Slots are some of the most popular casino games available at both real-life and online establishments. The payouts can be huge, though winning can be tough and relies a lot on chance, more so than other casino games out there.
Here we have five tips that first-timers can use to learn more about the game and ever-so-slightly increase their chances. There are many opportunities to play slots online for real money, so we have made sure that our tips work with online slot machines too.
Table of Contents
1. Play Within Your Limit
The first tip is the one that will keep you playing slots for the longest – play within your budget. If you don’t, you’ll lose your cash quickly and won’t have any left to gamble with. First, you need to understand that slot machines can have some of the most brutal house edges, so you’ll lose money more often than not. That’s why the stakes are so low for most machines.
However, if you win, you can make back your session spending and more on the side. Never bet what you can’t lose and establish a bankroll that is separate from the rest of your funds. Making a bankroll for slots is easier than other games – get enough to make 250 bets. This virtually guarantees a three-hour session. Then set a limit, so you stop playing if things consistently don’t go your way, like if you lose 20% of your bankroll without any wins.
2. Play To Your Personality
Once you have a bankroll and a limit to stop you from overspending, you should choose the slot games that match your personality. This depends on what kind of action you’re looking for – do you want a long session extended by small wins or are you trying for a big win?
For bigger jackpots, slots with three reels tend to have higher payouts, though the hit frequency is much lower and you’ll lose more spins. To get a big payout, you’ll need to spend time with the machine, and even then your chances won’t improve, it’s all about losing until you win big.
Video slots that contain pick ‘em bonuses give other rewards that you can take advantage of, with higher hit frequencies. These award smaller wins and extend your session. Slot games with free spins tend to fall somewhere between three-reel and video slots.
3. Become Eligible For Jackpots
With some types of slot games, you need to become eligible for their jackpots by contributing more money. These are mainly with progressive slot machines, where a percentage of each wager gets thrown into the jackpot. To become eligible for higher payouts, you need to pay your dues. You can’t throw one coin into a progressive slot machine and take home the top prize.
Video slot jackpots often have many tiers of rewards, so you can still win something for early wins. If you can find a slot game where everybody is eligible to win big, take advantage of it!
4. You Can’t Prime The Pump
As we alluded to earlier, you cannot prime the pump. Spending time with a game may make you eligible for higher payouts when you win but it doesn’t have any bearing on if you win. You’re just as likely to win early at a slot machine as you are after spending an hour or two with it.
Some bettors out there make smaller bets at the start of the night, assuming they won’t win, and then increase throughout the night when the wins should start coming. While that can be a strategy to conserve your bankroll, it doesn’t influence how much you win.
That doesn’t mean you should throw your entire bankroll into the first few spins, obviously, but the truth is that you’ll never be able to anticipate the win. When you win, just be grateful no matter how much you have put on the line.
5. Dollars Pay More Than Cents
Lastly, understand that slot games come in different denominations, from one cent to nickels, to quarters, and then dollars. As you may expect, dollar slots pay the most if you win, but you’ll burn your bankroll much faster playing them. You’re exposing yourself to more risk, where the winnings are much higher.
Every game should show information about what they take and how much you can expect from their payouts. From these tips, you should learn that you need to research the slot games you play, so you know what you’re getting into and don’t fall victim to any common misconceptions. Maybe you just want entertainment, so playing cent or nickel games will give you more satisfaction and help you play for much longer.
Conclusion
Those are our five tips for playing with slot machines. The most important thing is that you know what to expect from slots, mainly that they are largely a game of chance and there is little you can do to improve your chances. Instead, have fun and take measures to sustain your bankroll over a longer period, so you can catch more wins when they come.
