Regardless of the type of slot that you choose to play, they all function according to the same principles. You place your bet and initiate a spin, while this takes place an internal computer chip in the machine randomly determines whether you win or lose for each spin. These computers are random number generators or RNGs. Slot machines come in different denominations, like penny slots, 5-cent slots, dollar slots, etc. Dollar slots have bigger payouts, but more risk and you might hit your loss limit faster. Penny slots won't bankrupt you, but you won't win big, either. However, you can spend a lot of entertaining time playing.
New slot machine players are going to find a lot of advice for beating the slots. Have a healthy skepticism when a slots expert tells you they know how to beat the slot machines. Among the games in a casino, video slots (in general) have a high house edge. Besides finding gaming machines with high jackpots and a low house edge, no skill or strategy is required to play slots. That means you can't expect to increase your odds of winning in most situations.
Read through the advice below to optimize your chances of winning at slots. None of the advice assures winning sessions. Instead, it helps you stretch your bankroll, so you enjoy playing the slots longer. Also, the longer your bankroll lasts, the more chances you'll have of hitting the big jackpot every slots player wants.
Use a Slots Card
Upon entering a live casino, sign up for a slots card. This provides comps and cashback, which automatically lowers the house edge by a bit. Never play a spin without using your slots card. In an online casino, accept the highest slots bonus and play according to the terms and conditions until you meet the wagering requirement. Once again, this lowers the house edge on online slots.
Make Max Bets
Look at the payout chart on a slot machine to determine how jackpots are paid. On many slot machines, the 5-coin bet pays out a higher percentage on the top fixed jackpot. For instance, a 1-coin bet might pay $200, a 2-coin bet might pay $400, a 3-coin bet might pay $600, and a 4-coin bet might pay $800. You might expect the 5-coin bet to pay $1000, but many slot machines pay out $1200 or $1500 in that case, trying to convince bettors to make the max bet.
If the jackpot increases a bigger percentage with a maximum coin wager, then it makes sense to make the max bet on a slot machine. If the bet size is too high for your tastes, then lower the coin denomination and make a max bet at that level. Of course, if there is no additional jump between the 4-coin and 5-coin bet, then you can wager a single coin and max out the coin denomination to the bet size you like.
Read the RTP Information
If an online casino or land-based casino publishes its return-to-player information, read through the RTP percentages to find the video slots with the best RTPs. Return-to-player or expected return is the percentage of a theoretical $100 you expect to see returned to you. It is a theoretical percentage based on probability, so an RTP of 95% does not assure you'll be paid $95 for every $100 you put in the machine. You might lose $50 or you might win $150, or you might win a progressive jackpot and go home rich.
The point of the RTP percentage is to give a player an idea of their expected return. If two slot machines sit next to one another and one has an RTP of 93% and the other an RTP of 95% (and both have similar jackpots), then it pays to play the game with the higher percentage. Over time, this leads to you maintaining a higher percentage of your bankroll.
Money Management Techniques
Read about bankroll management techniques. 'Money management' or 'bankroll management' is a series of steps you take to lock on winnings when good luck happens and limit your losses when a bad streak occurs. These do not assure that you'll win, but it optimizes your bankroll.
Players should know three core bankroll management methods: percentage betting, win goals, and loss limits. Learn to calculate your bankroll and divide this into percentages. Then bet between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on any given hand, depending on your capacity for risk. This limits the amount of your stake you lose on any given session, keeping you playing for longer throughout your vacation. It is a given that people go to the ATM machine or credit card when they lose their whole bankroll — which means you spend more than you intended. The point of percentage betting is to assure your bankroll last through your whole trip, so you never have to replenish.
What Is a Bankroll?
'Bankroll' is not defined as your entire bank account. It isn't defined as your discretionary spending budget or the money you have earmarked for entertainment expenses. Instead, it is a part of your discretionary spending cash and entertainment budget which is set aside specifically for gambling. In this case, a bankroll is less than your entertainment budget.
Once you have your bankroll figured, divide this into easy to understand percentage. If you have a bankroll of $1000, then divide this into percentages. These are simple calculations, but you should have an understanding of 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of your bankroll. In the earlier example, 1% would be $10, while 2% would be $20. 5% would be $50, 10% would be $100, and 20% would be $200.
Now that you have these, decide whether to bet 1% to 5% of your bankroll. Most experts suggest betting no more than 1% to 2% in order to maintain your bankroll throughout your casino trip or online slots session.
Setting a Win Goal
Next, set your win goal. This is the amount of winnings you set as your goal for any given slots session. If you have a win goal of 10%, then your win goal would be $100 for any given slot machine sessions. As soon as you hit that goal, you walk away from the slot machine — no matter what. A win goal is a hard-and-fast rule, because it locks in winnings. One of the biggest mistakes players make is losing back their winnings, because they think they're on a hot streak.
Setting a Loss Limit
Even more dangerous is trying to win back cash you just loss. To protect against this tendency, set a loss limit. Once again, make this your hard-and-fast rule. Typical loss limits can be 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% — though 20% means you could lose the entire bankroll in 5 slots session. 10% to 15% is a good middle ground. Once you've lost that amount, walk away from the slot machine under all circumstances. The slots game is not 'due' to pay out, so step away from the machine and clear your mind.
Win goals and loss limits guard against gambler's fallacy. Gambler's fallacy is the idea that the law of averages assures or weight the odds in your favor. Slots use random number generators and every spin is entirely separate from the previous spin. Losing the last spin does not make it more likely you'll win the next spin. The odds stay the same, no matter how many wins or losses in a row you've had.
Avoid Progressive Betting
For that reason, avoid progressive betting systems like the Martingale system, D'Alembert system, Fibonacci system, and so on. Betting experts have used computer simulations to track the progressive betting methods against flat betting (same bet each spin). Flat betting beats all of the progressive betting schemes over 1 billion spins.
Progressive betting seems like it's working, because it leads to a lot of small winning sessions. The problem is that it also has a handful of huge losing sessions which wipe out all the wins — and then some. You can't beat the house edge with the Martingale system, however it might look to the naked eye. The Fibonacci numbers are incredible, but they are not a magical way to beat the casino.
The reason progressive bets are bad is they increase the size of your bets (in some systems exponentially). If you start with $5 or $10 bets, a streak of bad luck has you betting hundreds of dollars on one spin. That's busts your bankroll and leads to a 'risk of ruin' — meaning you'll lose your whole bankroll if you hit a bad luck streak. No matter what you read online, flat bets are better.
Take Breaks for Rest and Refreshments
Play when you are at your best physically and mentally. Don't play when you're tired or sleepy. Don't play when you're hungry or thirsty. Take frequent rest and restroom breaks. If you get bored, take a break and walk the casino. Play another game to change up the betting pattern.
When you are rested and engaged, you won't have distractions that might lead to bad decisions. The idea is to have fun, so if anything is causing you to lose focus on the entertainment aspect of the game, walk away and save your bankroll.
Don't Go on Tilt
Tilt is a concept in poker where a player makes decisions based on emotional responses instead of solid strategy. It can cost a player a lot of money if they make bets based on anything but rational decisions. While going on tilt is not a concept in slot machine gambling, every game of chance has a personal component.
In short, don't play when you're agitated. Take stock of your inner thoughts. If your ego or anger is causing you to make irrational decisions, take a deep breath and calm down. If that doesn't work, walk away and clear your head. It stinks to lose a series of bets, but what stinks more is to lose a series of bigger bets when you're trying to make up for lost bankroll.
Casino games are making the owners richer by paying less than the true odds of winning a bet would suggest, meaning that the house odds always give players a losing proposition. For instance, the roulette wheel with its numbers ranging from 1 to 36 plus 0 (00 in the American version) provide the players with odds of 37–1. Well, the same goes for casino slot machines, except for one crucial difference — there are many more possibilities on the slot machines since there are thousands and sometimes even millions of reel combinations!
Regardless of the type of machine you pick to be your winning slot machine, bear in mind that they all function the same. Once you place your bet and trigger a spin, an internal computer chip is going to determine whether you'll be winning this particular slot machine or not. So is it all sheer luck?
Well, this is all related to that classic error so many people have found themselves falling into: the classic gambler's fallacy. You will hear from many players that they have one lucky machine that pays out after a specific number of spins. Well, this is precisely what the casino owners want you to believe. This usually leads to spending hours on reels, waiting for that perfect moment; and more often than not, wasting your entire bankroll.
Before we go into a further explanation on how to win at slots and the way they work from the inside out, it is essential that you understand no amount of luck or perceived hot or cold streaks will be able to affect your slot machine success. Every time you choose your bet and spin the reels, it is a unique event, meaning that your 'lucky streaks' and payout at the machine is a matter of sheer chance. It is important to understand that there is no simple formula that will teach you how to win at slots, but there are still methods that can boost your chances.
So once you finally stop worry and accept these facts, and begin to understand the way these machines operate, you will be able to boost your winnings and be one step closer to learning how to win at slots.
How To Win At Slots Every Time
Without further ado, let's move on to explaining how these captivating machines work — the right way — and maybe help you pick a winning slot or at least narrow your choice the next time you walk into the casino.
Random Number Generator (RNG)
A random number generator (RNG) is known as the crusher of hopes and dreams and the breaker of all gamblers' fallacies. In a nutshell, this is the underlying computer mechanism that is used not only in slots, but also in most of the games you can find at the casino. The whole idea behind this mechanism is to make sure that every single spin brings an utterly random result. And as previously mentioned, each spin on the machine is a unique and impartial event; so every time you spin the reels, it will work independently of other spins on the device.
Also, it is essential to note that the RNG chips have no memory, so you can be sure it's no going to keep track of your wins or loses. So no matter who sat at the machine before you and no matter what their record, you both have the same chances for each spin. It will be much easier if you think of RNG as an impartial judge, rather than about your amount of luck overall — unfortunately, it is not relevant to this particular situation.
So are you interested to know how this mechanism works? Well, it is a straightforward principle. The generator continuously goes through a set of numbers with no particular order. When you decide to spin the reels, the mechanism will stop on a specific combination of numbers. This particular combination will determine the position of symbols you see on the reels, and once they fall in place, you are able to know whether you hit the winning combination or not.
Also, it is important to note one more thing that can help you boost your chances in spite of these genuinely random results — pay attention to scatters. As you most probably know, in order to get a winning combination, you need the symbols on the reels to align with an active payline to ensure your win. Well, this doesn't apply to the scatter symbols. They do not follow the rules about aligning in a simple order. You only need to get a certain number of them; precisely how many, is going to vary from one game to another.
These symbols have proven to be the biggest booster of your odds. However, even this depends on the slot machine complexity. But you can count on them to grant you more free spins and many other fantastic rounds. Even though they are also affected by the randomness of the Random Number Generator, they offer you better chances since you don't have to align them in a certain order. But the rule is — the more, the merrier! So take our advice here and look for those games offering you some really good scatter symbols and other fantastic rewards.
Return to Player (RTP)
Here is another acronym that many people don't really understand; this usually results in people ending up at the machine that actually offered them lower chances right from the start. It is crucially important that you understand what RTP means when you're deciding which casino slot machine you're planning to spend your money and your time on. This will help you determine your odds of winning. This number is expressed in percentages, and it tells you how much money a slot will pay back to you over a certain number of spins. Consider it to be the opposite of the house edge, in a way! So if you are presented with an RTP of 95%, you certainly can count on the house edge being 5%.
Just to be clear, this number doesn't guarantee how often you will win in a single session, or how much money you can expect in return. Bear in mind that RTP is measured over an extended number of sessions and games, and the number will come into effect after millions of spins. So unless you plan on leaving the game after you've been spinning the reels for a million times, you cannot count on the statistics and your return of funds. This number will help you choose the right slot machine, as a higher RTP gives you a better chance of winning.
These numbers do vary, of course. You will be able to find an RTP of 85% to 98%, but this usually depends on the venue you choose. Ever since the incredible growth of the online gambling industry, online sites have been more interested in offering the highest RTP possible, in order to keep their clientele. So far, this practice has shown us that online venues tend to offer a more favorable RTP than land-based venues; so the smart option is to play slot machines online instead! However, some players prefer playing in a brick-and-mortar casino, so they can savor the uniquely lavish atmosphere of those places; and for those players, the RTP does not play an important role when they're choosing their next exciting game.
However, if you like to spin the reels from the comfort of your living room, we would suggest visiting online casino venues, where the RTP usually ranges between 92–97%. Also, if you do your research, you might stumble on an online slot machine with the RTP of 98% or even higher.
Volatility — High or Low?
Now, this is the most natural part of deciding which slot machine game is the right choice for you. As you know, gambling implies taking risks; so it's obviously of vital importance to have a think about how much of a risk you are willing to take in the beginning.
Well, this is precisely what we mean by the volatility of slots. When you stumble on a high-volatility slot, like Cash Bandits 2 slot by RealTime Gaming with RTP of 95%, you ought to be aware that the machine you've just found has been built for 'risk-takers.' In other words, this machine requires you to take some more significant risks than you would on any other machine. The payouts with this kind of slot machines are rare, and you could be sitting at one machine for hours before hitting a winning combination. However, when you do, it will most definitely come with a blast! Great things are usually worth the wait; so if you're ever packed with a nice bankroll, we suggest going for these machines, since even though you might wait for that win for quite some time, the reward will be a sizeable one!
Long story short: all you need to do is to decide your pace and then gamble according to your means, or in other words, the size of your bankroll.
How To Win The Slots Every Time In Pokemon Fire Red
This is the easier part of the process. The harder one is that, in our own practice, we've stumbled on a whole stack of casino businesses which do not give out the following information that we're about to discuss; and this could get you in trouble if you are not aware of the risks you are taking. So take another piece of advice — before committing to a game, use the free play mode that is usually offered with many operators, and just test the waters yourself. This way, you can be sure about the type of machine you are dealing with, and then act accordingly.
Make Higher Bets and Go Big
On most slot machines, the jackpot is a fixed amount; but when it comes to progressive slot machines, the jackpot rises as the players put the coins in and spin the reels. Every time a coin is played, a tiny percentage is used to 'feed' the jackpot; so if you choose this type of machine, you could be looking forward to some real sky-high rewards.
Truth be told, you shouldn't expect the highest reward if your bet was $0.10. If you go for a regular machine and make smaller bets and a jackpot hits you, the wagering requirements are sure to crush your hopes. This is why we advise players to make higher bets, since the payouts are proportional to the amount you wager. Even though this strategy will make you burn through your bankroll really quickly, you should keep in mind that this risk will be well worth the time and money you put into it!
However, there are different views on this strategy. Some argue that progressives are better since they offer you the chance to walk into the premises as a pauper and leave as a millionaire, which is more than tempting for a lot of eager gamblers out there! However, others would say 'temptation' is something best avoided when you're gambling.
Progressive machines are founded upon the anticipation they excite among gamblers; and yes, this really could turn out to be a lucrative venture for you, when you finally strike it lucky. But one thing is obvious — these slots pay out more! So if you've brought a sizeable bankroll with you, you should most certainly opt for these machines.
If however you go for the more random type of machines, you can look forward to smaller winnings, while you will be still losing a nice chunk of your bankroll. This can become rather frustrating, especially when the wagering requirements themselves are making your winnings smaller. On the other hand, a progressive jackpot doesn't depend on the combination of symbols, as you might expect; on the contrary, it's completely random! So if you do decide to go big and win big, it will be more than worth the wait, if you're finally able to join the millionaire's club after a few short hours on the reels.
Go Bonus Hunting
So we've finally made it to the very final part of the road; and this is the most interesting segment of all! But you should be very careful when choosing your designated operator and the promotional scheme they offer. We like to call this part of the research 'bonus hunting' since you do need to act like a real hunter in search of the most favorable bonus offers.
The promotional scheme varies from one casino to another, but most of them have the basic package — welcome, deposit, and match bonuses. Also, many operators tend to offer no deposit bonuses since many players just want to test the waters before they decide to invest. And this is the strategy you should follow too!
The first thing you need to pay close attention to is the size of the welcome bonus, as well as the wagering requirements that follow. So make sure you thoroughly read the Terms and Conditions page before joining any online gambling venue.
A reputable operator will offer weekly and monthly promotional offers to keep their players coming back. You should set your standards before going bonus hunting — find a site that provides no deposit bonus codes with some excellent matching bonus packages. Also, look for venues that update their promotional offers regularly, so you can set the days when you are investing big and then take advantage of generous promotional offers, and the days when you're laying low.
Also, make sure to find a venue that looks after their most loyal players and proposes a quality membership scheme. Once you join the loyalty club, you will be showered with all sorts of rewards, such as matching bonuses and favorable wagering requirements. There are even some extra big rewards, such as discounts or holiday trips.
Once you know the slot machines inside out, then between your many hours of practice and the generous promotional offers you're receiving, you simply cannot go wrong. Just make sure you do proper research about the operator before committing to them.
Make Your Luck!
So is there a magical formula to help you understand how to win at slots? There isn't, but with the proper knowledge about the way these machines operate and with the help of some favorable promotional offers from a trusted operator, your odds will be tilted rather more in your favor.
So before choosing a game, remember to decide the pace of your gameplay, set your weekly bankroll, select a reputable operator; then you're good to go!
The tips we've listed for you above are sure to help you to have more fun and more frequent winnings than you used to; while also taking a bit of the randomness out of the random statistics surrounding every slot machine. Good luck!
