I don’t usually recommend slots for new gamblers, but I also know that many amateur gamblers love to play these one-armed bandits. Slot machines are usually some of the worst games for gamblers in the casino. And if you’re not careful, these fun distractions are going to take all of your money.

I’ve put together a list of 11 tips and tactics for new slots players. These 11 quick tips aren’t going to help you win in the long run, but they are going to help you have more fun when playing slots for real money.

1 – Avoid the Slot Machine Trance

The next time you’re in a live casino, take a walk around some of the slot machine areas. The odds are good that you’re going to see many slots players in what looks like a trance. They sit staring blankly at the screen and automatically hit the spin button every few seconds.

Slot machines are gambling games with three or more spinning reels. The reels display symbols that spin and land randomly to form potential winning combinations after a player places a bet. Wins are determined when certain symbols line up in a sequence; these are the paylines. SLOT TIP 6: PLAY SLOT MACHINES AT THE ENDS OF ROWS The theory is that machines at the ends of rows are visible to passers-by and casinos want those other customers to see slot players winning. That’s of much less importance today with payoffs by bar-coded ticket rather than by coins dropping in a tray. The obvious signs of winning are gone.

The slot machine trance is costly, and amateur slots players need to be aware of it so they can avoid it. Take a break from the machines frequently so you don’t fall into this trap.

2 – Understand Return to Player

Every slot machine has a software program that runs the machine. This isn’t how old-fashioned slot machines worked, but it’s how all slot machines work today. And this is true whether you play live slots or on your computer or mobile device.

This software program has instructions that dictate how much the slot machine keeps and how much it gives back to gamblers. The amount the machine is programmed to give back is called return to player.

The easiest way to understand return to player is to consider it as a percentage. A slot machine with a 93% return to player pays out 93% of all the wagers it takes back to players.

Return to player is a long range or overall percentage, so in the short run, it goes up and down. But over thousands of spins, the return to player percentage is always realized. This is important to know as a slots player because if you bet $100 on a machine with a 93% return to player you’re only going to get back $93 on average.

It’s not easy to find return to player percentages for slot machines, but you should try to find it for as many machines as possible. And then you should only play on the machines with the highest returns.

3 – Understand How Casino Bonuses Work

One of the few good things about playing slots is that you can get some nice casino bonuses if you’re willing to play mobile or online slots. If you can double your bankroll, or triple it, you can play a lot longer before you run out of money.

The next thing you need to know is what you have to do to meet the requirements of the bonus. This is usually a minimum amount you must risk based on the amount of your deposit and bonus. This is usually a multiple.

A 30x requirement on the deposit and bonus amount means you have to make wagers totaling at least 30 times the total amount of your deposit and bonus.

4 – Investigate the Casino Slots Club

Many casinos have a slots club available. It might be called something else, but they all work basically the same. You sign up for the club and earn some type of compensation when you play.

This is usually a small percentage of what you risk, but it’s better to get something back when you play slots than not getting anything.

Find out if the casino where you play has a VIP program and sign up.

5 – Coin Size Considerations

If you bet $3 on a spin playing slots you’re going to lose more than if you risk $1 on a spin. Remember how the return to player percentage works. The higher your coin or bet amount, the more you lose on average.

This means that one of the best ways to be able to play longer on your bankroll is to play on machines that let you risk less on every spin. Find a slot machine that has a small bet size and you can save money in the long run.

6 – Playing Speed Implications

Another thing that directly influences how much you lose playing slots is how many spins you play. If you play 600 spins every hour you’re going to lose more than when you take 300 or 400 spins every hour.

The nice thing about slot machines is you control how many spins you take every hour. You don’t get kicked off the machine for not taking enough spins. Train yourself to play slots slower to extend your playing time and limit your losses.

7 – Why Games Within Games Exist

Many newer slot machines have games inside of the main game or bonus rounds that you can unlock. These all seem like good things when you’re playing slot machines, but the truth is that these features are in the games to get you to play longer.

And anything that keeps you playing slots longer is good for the casino. Remember, the longer you play slots, the more you lose.

You can enjoy the games within the game and bonus rounds and story slots, but always remember that these things are there to make you play slots longer.

8 – The Difference Between a Jackpot and a Progressive

Some slot machines have jackpots. And some machines have progressive jackpots. These are both jackpots, but progressive jackpots are slightly different than regular jackpots.

A regular jackpot always stays the same amount. A progressive jackpot grows as more gamblers play the machine until a lucky gambler wins it. Then, the progressive jackpot resets to a lower amount and starts growing again.

9 – Limiting Your Slots Gambling Losses

You can use some of the strategies that I’ve already covered to limit your slots losses, but there’s another simple step you can take that works perfectly.

Decide exactly how much you’re willing to lose before you start playing and only use this amount to play. If you run out of money you have to stop playing.

10 – The Best Slot Machine to Play

This is just my opinion, but over the years, I’ve come to realize that the best slot machines for me to play have two things in common.

I know I’m not going to win in the long run playing slots, so I want the chance to win a big jackpot while keeping my cost per spin as low as possible.

11 – There’s an Even Better Option

Instead of playing slot machines there’s a better option in most casinos. You can usually find real money video poker machines that have a much higher return to player than slot machines. And the return to player percentage is much easier to find for video poker machines.

If you’re losing too much playing slots, take a look at video poker. You need to learn a little bit about pay tables and strategy, but this is easy to do.

Conclusion

If you’re still convinced you want to play slots after reading this article, make sure you use the information you just learned to limit your losses. You can even try out the free online slot machines to see if you can have the same level of fun without losing money.

The best slots option is usually a progressive machine with a low cost per spin, but an even better choice is a different type of machine. No matter what you do, make sure you know exactly how much you’re willing to lose playing slots, and never go over this amount.

Everybody wants to know how to win on slot machines. If only there was a secret formula or cheat code that could allow you to win slots every time, your bank account would swell and your dreams would come true.

Alas, no such secret formula exists. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no way to win slots more often.

I’ve been playing slot machines since as long as I can remember. In the past decade or so, I’ve come to learn a thing or two about them. I’m going to share real, practical, and actionable steps on how to win at slots.

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I’m not promising you’ll win a progressive jackpot and retire to live the high life.

All I’m offering is hard-won insights and some useful information which can help you avoid common mistakes and maximize your chances of winning.

A Word About Slot Cheat Codes

Before we go deeper into slot machine secrets and winning tips, I need to tell you what this article is not about.

I am what you’d call a natural skeptic. I don’t believe in things like lady luck and good fortune, I believe in probability and verifiable facts. That’s why I don’t put any stock—none whatsoever—in slot cheat machine codes and systems designed to help you win every time.

I recently read a short e-book called How to Win Gas Station Slot Machines Every Time. I was curious to see what the author had to offer. It turns out, it was full of clichés and empty platitudes.

• Waiting until someone had played for a while because the slot machine would be due.
• Finding specific games and tapping the buttons in specific sequences to unlock hidden features.
• Outright cheating by using mobile phone apps to read machine patterns and tricking the machine into paying out.

I chuckled to myself as I scanned the pages, knowing deep down that the author was a huckster and that nobody who used these slot machine cheats would gain anything.

Let me spell it out for you once, and once only: The companies which make slot machines, like Microgaming, are very rich indeed. They didn’t get that way by building games you can exploit.

In the next section, I’m going to teach you how slot machines really work. Understanding this vital information is the only way to win at slots more often.

How Slot Machines Work

There are still a few slot machines in Vegas and other casinos around the world which operate mechanically. But, these days, the majority of them are electronic. Trying to interfere with them physically won’t give you any advantage whatsoever.

Computer chips and algorithms known as “random number generators” (or RNGs) power modern video slots.

Without getting into complex technical details, these are algorithms which generate millions, and even billions, of numbers per second. When you hit the spin button, one of these numbers is selected, and if it’s associated with a payout, you win.

That’s pretty simple, right? There’s nothing overly complicated about it from a player’s perspective. Yet, if you think about it, you’ll realize that it means you can’t manipulate slot machines.

Setting aside philosophical arguments about whether true randomness really exists or not, you’re at the mercy of the algorithm. It could take a million spins before it pays out the jackpot, or it could happen three times in a row. It’s all based on the RNG.

Random number generators control both land-based and online slot machines. Gaming commissions check them to make sure they are random and fair. For online slot games, organizations like eCogra test the games while, in Vegas, it’s the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

If you understand the concept of random number generators, you understand the gist of slot machines. Let’s now move onto how to win on slot machines.

How to Win on Slot Machines — Tips and Tricks

I’ve created some general rules of thumb for playing slot machines. These aren’t 100% foolproof, but they do tend to be true. You should jot them down or remember them when you’re playing. You could think of this as slots wisdom won over many years of spinning the reels of fortune.

The Bigger the Jackpot, the Lower the Payback Rate

Every slot machine has what’s called an “RTP.” This is a percentage which tells you how much money the slot returns to players.

For example, if a slot machine has an RTP of 97%, which is high, then it will pay back $97 out of every $100 which players feed into it.

It’s important to remember that RTP is a theoretical number which explains the payback rate over the long run. It does not mean you will win back $97 out of every $100 that you play. It means that the machine returns this amount to all who play that slot. This includes all of the small wins as well as the jackpots.

Well, in my experience, slots with bigger jackpots, and particularly progressive jackpot slots, have a lower payback rate. I’ve seen jackpot slots with an RTP of 91%. That’s low compared to a game like Jack Hammer II by NetEnt which has an RTP of 97.07%.

Sometimes, you’re better off playing high RTP slots, even if they have a smaller jackpot. The chances of winning a progressive jackpot are slim, so you have to be realistic about the possibilities.

Yes, you could strike it lucky, but for every multimillion-dollar winner, thousands of players lost. If you want to win at casino slots, you’re better off with high RTP slots for this reason, you get more back in the long game.

One of the highest RTP slot machines is Mega Joker by NetEnt. It has an RTP of 99%. It’s a classic slot, and many people play it religiously because of the high payback percentage.

Don’t Forget the Bonus Features

Almost every slots player I know is blinded by huge jackpots. There’s a reason why casinos plaster the largest progressive jackpots all over banners across the web. They attract slots players like moths to a flame!

I’m not. The odds of winning the jackpot on any slot are low. Instead, I focus on lucrative bonus features. Some of the biggest wins I have ever had came from slot machine bonus rounds.

Here are a few which I feel are particularly worth looking out for. If a slot machine has one or more of these features, I give it serious consideration.

Free Spins

• Free spins are one of the best slot machine bonus rounds. When you enter them, you’ll automatically bet at the value you were betting in the base game. If I haven’t triggered the free spins feature after 20 spins, I usually increase my bet size in anticipation. It has to trigger eventually, and I want to reap the rewards to the maximum extent when it does.

Multipliers

• Multipliers can be part of the base game, or they can be part of bonus features. For example, a free spins feature can have a multiplier. I always look for slots with multipliers of up to 3x or higher. I then play with larger bets than I usually would. One big win with a 3x multiplier can be as good as a jackpot.

Cascading Reels

• This is probably my favorite feature in slot machines. When you create a win, the symbols disappear, and new ones take their place. If you win once more, the same happens again. Some slot machines mix cascading reels and multipliers together. Sometimes, the multiplier gets bigger every time you create a new cascade. An example of such a slot is Gonzo’s Quest.

There are lots of other great slot bonus features. Bonus wheels, picking games, and progressive jackpot bonus rounds also offer a chance to win big. The point is, you should always study the paytable of a slot machine, play it for free, and try to figure out its bonus rounds.

Of course, if you can find a slot machine offering lots of great features and a big jackpot, that’s the golden ticket. I’d always double-check the RTP on such a game, though. Usually, the greater the risk to the casino, the lower the RTP is.

Manage Your Bankroll by Leveraging Slot Volatility

Want to know the first game I play every time I log into the casino? It’s almost always Starburst.

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Why so? Because Starburst is a high volatility slot. I rarely, if ever, experience long dry spells on this game. The wins are frequent, even if they aren’t life-changing. And I find that Starburst often helps me boost my balance. Once it’s suitably boosted, I move across to a higher volatility slot for a shot at bigger wins.

You can read an in-depth article on slot machine variance and volatility here. I’ve created a short and easy version for you below:

• Low volatility slot machines pay little wins frequently.
• Medium volatility slots pay mid-range amounts semi-frequently.
• High volatility slots pay bigger wins less frequently.

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For example, I never play high volatility slot machines when using free spins bonuses which offer only 10 or 20 spins. Experience tells me that on a high volatility game, I could easily experience 10 or 20 spins without a single win. I know that when the win does come, it will be explosive. But those slots aren’t best suited for this kind of bonus.

To leverage slots volatility, play low volatility slots when you’re down on your luck and only have a small bankroll.

They can also be extremely useful when trying to meet wagering or rollover requirements on a bonus offer. However, when you have a suitable amount of house money, switch over to higher volatility games with bigger potential wins.

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Please remember that this is not a foolproof plan. Sometimes, the RNG just doesn’t spit out the right number, and no wins occur. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, and you’ve got to accept that before you start playing a slot machine or expecting to win on slot machines.

Conclusion

I promised you logical, sensible tips for winning slot machines, and I hope you feel that I’ve delivered. All of what I’ve written above is fact-based, and none of it requires you to believe in hocus-pocus or to resort to cheating.

Winning slot machines is all about reducing the house advantage, knowing how to give yourself the best shot at the biggest payouts, and avoiding the common mistakes that too many players make.

That’s all I can offer you, and no matter what they say, it’s all anybody else can offer you, too.

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Now that you know how to win more often, check out some of the best slot machines online.

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