Must-Hit-BySlotMachines
Must-hit-by slot machines are progressive jackpots with a guaranteed ceiling — the meter cannot pass a stated maximum without forcing the jackpot to award. The closer the meter climbs to that ceiling, the lower the expected cost to lock in the prize. Because the math is bounded on both sides, must-hit-by progressives are the cleanest, most analyzable form of advantage play on a casino floor and the natural starting point for new advantage players learning to read meters.
Mechanics
How must-hit-by machines work
Every must-hit-by progressive ships with two published numbers: a floor (the reset value) and a ceiling (the must-hit-by amount). On every wager, a small percentage of coin-in is added to the meter. The meter rises until a randomly chosen trigger value within the floor-to-ceiling band is crossed, at which point the jackpot pays out and resets to the floor. Crucially, the trigger value cannot exceed the ceiling — if play continues to push the meter, the jackpot is forced to fire before the cap. For example, a $100-must-hit-by-$500 progressive will always pay out before the meter can reach $500.01. Advantage players use the gap between current meter and ceiling to estimate worst-case spend.
Advantage Play
Advantage play tactics for must-hit-by
Compute the midpoint between the current meter and the ceiling — that is your expected spend to trigger if the trigger distribution is uniform. Add base-game return and any side-progressives, then compare to the jackpot value to decide go/no-go. Bet at the level required to qualify for the top tier. Walk away the moment a trigger fires (even a smaller tier may reset shared progress). For competing must-hit-by play on the same bank, claim a seat early — once a meter is past breakeven, the seat itself is the asset.
MHB EV Calculator