Few things come close to the feeling of taking down an online casino jackpot. The prizes come in many shapes and sizes with the jackpot landscape becoming complex to navigate if you are new to it. To help you out, this guide explains the different online casino jackpots in more detail, including how they work and strategies on how to increase your chances of winning.
What is a jackpot?
The word jackpot is defined as follows by Merriam-Webster:
the top prize in a game or contest that is typically a large fund of money formed by the accumulation of unwon prizes
…and we couldn’t have put it any better ourselves.
The word jackpot has its origins in the 1870s from the poker game called ‘Jacks or Better’. That game is similar to the popular poker game five-card draw, the main different being that if a player doesn’t have a pair of jacks or better in the first round of betting, he has to pass. Once someone has the qualifying pair and has placed a bet, all other players can bet in the regular way regardless of the cards they hold. If no one has a jacks or better pairing, there is a redeal with additional antes added to a now growing pot.
The game can only be won by a player with three of a kind or better. If no one has that combination, the pot stays and the hand is again redealt.
The pot gets larger with each additional ante that is added, and it’s now easy to realize why the term jackpot comes from here.
Fast forward to the last century where jackpots have been the star attraction of land-based casinos for years. When online casinos arrived, jackpots came along for the ride and are just as popular as they are in their brick and mortar equivalents.
The majority of online casinos offer two different types of jackpots: fixed jackpots and progressive jackpots. In layman’s terms, fixed jackpots are set at the start of a contest and don’t change. Progressive jackpots, meanwhile, grow over time. We’ll go through each jackpot type in even more detail below
Different types of jackpot
Fixed Jackpots
Seen a large jackpot amount on a game that’s piqued your interest? If the number doesn’t change then it’s likely this is a fixed jackpot. This type of jackpot can be broken down into two types.
The first one is a true fixed jackpot where the amount doesn’t change and is directly assigned by the game. You play the slot and when the jackpot is hit it pays out. The amount resets and the process starts again.
The second fixed jackpot type depends on the stake amount and is usually devised based on a multiplier. For example, say the jackpot multiplier is 1000x your stake. If you stake $1, then the jackpot amount would be $1,000. If you stake $10, the jackpot amount would be $10,000.
Progressive Jackpots
One of the most exciting parts of any online casino are progressive jackpots. Available on a growing number of games, progressive jackpots increase with every wager that is placed and this continues until it pays out to a winner.
Getting into the specifics, when you play a slot game with a progressive jackpot a small percentage of every wager you place is taken and added to the pot. With every new wager, the pot grows and it culminates in one lucky winner walking away with the prize.
The benefit of progressive jackpots is the gargantuan size they can grow to, especially when many company share the same pot. Game providers pool jackpots on the same game across a number of different online casinos and this is where the biggest prizes can be won.
It’s commonplace for progressive jackpots to grow to six or even seven figures. Next time you’re in the WynnBET Casino, keep an eye out for our range of progressives including WynnBET Progressive Jackpots and IGT’s ever popular Mega Jackpots
Strategies for winning a jackpot
Search out smaller jackpots
Whilst the huge progressives offering the largest jackpots can seem the most attractive, many online casino players go for smaller jackpots as they trigger more regularly. It makes smaller jackpots an ideal place to play when seeking a decent payout
Wager the correct amount
Pay close attention to the details of each game before playing as the wager amount to trigger a progressive jackpot can differ from one game to the next. Some progressives have a strict wager requirement. If you don’t reach it, you won’t be in the running for the jackpot. On the flip slide, others have a minimum wager requirement where a smaller amount than the maximum stake will trigger the jackpot. Look out for this when you’re next aiming to take down a progressive jackpot.
Practice on free games
Demo versions of slots can be found on the sites of many game providers or on affiliate sites that offer slot listings. This provides a great opportunity to test out online casino games and perfect skills before going for a jackpot.
Check jackpot sizes on each game
Before you dive in and start playing, check the current size of the jackpot being offered and how it compares to the minimum jackpot on the game. If a jackpot has recently paid out then it’s unlikely to trigger again for a while and it’s advisable to choose a different slot where the jackpot is more likely to hit.
Win online casino jackpots on WynnBET Casino
Jackpots are a rewarding way to play online casino and are available right here at the WynnBET Casino. By reviewing our guide, you are well on the way to playing for a progressive jackpot.
Sign up for the WynnBET Casino in Michigan or New Jersey and play on some of the best progressive jackpot games out there. As a new user, you will get a new user offer that can be access by selecting your state: MI | NJ.
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