Slot Machine Betting Strategy
Even with slots, a little strategy goes a long way
- Slot Machine Betting Strategy Tactics
- Indian Casino Slot Machine Secrets
- Slot Machine Betting Strategy
- Is There A Slot Machine Strategy
- What Is A Good Slot Machine Strategy
Except in rare cases, slot machines are not games of strategy HOW THE HOUSE GETS ITS EDGE IN SLOTS MACHINES Casino games make money for the house by paying less than the true odds of winning the bet. On table games, that can be relatively simple. Slot machines with video reels might look impressive but they pay less than the normal machines. There is a reason why such slot machines pay less. Videos take long to display and while this is going on, the casino is not making money. This is the reason that such a slot machine is designed in a way that takes the money from players who are.
- The final successful betting strategy, in slot machines and any betting game, is being responsible enough to stop playing when the time is right. Walking away during a hot streak can be especially challenging, but the good news is you will love the feeling you get from coming out on top.
- How anyone could think that this strategy would help them win more money playing slot machines is baffling. Slot Machine Tips. Now that we’ve discussed a few of the strategies on slot machine games that don’t work, let’s look at some real, hard-nosed, fact-based slot machine tips which might actually make a difference to your bankroll.
- Bet Max at progressive slots. When playing at the progressive slot machines, bet the maximum amount of coins and bet on all the paylines. It will be a pity if you have the best combination but don't win the jackpot because you haven't Bet Max.
By Frank Scoblete
Even though the house has an edge on just about every slot machine and video poker game (with some few, hard-to-find exceptions), players can still play a tough game against the casino if such players use intelligent strategies in deciding which games to play and how to play them.
Pessimists might say that all slot and video poker players are doomed to forfeit their money to the house edge, and they are right, except that how you forfeit the game against the house is where the gambling pleasure comes into the picture. In short, don’t just give the casino your money by playing the worst games with the worst strategies. Instead, play games where the contest is close to even or at the very least as even as you can get. Give the casino a real run for your money.
So let’s take a look at slot machines to outline some general rules to follow if you want to play the strongest possible game against the casino.
Analyze the slot return percentages in this magazine and you can see clearly that not all denominations return the same percentages. Right o the bat, this tells you something important; not all slot machines are the same. Some are better for your bankroll; some are worse. The smart player picks the better machines to play. Do most slot players know to do this? No.
Slot returns by denomination are not the only story. Within denominations the returns of different types of machines vary. Let us say that you have a traditional one-dollar machine and you decide to play one that has a progressive jackpot or a progressive jackpot that is linked with other casinos, you should know that the return percentage is often far less because those big progressive jackpots must be paid for sooner or later by the casino. Because of that the machine will hold a greater percentage of the money you put in.
Take Megabucks as a specific example. The odds of hitting the “big one” are just about 50 million to one. The return percentage of the machine is usually around 86 percent. You are facing a big house edge on such a machine.
Now take a look at a stand-alone non-progressive machine and you will see the difference in returns. If you follow the percentages of one-dollar returns, you know that they are averaging in the 90-92 percent range across the country. So the 86 percent return of a linked progressive such as Megabucks is made up for by the larger return of non-progressive machines. So which machines give you the greater chance of being ahead on any given day? Obviously the non-progressives; they could be coming in with returns in the 95 or higher percentages. Take that to heart.
So the wise advice is to play a non-progressive machine if you want a better chance of coming home with some money. I admit that those huge progressives are fantasy machines but, sadly, most of our fantasies in life do not come true.
I tend to differ with many slot-machine writers in an important area. On those non-progressive machines, it makes no sense to play full coin in order to have a chance at the top jackpot which is, I admit, larger using full coin. The increase in that jackpot is not worth the extra risk. These jackpots only increase the return on the machine by a fraction of a percent; yet you are betting quite a bit more in money to get only a fraction of a better return. The cost is a waste of money in these cases.
To be specific, if you play, say three coins, you aren’t getting three times the value. You are getting a fractionally higher return but spending three times to play the game.
Think of spending a night playing three coins spin after spin after spin—how much money are you putting into the casinos’ craw doing that? On a three-coin traditional machine, playing one coin over four or five hours cuts your risk significantly compared to playing three coins per spin. That’s a big savings over time.
In today’s new-fangled slot world, there are many types of machines and payouts all over the landscape. Traditional machines now compete with fabulous video machines, multi-play machines, multi-coin machines, multi denomination machines and the like. How should a wise slot player approach these machines? Are there better or worse ways to play?
Of course, of course!
The question most asked of me is simple: Do penny machines and nickel machines return good percentages if I play, say, twenty lines (give or take)? In fact, they don’t. A nickel machine pays a nickel’s return and the more money you dump in the more those larger nickel percentages eat at your bankroll. Don’t waste your money. If those nickels add up to (let us say) a quarter, you are playing a quarter machine; if they add up to a dollar, you are playing a dollar machine but you aren’t getting a quarter machine or a dollar machine’s return.
If you want to put in enough nickels that they add up to a dollar (or a quarter) you are much, much better off just moving to a dollar or quarter machine.
[Read Frank Scoblete’s books I Am a Card Counter: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Blackjack, I Am a Dice Controller: Inside the World of Advantage-Play Craps and Confessions of a Wayward Catholic!All available from Amazon.com, on Kindle and electronic media, at Barnes and Noble, and at bookstores. Visit Frank’s web site at www.frankscoblete.com]
There are tons of misconceptions about slots and how they work, but now, we’re going to bust them all! First of all, when people think of “slots strategy,” they often expect the wrong thing — they expect to hear about some strategies that are going to help them magically win at the slots.
Slot Machine Betting Strategy Tactics
But unfortunately, that’s not how things work! There are some great strategies for this game to apply, but these methods have a somewhat different objective than just winning instantly. These techniques aim to save you money and simultaneously maximize your chances of winning by choosing games with better odds!
Before we explain why no trick can manipulate a slot into paying out, we need to understand how the machines work. Slots are designed to be an embodiment of the principle of pure luck. In some ways, they are the perfect game of chance — the only fortune can bring you money with this game, and no skill can help you trigger the jackpot.
Because of that, many people believe that they are the most fun and thrilling game ever! After all, with slots, you never know what’s going to happen… And here’s why!
Understanding How Slot Machines Work
Now, as you might already know, there are two main types of slots — slot machines at brick-and-mortar casinos and online slots. Regardless of their type, all slots are based on the RNG (random number generator). And this complex algorithm is the very heart and soul of this game. The RNG decides what’s going to appear on the reels, and there are no other factors that can influence the outcome of a spin!
Slots machines in classic casinos all have chips featuring RNG, while the online slots are based on a software that uses RNG. So, in any case, the completely random principle governs which symbols appear on the reels.
Now, you understand why we said that slots are the ideal embodiment of wild luck – there is no skill, no system, and nothing that can influence a slot’s “decision.”
This RNG feature communicates with billions of strings of data, so every combination on the reels is as random as it can be! And to this very day, no better algorithm translates data into a random order of numbers than RNG.
The Difference Between Classic Slot Machines and Online Slots
Now, if all modern slots are based on RNG, do they differ at all? The answer is yes! They differ mostly in RTP (return to player) rates. In general, slots in real casinos are games with the lowest RTP rates that you can find. On the other hand, an online version of the game can have impressive RTP rates.
It’s a general opinion that the games with the “worst” payout rates are slot machines in classic casinos. Brick and mortar casinos have to follow the rules and regulations, which require them to have an RTP rate of at least 75%. Now, classic casinos don’t have to bother to go much above this meager rate since they don’t have a lot of competition. So let’s explain this phenomenon now!
Brick-and-Mortar Casinos Have It Easier
If a player wants to have a real-casino gambling experience, they have just a few choices before them — they can go to one of the few casinos near their home. However, if a player wants to gamble online, they can browse thousands of online casinos literally.
So geography helps the classic casinos and lowers their competition. Due to that, online casinos have to go the extra mile to draw customers in, and one of these extra miles they have to travel is the path of higher RTP rates! On the other hand, almost no factors can make brick and mortar casinos business any harder.
So “real” casinos don’t have their hands tied when it comes to their RTP rates and paytables — they can set them low and still make a stable profit.
However, online slots can have RTP rates anywhere between 93% and 99% depending on the provider. The most common RTP for online video slots is 95%, but it’s still fairly easy to find an online slot with an RTP of 96%. Some providers such as Betsoft, NetEnt, and Realtime Gaming have slots with RTP rates above 98% and even 99%. Now those are the games you want to play!
And now, since we’ve explained the nature slots, let’s talk about strategies!
The Ultimate Rules of Basic Slots Strategy
We’ve already started to elaborate on an important fact that the basic slots strategy doesn’t have anything to do with “tricking” the machines into paying out. These strategies exist to help you enjoy games safely, without huge losses and bad experiences. However, there are two main types of strategies here, and understanding the difference between them is extremely important…
The Difference Between Betting and Playing Strategies
The two main types of strategies you can apply to any game of chance in the world are betting strategies and playing strategies. Why? Because games of chance, by definition, can only have two main aspects — gameplay and betting! After all, these are the two “parts” of a casino game.
However, players sometimes tend to mistake betting strategies for playing strategies, and this misunderstanding is potentially very dangerous! So let’s explain the difference.
Playing strategy
Let’s say you want to play a slot with a large number of paylines. Now, you might decide to bet a small amount on all paylines; some other players may decide to bet a medium amount on the majority of paylines, while the third player might decide to bet all their money on all paylines. So these are three different playing strategies.
Betting Strategy
This time, let’s assume that you’re playing the slots and decide to increase your bet each time you lose to cover your losses if you finally win. Now, this move is your betting strategy! It doesn’t have anything to do with the gameplay — you’re not influencing the game’s outcome. Everything you’re doing here is manipulating the game’s betting aspect, not the game itself!
Using the Martingale Strategy While Playing Slots
Indian Casino Slot Machine Secrets
The most popular betting strategies for slots are progressive betting strategies such as Martingale. However, we’re just going to give you an overview of this strategy — we’re not going to advise you to use it at all! To be clear: this strategy is dangerous and is not supported by any maths at all. Now, let’s see what this trick is all about!
Martingale is a betting strategy that advises players to increase their bets every time they lose. The objective of this strategy is to earn back all the money you lost once you win. So let’s say you bet $1 on slots and lost. Now, Martingale says you should bet $2. Let’s say you lose again.
Now, you should bet $4, and so on. Let’s say that you’ve lost $8 so far, bet $16 on the next spin, and win. So you’ve successfully retrieved all your money and won some extra cash. There are a few variations on these progressive betting strategies, but this was the essence of all of them.
The Scary Truth About Martingale
So now you might think: great, what’s wrong with this strategy? It sounds magical! Well, this strategy has one gigantic flaw — who says a specific player is ever going to win? That final victory that saves it all is hypothetical — it may never happen! And actually, there are higher chances of that magical win not occurring, ever.
So Martingale can easily end up leading you towards some really enormous losses, given that the entire strategy itself is based on something that may never happen — it’s based on a potential occurrence, not on certainty. So our advice here is to avoid this “trick.”
However, it gets worse: because when you start using the Martingale technique in slots; things can get even worse for you. Why? Because slots are different from roulette. After all, when you’re playing slots, it doesn’t mean that you’re actually going to double your money!
So you can, let’s say, place $16 on slots and win, but win $5. So what happens now? Would you consider that a win?
Basically, when it comes to roulette, Martingale is a pretty bad strategy; but it’s just really terrible when it comes to slots!
Playing Strategies in Slots — Top Five Techniques
Slot games are not vulnerable to any playing techniques because they’re based on a mathematical algorithm. So the only way to manipulate the slot game directly would be to tamper with the game’s code itself.
So let’s define this unique type of strategy then.
We will refer to these tricks as pseudo-playing strategies since they can’t directly influence the gameplay. These techniques influence your gaming experience, not the game itself. But although they do influence the game indirectly, they’re still not betting strategies per se.
Unfortunately, there are no “real” playing strategies for slots, as there are for poker. Your moves in the game of poker directly provoke a certain outcome. However, in slots, these strategies are all about risk control and risk reduction.
Let’s discuss the top five slot playing techniques!
Find a game from a reputable provider.
Not all game providers are equal — some launch generous games, while some launch games that are not worth playing. So the first step is to find a game from a good provider. Aim for games with high RTP rates, a lot of free spins, generous bonuses, etc.
Play at a casino with a good reputation
Picking a good casino is half of the job! Try to find a reputable casino with good reviews from players and gaming experts: research casino paytables, history, license, and online ratings. Choosing the right casino lowers your risk rates significantly.
Slot Machine Betting Strategy
Play slots with progressive jackpots, and preferably ones that can be triggered at any time
Find games with progressive jackpots. Many providers publish slots that feature progressive jackpots, so it shouldn’t be difficult for you to find them. Now, the best progressive jackpots are those that can be triggered at any given moment, such as RTG’s Coyote Cash. The progressive jackpot in this game hits 100% at random! These big jackpots are life-changing, so it can’t hurt to give them a chance.
Bet on multiple paylines
Bet small amounts, but bet on many paylines! This rule goes especially for slot games that feature many different prizes or various paylines and even have over 50 of them! So bet the smallest amount of coins on each payline, rather than the maximum amount on a single payline. This strategy statistically increases your chances of winning something.
Watch your bankroll
Controlling how much you spend on slots is the most important damage-control strategy
there is! So never go over your predetermined gambling fund. And if you lose your gambling fund, never be tempted to try to earn it back. Instead, wait for another opportunity when you can set aside a new gambling fund. The chances of failing when trying to earn your money back are extremely high — it’s just not worth the risk.
Final Words
Now, as we’ve seen so far, slots are based on random numbers, and you can’t manipulate them. All good slot strategies are just about reducing risk and damage. Also, don’t be hoping for any big wins from playing this game. Instead, try to be happy about any amount of money you win, no matter how small! Because after all, the point is to maintain your initial gambling fund.
Any amount you win over your starting fund should not be understood as a winning streak since there is really no such thing.
Every spin in this game is an independent event — it doesn’t have anything to do with the previous one, nor indeed with the following one. Technically, you can win ten times in a row and lose ten times in a row. So that’s why the best strategy you can use is some risk controlling strategy. So now, before we finally part ways, let’s bust some more myths for you!
Slot Players Usually Wonder…
What is the best strategy for playing slot machines?
The best general strategy you can use when you play slots is to watch your bankroll.
Your second priority is to pick a reputable casino and a generous game. Any other tricks you can use are not as important. Because as we’ve already said above, basic slot strategies are all about risk reduction.
How do you win the slot machines every time?
It’s impossible to manipulate slot machines so you can win them every time. The RNG picks random combinations of symbols on the reels, and the chance of RNG choosing the winning combinations multiple consecutive times is so low that it’s really just negligible. Also, the RNG’s chance of picking the perfect combination every time a certain person plays is negligible!
What slot machines payout the most often?
The machines that pay most often are low volatility machines. Of course, these machines pay less than high volatility ones. It’s easy to find out which slots are high volatility machines and which are low volatility ones. Many great gambling websites have databases with such info about all their popular games.
How many lines should I play on a slot machine?
It depends on the slot you’re playing! Some slots feature many paylines, while some feature a small number. Some games are crammed with additional bonuses that can be found on many of the paylines, while some are actually pretty stingy in this department!
So if there’s a good reason for you to bet on many paylines, do it! Anyway, putting small amounts of coins on all paylines is generally considered to be a good strategy.
Are the slot machines rigged?
No, they aren’t. Why? Because game providers and casinos don’t have any reason to rig
the games. Casinos and gaming companies already earn a lot through slots as it is. They don’t need to risk their business by doing something illegal. All casinos have a certain, secure profit through house edge. Now, on the other hand, if the casinos were indeed to rig the slots, they would have to pay some pretty huge fines — so it’s just not worth the risk at all!
However, even the small number of casinos that have actually risked trying rig some games eventually ended up hurting their reputation and profits so much that they cleaned up their act pretty soon.
Also, many gambling commissions are constantly monitoring the slots’ fairness, so even if someone did decide to rig them, the games could only be unfair for a pretty short period of time. Ultimately, those casinos who attempt to get away with any shady behaviors end up getting caught pretty fast and easily, and they run the risk of ruining their business.
How do you know if a slot machine is loose?
Is There A Slot Machine Strategy
You can’t because it’s actually impossible for individual slot machines to be “loose.” Slot machines all feature a precise paytable and RTP rates, and every slot machine pays out consistently according to these formulas.
What Is A Good Slot Machine Strategy
So before you even begin to play a certain slot, you can already have a look at its RTP and paytable. So slot machine payouts do follow certain constant principles, and they never “step outside” these.