Slot Machine Tips and Strategies

In this section you will find a range of tips and strategies to get the most out of your slot play. It is also important to understand that there is no system or strategy that can guarantee you will be a winner when playing slot machines.

Before you Play

Know Your Game

Before you start playing any slot machine you should always take a moment to read the pay table. This way you can see if there are any special betting requirements, see what the payouts and lines are as well as determine what any special symbols do.

Machine Selection

Choosing a machine to play comes down to personal preference but apart from game theme or style you need to select the right denomination machine. Slots come in a variety of coin sizes, and you should try to always pick games that suit your bet limits and bankroll.

Max Bet

Some slots, particularly progressives require that you play the maximum bet to qualify for the jackpot. Other games require max bet for certain features or offer an additional jackpot for max bet play. In these cases you should always play max bet as the last thing you want to do is line up the right symbols and not win the jackpot.

Tips for Winning

You know that there is nothing that you can do to alter the outcome on the reels, so what can you control? The only aspect of slot play that you control is your bet levels, game selection and how long you play.

Remember - There is nothing that you can do as player to affect the outcome of a spin on a modern slot machine. Every spin is random.

Quick Slot Tips

  • Set a budget before you start playing.
  • Set a time limit before you start playing.
  • Join the Slot Club / Rewards Program
  • Choose a bet level that suits your bankroll.
  • The gamble feature is a good bet.
  • Play slot tournaments
  • Don’t chase your losses.
  • Set aside your winnings.
  • Be realistic about your chances of winning.
  • HAVE FUN!

Slot Play Strategies

The following strategies might give you some ideas to try when you’re next playing. Please note that they no way guarantee that you will win and do not change the odds of winning. As always please only bet at limits you are comfortable with.

Strategy 1: The Play Through Once Method

This is a great way of making sure that you usually leave the casino with at least some money. What you do is decide how much money you want to play with and then play it all through your slot machine once and only once. Simple divide your total money in by your bet level and count the spins as you play.

Example - $50 divided by $0.50 would give you 100 spins of the reels. At the end of these 100 spins, you then take out whatever is left and move on. You may have much more than you started with or less but at least you will almost always have some money left.

Strategy 2: Vary Your Bets

Rather than staying at the same number of coins / credits per spin try changing your bet sizes around. This gives you the chance of getting the higher win multiplier without using as much money.

If you are lucky, you will hit winning pay lines when you are on the higher bets. This strategy is great for machines that offer free spins or bonus rounds because you can get free spins at a higher bet level than you would usually play.

Example - Bet 1 coin, 2 coins, 3 coins, 2 coins and so on. On a 1 cent slot with 20 pay lines, playing all pay lines you would bet 20, 100, 200, 400, 500, 400, 200 and so on. Of course you could vary this anyway you like and remember to keep within comfortable maximum bet limits.

Important - This strategy is good for all slots but is not an advised method of play on progressives or machines that require a certain bet level for a jackpot or feature.

Strategy 3: The Double Up Method

A double up or gamble feature is sometimes available on video slots and this bet is one of very few bets at the casino that has no house edge. The double up on slot machines uses true odds so for example if you have a red or black option there is a 50% chance of either outcome.

Example - Lets say a slot has a 1,000 credit jackpot and a lower pay might be 100 credits. If you gamble the 100 credit win on a 50/50 gamble just three times you end up with an 800 credit win which is close to the top jackpot.

The odds of making three correct guesses are 1 in 8 which will always be much better than the odds of winning the 1,000 coin jackpot combination.

Money Management

While luck does play a major part in your slot machine playing success, money management is the key to keeping you playing longer and giving you more spins for your money. If you go into every gambling session with no plan then you are more likely to continue playing when you should stop or even worse win and the play back your winnings.

Set a Budget

The first thing to do is set yourself limits for each day you are at the casino or each time you decide to play the slots online. You need to set a budget and more importantly stick to it. If you lose what you have budgeted for the session never spend more in the hope of winning back what you have lost. Never chase your losses.

Online Play Tip - All good online casinos let you set deposit limits for your account. We suggest doing this as soon as you open an account as it ensures you stick to your limits and cannot spend more.

Set Aside Your Winnings

If you hit a good win don't put it all back into the slots again. Try keeping a percentage and putting a percentage back in. This way you will always end up with at least some of your winnings still in your pocket. One of the biggest mistakes we see players making is getting a good win and then simply continuing playing until they have lost what they have won.

Join the Rewards Program

Most casinos offer a reward program where you earn points based on your slot turnover. Typically you get a card that you have to insert into the machine before you play. Points can often be redeemed for all sorts of benefits including casino credits, hotel rooms, food or tournament entries.

Be Realistic

Nobody likes losing money, but it is a fact that most of the time when you play slots you have a high chance of losing. Only ever play with money that you can afford to lose and remember that you should be playing for entertainment value.

Slot Machine Advantage Play

There are very few circumstances where you as a player can get an advantage over the casino when it comes to slots. Two situations to look at for relate to the “Must Hit Before …” feature that applies to some jackpots and game bonus features.

Must Hit Before Jackpots

These are progressive jackpots that must be won before they reach a certain level. For example, you might have a jackpot that has an upper limit of $1000 where it has to be won. If you see that the jackpot is within a few percent of $1000 it may offer a positive expectation.

Must Hit Before Bonuses

There are several slot machines that have a bonus feature triggered by collecting symbols that must trigger when a certain level is reached. As the collected symbols are carried over after players leave a machine if you see a machine where the required value is close to the limit, it offers the chance to hit a guaranteed bonus within a short timeframe.

Slot Machine Systems

If you’ve ever searched for "how to win on slots" or "tricks for winning on slot machines" you will have come across websites selling slot machine systems.

These systems are a waste of your money and none of them will help you win when playing slots. How can we be so certain? Remember that there is nothing that you can do to alter the outcome on the reels and that every spin is random.

Ask yourself this – if you had a way to always win when playing slots would you be selling it to anyone for $29.95 or would you simply make millions by winning all the time?

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