Cyclone has been one of the most popular arcade games for years. The simple, quick, addicting gameplay contributes to its popularity.
It may look easy to stop the light on the jackpot bonus as it spins around the wheel. Though, you have probably found that it is deceivingly difficult to win. Cyclone and similar light wheel arcade games are meant to trick you into thinking you can use your awesome arcade skills to win.
Follow the tips in this Cyclone guide to give yourself the best chance to win.
Also provided is more information on the Cyclone jackpot and difficulty settings that will help you decide if you should spend your chips or coins playing this light-spinning arcade game.
Is Cyclone Rigged?
Yes. The light will skip over the jackpot until a certain payout is reached.
On page 7 of the Cyclone arcade game manual you can see settings for “Jackpot Difficulty” and “Jackpot Winability.”
These settings prove how Cyclone is impossible to win if it does not get enough plays first. Even when it is ready to allow you to win the jackpot, the settings can be changed to increase the difficulty of winning the jackpot.
Most Arcade Games Do The Same Thing…
This is how a lot of arcade games operate. They have to do this in order for the arcade owner to guarantee a profit. Just like casinos, the house always wins.
Though, it is totally fine that arcades guarantee a profit. This is important for the existence of arcades. If they did not make money, arcades would absolutely not be able to exist.
The problem comes in with how these rigged arcade games deceive players into thinking they can win every time as long as they are skilled enough.
Mark Rober uses science and a homemade computer to cheat at the Cyclone arcade game.
Watch the video for the results.
Quote from Mark Rober’s Arcade Scam video:
“The game presents itself as a winnable game of skill, when in reality, it’s a random dice roll that is heavily stacked against you.”
The most-profitable arcade games are the ones where you overestimate your chances of winning; that is why they are so popular.
Cyclone Jackpot Settings
Ticket values and other numbers can change based on the settings of the Cyclone machine.
The jackpot bonus starts at 100 tickets on default settings. Most machines start at 250 tickets.
The jackpot goes up by 1 each time the game is played.
The jackpot maximum cap is set to off on default. So the ticket value for the jackpot can reach high numbers if it has not been won in a long time.
There is also an option for the game to remember this jackpot or not each time the Cyclone machine is shut off. The default settings retains the jackpot value from the night before.
Cyclone Arcade Game Tips and Tricks
Even though Cyclone is rigged, there are still helpful hints to help you know how to win.
- The first tip is to take advantage of the Cyclone payout settings mentioned above.
Keep a lookout at other people playing Cyclone. If you notice many people playing and not getting the jackpot then you can assume that the machine is closer to payout and letting someone win.
For this tip you can look at how high the jackpot ticket value is. The higher the jackpot the more people have played and lost. So a high jackpot value can show you that Cyclone is ready to allow you to win.
You should not keep playing if you just hit the jackpot, as the game will definitely not let you win two in a row.
- Play yourself or watch a skilled player to know if Cyclone is not ready to payout.
You can actually see the light skip over the jackpot/bonus slot if the game is not allowing the jackpot win yet.
If you see this happen recently you may want to wait longer to play this machine. Come back when the jackpot amount increases and test again to determine if it is ready to payout.
Even if the Cyclone game is ready to payout (you will never know for sure when this is – the tip above will help you know), you will still need to be skilled enough to stop the light on the jackpot. The next section goes over a few tips to help with your timing.
- Use your fingers and have them resting on the button.
If you swing your hand down from high up it will throw off your timing.
Keep your hand gently on top of the button. When you are ready, use your fingers to quickly press down to stop the light.
This will give you a quicker response time to hit the button exactly when you planned to hit it.
- Adjust your timing after each play.
If the light lands a little past the jackpot, then hit the button a little quicker. You may need to play a few times to adjust everything perfectly.
Keep in mind that you could be missing because the game forces you to miss when the Cyclone game is not ready to pay out.
- Practice.
Play Cyclone as much as you can to get the timing down.
Here is a tip for practicing your timing even when the jackpot is not possible with the rigged system:
Stop the light on the next highest ticket value, besides the jackpot. This will be the 10 ticket value next to the bonus slot. The 10 ticket slot will never be blocked, so it is always possible to win it. This will let you know if you are just missing your target based on your own bad timing or not.
Cyclone Review Score
Score is out of 10, with 1 being all luck to win and 10 being all skill.
Skill Rating: 3
Cyclone makes you think that it takes all skill to win. That is far from the truth.
Skill only comes into the picture when the arcade game is ready to payout a jackpot. And you will never know when it is ready until you start playing.
You have to get lucky to play at the perfect time in order to even have a chance of winning the Cyclone jackpot.
Fun Rating: 4
Cyclone the arcade game is fun for a few plays. It is especially exciting for beginners that think there is always a fair shot to win the jackpot. It can be an adrenaline rush to see the light stop one spot away from the jackpot.
Once you know about the rigged jackpot the game is far less fun to play. It devalues your skill and makes the game a complete gamble.
Of course, people do still have fun gambling at the casino. If you enjoy that then Cyclone will be entertaining for you.
If you want to save money on chips or tokens on the Cyclone arcade game then you should read my guide on coupons at Dave and Buster’s. Playing on Half-off Wednesday is an obvious tip to save money, but the article will give you even more ways to get the best bang for your buck at the arcade!