Casino Progressive Jackpots
There’s nothing quite like the allure of a gigantic jackpot to attract players to a casino. Sure, some players are happy to go for low risk, low reward games and try to lose as little as possible, while hoping to get a little lucky and win a few dollars. But for the majority of casino gamblers, the real fun is in the hope that you might come home with a life-changing jackpot.
Progressive jackpots give gamblers just that very chance. And unlike a regular jackpot that’s always the same amount, a casino progressive jackpot keeps building higher and higher as more and more players attempt to win it. In fact, some of these progressive jackpots can be worth millions when they’re finally hit. The following is a rundown of some of the most common games where you’ll find progressive jackpots.
Progressive Slots Jackpots
Slot machines are the most popular casino games, and they’re also the place where you’re most likely to find a progressive jackpot in the casino. There are tons of different progressive slot jackpots, with payouts ranging from thousands of dollars on penny machines to millions when playing for higher denominations.
You can find huge progressive slots jackpots both online and offline. In online casinos, many jackpot machines are actually playable from many casinos that share the same software, meaning that there are a lot more players shooting for that jackpot than you might think. Initially this sounds like a bad thing, as more people playing means there’s a better chance of someone hitting the jackpot earlier. However, it also means that the jackpot grows at a much faster rate than in a live casino, meaning the potential wins are even greater.
There isn’t much strategy when it comes to winning progressive slots jackpots (or most progressive jackpots, for that matter), but there is one thing to keep in mind. If you want to win a progressive jackpot, you should always play the maximum number of coins. Playing fewer coins will almost always make you ineligible for progressive jackpots, meaning you’ll be very unhappy if you hit the jackpot when playing with less than the maximum stake.
Table Game Progressive Jackpots
There are also a couple of table games that offer progressive jackpots which can grow quite large before being hit. The most prominent of these is the progressive jackpot found on most Caribbean Stud Poker tables. This is actually a side bet; players have the option of playing the progressive jackpot or passing it up and just playing the main Caribbean Stud game.
If a player wants to take a shot at winning the progressive jackpot, they simply need to make a $1 bet in the progressive jackpot spot. Whether or not a player wins the jackpot depends on the strength of the hand they are dealt, and nothing else. Depending on what the player is dealt, they will either win a set amount of money, or a portion of the progressive jackpot. A typical pay chart will look something like this:
Royal Flush: 100% of jackpot amount
Straight Flush: 10% of jackpot amount
Four of a Kind: $100
Full House: $75
Flush: $50
Some pay tables will also pay out for straights, or even three of a kind. Others will give out a small percentage of the jackpot amount – maybe 1-5% — for a four of a kind. But if you want to win the full jackpot amount, only a royal flush will do. Typically, the jackpot bet is not a good one for the player, but if it gets large enough, it does become a profitable bet. Usually this happens when the jackpot gets somewhere over $200,000.
But even if the progressive jackpot bet isn’t one with an advantage for the player, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play it. If you enjoy the thrill of hoping for a huge jackpot, the $1 progressive side bet can add a lot of fun and excitement to your casino play.
