There are several types of jackpots, which differ from each other primarily in the principles of the formation of the total winnings. By the way, you can hit the jackpot not only in casinos.
The word "jackpot" comes from the English "Jack pot", which many translate as "Jack's pot", explaining this translation as a full pot of gold, which was supposedly the most coveted prize in some types of ancient gambling entertainment. However, it is not.
"Jack" - this is how the jack in playing cards is called in English. Back in the 19th century, a combination of two jacks was the most coveted in some types of poker, and the one who managed to collect it received the entire pot, consisting of the bets of other players. It was called "Pot". Over time, the word "jackpot" went beyond the scope of poker and began to mean a large cumulative win, many times higher than the maximum possible winnings in a particular game.
What jackpots are there?
Conventionally, jackpots can be divided into cumulative and fixed. At the same time, the accumulative jackpot, in turn, is divided into two types:
- jackpot accumulating due to the players' bets;
- a jackpot that grows evenly throughout the entire time until it is ripped off.
In the case of an accumulating jackpot, its amount grows with each new bet of players in a particular game - a certain percentage of this bet is deducted into the total prize pool, which is the jackpot. An example is slot machines in casino halls - the more players place their bets, the higher the jackpot amount. Such a jackpot falls out to a player with a certain combination of symbols on the reels (which is very unlikely to appear - for example, five sevens), or randomly after reaching a certain amount of the game fund.
An example of a steadily growing jackpot is the TV game “What? Where? When?”, Where connoisseurs spend four seasons of games during the year, during which the total jackpot grows steadily at the expense of sponsors. In the final of the year, this entire prize pool goes to the winning team.
A fixed jackpot can be present both in casinos and in other types of gambling entertainment, for example, in state lotteries. Its amount does not depend, or very weakly depends on the actual bets of the players, but it is often less impressive than in the case of a cumulative jackpot.
The largest jackpot
One of the most impressive jackpots in history was hit in 2007 in the American lottery MegaMillions - the total winnings amounted to $ 390 million. Such amounts are not paid to the winner immediately, but are divided into smaller amounts (for example, $ 10 million) and are paid annually until the entire amount is paid. Thus, the lucky one, who hit the jackpot, practically no longer needs to work.
In addition, the jackpot is an additional incentive that "warms up" the gambler's excitement - after all, it is much more interesting to gamble knowing that in addition to standard winnings, you can, albeit with a low probability, hit a huge jackpot.