one at say two hundred thousand dollars, well then the progressive slot machine then must start again after the winner is paid out. If the progressive slot started at zero dollars there would be no reason to play the progressive over other games so the reserve is automatically setup so the progressive slot starts out at say fifty or even a hundred thousand dollars.

Ok well that still leaves 10 cents in our example above unaccounted for. To join a progressive game usually a percentage or fee has to be paid to the organizer or the one who originally designed the network or progressive slot game so that is the fee portion.

So the next question is how often does a slots progressive jackpot get won and the answer to that is depends on the random number generator for that game as with all slot games. Some games where the progressive jackpot is in excess of say half a million or even higher the game is the odds of winning become more difficult. Always remember thought a slot machine can win at anytime.

Research on progressive slots show that major jackpots have been won by players when a progressive game went into production in the first week and also progressive games may take upwards of a few months or even longer to win.

So with this in mind are you more likely to play a progressive slot or a straight slot understanding that the bigger bonus jackpot may await you at the progressive game.

An observation that we make here is many players who do not play slots when they have a few extra dollars in there pocket will take a chance on a progressive slot versus putting those same few dollars in a straight slot. The dream of a big jackpot is the draw.