Slot Cheats That Work

Nowadays, it’s pretty challenging to learn how to cheat slot machines. They are regularly audited for fairness to ensure they cannot be tampered with, but it wasn’t always like that.

The era of electronic slot machines was filled with all kinds of innovative slot cheats that work. They were developed by talented individuals to rig slots and trigger huge payouts.

Some of these cheaters gained massive popularity in the industry, making casinos work harder than ever to increase their slots’ security.

Let’s look at some notorious cases and cheat methods that were a part of them.

Source Code

Most slots developed in the last couple of decades used the power of programming languages to work.

The code didn’t write itself. So the people who worked on slots were aware of the source code used to run the game.

But what happens when the code falls into the wrong hands? Enter Ronald Dale Harris.

This talented programmer used his coding knowledge to tamper with slots and win money. After his partner received $100,000 in a keno game, his operation was uncovered, and he was sentenced to seven years in prison, although he was released after two.

Shaved & Fake Coins

Back in the day when video slots started using light sensors to register coins, some players noticed that the physical comparator was working separately from the optic sensor.

Therefore, cheaters started using the so-called “shaved” coins that they would insert together with the object with the shape of the coin. The shaved coin would be returned to the player, while the object would be inserted into the machine as a bet.

In the 90s, a casino enthusiast Louis Colavecchio came up with a unique way to make coins that resembled the ones used in casinos. He then used them to play slots for free but was eventually caught and charged to several years in prison.

However, his passion for slots revived when he was released back in 2006, so he started cheating again. Needless to say, his freedom didn’t last for long.

How to cheat a slot machine with a magnet

Before slots were made with codes, they used systems made of metal parts. And, there’s no better way to make metal move than by using magnets.

The cheating process involving magnets was pretty simple.

• Spin the reels
• Use a strong magnet to stop them at the winning combination
• Receive the payout.

This wasn’t easy to pull off, and it was even less subtle. However, some professional players managed to win lots of cash this way.

The bad news is that there are few old slot machines around. Some casinos in Las Vegas offer them, but players only go there for the sake of nostalgia. Moreover, they wouldn’t be able to use magnets as there are cameras everywhere nowadays.

Coin Attached to the String

This is a classic cheat, which is even used in some movies.

A coin is attached to a thin string. After inserting it in the machine, you’d just pull it back up using the string and repeat the same process over and over again until you get a big win.

This method is sometimes referred to as the “yo-yo” technique, as the “tool” used for cheating looks like a version of the popular toy.

Yo-yo is also not available nowadays, as most slot machines don’t even use coins for deposits.

Carmichael’s Light Wand

One of the biggest cheaters in the history of casinos is Tommy Glenn Carmichael, who invented the infamous light wand. It was a brilliant piece of technology that blinded the optical sensors of slot machines, confusing them and making them release huge payouts to players.

Carmichael’s Monkey Paw

The light wand wasn’t Carmichael’s first cheating invention. Before coming up with it, he used a device known as the monkey paw. It consisted of a simple guitar string that would be inserted into the payout chute and tamper with the microswitch. The result of this was an approximate payout of $1,000 per hour.

Casinos were aware of this cheat, so they improved slots’ underlying technology. However, that hadn’t stopped Carmichael from developing the light wand that he sold all over the US.

The whole Carmichael saga ended when he was caught red-handed in 1996. He served less than a year in prison and a couple of years probation. After that, he was employed to make anti-cheating devices for casinos, and he had huge success with it.

The Top-Bottom Joint

This simple device was popular back in the 70s and 80s. It consisted of two parts — a metal rod with a q-shaped end on top and a long wire on the bottom.

The top part would be inserted in the coin slot, whereas the bottom would go into the coin chute. This would jam the slot machine and make it release all the coins stored for payouts.

Like many other methods, this one eventually became outdated.

Bugs & Glitches

Even though slot developers ensured maximum protection, they cannot always predict bugs and glitches that are sometimes exploited by players who would trigger big payouts. 

Every once in a while, a video slot malfunctions, but casinos note that all payments are void in such cases. Therefore, things may be taken to court, and you’d have to pay back the money you won as the result of a glitch.

Conclusion

As you may have noticed, most cheats presented in this article are outdated and don’t work anymore.

But before you start exploring the ones that might work, you should ask yourself whether it’s worth all the trouble. After all, cheating kills all the fun. If you’re interested in earning big money by playing casino games, you should know that the only thing that could help you with it is your luck. 

Trying to manipulate the element of chance will rarely end in your favor, as casinos become aware of cheats sooner or later, and cheating in casinos is a crime. Therefore, if you don’t to be labeled as a criminal, we suggest avoiding any cheating operations.

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