Progressive Jackpots

A progressive jackpot is a high payout from a gaming machine where the value of the pot is increased every time a game is played. The machines that offer progressive jackpots are normally linked together with machines within the same casino and others in order to form a large, incrementally increasing pot of money because there are multiple players adding to the pot. This means that several players are contributing and competing for the same pot, although they are playing on different machines, in different parts of the world.

Progressive jackpots are normally on slot or poker machines. They can be won by spinning or getting the highest pay combination on the machine – for example, a row of the most valuable symbols on a slot machine or a Royal Flush in Poker. The online casino will set the amount that the jackpot progresses at and this is largely dependent on the house edge. Players like progressive jackpots because the games are still relatively novel, they can see the meter continually going up and the pot is temptingly large.

Progressive jackpots are most commonly won by players who wager the maximum number of credits but all bets contribute to the overall jackpot amount. Players refer to a break-even point on the machines, where the odds of hitting a big payoff are substantially increased because it can be expected that someone will win. It is difficult to locate the break even point on a slot machine because the payback percentage for the game is not known to the player. Poker is easier to calculate based on the paybacks and odds of the hands, which are based on a 52 card deck.

Examples of progressive jackpots games include Bad Beat Jackpot, Caribbean Stud Poker, Blackjack and Roulette. The advantage of playing progressive jackpots is the opportunity to win substantial amounts of money. You are in effect ‘getting a bigger band for your buck”.