If you’re seeking the simplest casino game, then slot machines are for you. No real strategy is required when playing slots, and you only need to place money in the machine and press the spin button to start playing. The game isn’t social at all, with very few slot machines existing where you play as a team or with someone else. There is one golden rule to follow when deciding to play a slot machine; do not play a game if you are unfamiliar with the rules. So, no matter how easy playing the slots seems, it is important to learn the rules first. Every player should carefully consider the options provided and decide on a strategy before playing a certain slot machine.
Let me guess –
You want to win more money playing slots. You’d like to beat the house senseless.
Well, I got some news for you.
You can’t.
Let’s get something straight –
There is no way to beat a slot machine. There is no element of skill. And the house edge can be as high as 30 percent.
Now… you might get lucky and win a ton of money. Maybe even a jackpot. It’s possible you don’t end up a lifetime loser (playing slots).
But guess what?
Most people will.
Anyway, the point of this page isn’t to make fun of you for trying or to nag you. In fact, I truly do want to help you have a good time playing slots. Maybe even make more money.
Here’s how you do it.
1. Join a casino with comps
Both brick and mortar and online casinos have loyalty programs or comp programs. These pay you in different ways. It can be in cashback or with perks like free shows, games, hotel rooms, food and more.
Online casinos usually track how much you spend and give you points. Then you can use those points to exchange for money or to increase your VIP status so you can get things like more points, reload bonuses and the ability to earn points faster.
The Wizard of Odds says that a $1 slot player will likely get comped better than the $100 blackjack player. So a comps program isn’t something you want to skimp on.
2. Take the deposit bonus
This comes with a caveat, which I’ll explain in just a second.
Anyway, I suggest taking the deposit bonus because it’s money you wouldn’t have otherwise to play with. You can keep all the money you win, assuming you fulfill the requirements.
The caveat is if you know you’d like to cash out sometime in the near future. Play through requirements can be brutal, often requiring you to wager thousands of dollars beforehand. If you’re not willing to wait then you’ll want to pass on the deposit bonus.
3. Find a casino with a high payback percentage
All things being equal, a casino that pays out 95% on their slots is going to put more money in your pocket than the casino that pays out 90%. It’s simple math.
4. Skip the jackpot
I suggest avoiding the max bets (for the progressive jackpot) unless you can truly afford it. Why? Because chances are you won’t win it.
What? I’m just being honest.
But skipping the jackpot means you’ll have more money to play with. I like that approach more than trying to win a long-shot jackpot.
5. Don’t fall for scams or courses
There is no way to beat a slot machine. So don’t waste your money buying products from gurus that say otherwise. Unless you’re reading them for entertainment, they’re a rip-off.
6. Delay the bonus round
In some games, like The Dark Knight, you’ll win bonus rounds. In one of the bonus rounds you go head-to-head with the other person (Batman or The Joker) in a race. You can race right away and have a 1x multiplier at the end. Or you can save these and for each bonus round you save, you earn another multiplier. The longer you save your bonus rounds the more money you’ll earn at the end of the race.
And that’s only one example – there are lots more like it.
7. Stick to simpler games
The simpler the game, the better your odds – according to the Wizard of Odds. The way to think about it is this – someone has to pay for the fancier slot machines with the big signs and video screens. Guess who that is?
You.
That said, these games are more fun to play. So you do have to decide if you want to sacrifice fun to maybe keep more money in your pocket.
8. Play higher denomination games
The higher the stakes you play the better your odds. For example, it is better to play a one coin per line on a 5-cent machine than to play 5 coins on a 1-cent game.
9. Play slowly
This is my best advice. I used to be the type of person who would win at slots, and then I would hit the spin button so the payout would hit my balance faster instead of waiting for the slot machine to pay me. I just wanted to spin, spin, spin, as fast I could.
Not anymore. That’s the fastest way to burn through your bankroll.
Now I take my time. I wait for the machine to pay me. And, trust me; it takes patience to wait for $5 or $10 to hit your account 1-cent at a time. But your bankroll will last longer.
I take my time during bonus rounds and during cut scenes and animations too.
10. Avoid slots in areas with a captive audience
You don’t want to play slots in places like an airport or restaurant. Those are notorious for having tighter machines than, say, the Las Vegas Strip.
11. Choose machines with smaller jackpots
If you’re going to play a progressive jackpot, choose one with a smaller payout since it is more likely to pay out compared to a larger one. You have better odds of walking away a winner.
12. Choose mechanical slots over video slots
The reason why you want to stick to mechanical slots is because there’s less time between spins. Compare that to a video slot machine that has tons of animation and wait time between spins.
Because of that the casino tightens up their video slot machines to make up for it.
13. Play off the strip
If you’re going to play slots in Las Vegas you’re going to have better odds playing off The Strip rather than on it. The difference is small, but since you can’t beat slots you might as well take any advantage you can.
14. When you win, walk away
Easier said than done, I know.
I try to do this after I win a jackpot or large sum of money. Especially if it puts me up for the session, the day or trip. You get to walk away feeling like a winner.
And that’s a hard feeling to get when you’re playing a game like slots.
When you look at all of the games available in a casino you will find that slot machines are amongst the most simple. While there are thousands of game variations all of the games are played the same way.
Once you learn how to play one you can adapt this knowledge to every other game. Here we outline the basics that every slot player need to know to get the most out of your gaming experience. There are five main steps needed to learn how to play slots. These are as follows,
Step 1 : Read the Pay Table
Before you insert any money into a slot machine it is recommended that you spend a moment to become familiar with the game. You can do this by having a quick look at the pay table. This will show you if you need any special bet levels for bonus games or jackpots as well as the games prizes.
Step 2 : Choose a Coin Size
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You should select a game that has a coin size that suits your budget. In general you want to have at least 30 spins. So putting $5 in a dollar machine is probably not the best idea.
Step 3 : Insert Your Money
Once you have decided on a game to play you need to get some credits. You do this by inserting money via the coin chute or the not acceptor. In many land based casinos the coin chutes have been removed so you have to use notes. Online you will find that your balance is transferred to the game
Step 4 : Select a Bet Size
Now that you have money in the machine you can choose how much you want to bet. On classic three reel slots you simply hit the Bet Max button to bet the maximum coins and spin the reels. On video slots you will more than often have a range of choices via the buttons. These include;
- Bet One - Press this button to bet one credit, press again to bet two and so on.
- Bet Max - This button bets the maximum number of coins and starts a spin
- Spin Button - Press this to spin the reels at your current bet size
- Coins per line - This button lets you bet 1 or more coins per pay line
If the game you have selected has a handle you can also pull this to make the reels spin. There is no advantage or disadvantage to using the handle it simply activates the same spin mechanism that the spin buttons do.
Once you have selected a bet size you are ready to start the reels spinning. It's as simple as that. Continue betting the same amount by pressing spin or if playing max by pressing the max bet button.
Step 4 : Cashing Out Your Winnings
When you hit a win that you want to cash out you can simply hit the collect or cash button on the game. In some cases where jackpots are over a certain amount a slot attendant will come to your machine, pay you the prize and give you the associated IRS tax forms. Smaller wins can be paid in coins which results in that wonderful sound of coins hitting the tray.
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Online there is no collect button as such. You simply click on the Bank button which takes you to the casinos banking section. Here you can choose to withdraw some or all of your bankroll.
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Other Buttons Found on Slots
In addition to the buttons listed above you may or may not find more buttons on your chosen game. Below we outline what some of the most commonly seen additional buttons do.
- Help - Often found on video slots, the help button gives you access to a range of screens where you can learn the game rules, find out about all of the wins and other important information such as bonus game details.
- Start Feature - On some bonus feature slots you will find a start feature button. This is what you need to press when you hit the required symbols for the bonus. For example this button will start the free spins.
- Gamble - Some slots, particularly the Australian style video slots have an option to gamble your wins. Press this button to move on to the gamble screen and try your luck at doubling up you current win.
- Call Attendant - This is the button to press if you require assistance from one of the casino staff on the slot floor. Pressing this button causes the light on top of the slot machine to flash - thereby alerting casino staff.
Final Notes
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While how to play slot machines is very easy to learn you have to always remember that the Random Number Generator inside the machine is always set to pay out less than 100%. For this reason you should always set a budget before you play to ensure you don't lose more than you intend to play with.