Slot Machine Strategy
In any casino in the world, slot machines dominate. They are not only the most popular form of gambling, but they’re also the biggest money makers for the casino, often having house edges much higher that those at table games. This does not include video poker, which usually has a very small house edge.
A lot of slot machine strategy is misguided or based on myths about slot machines. For instance, machines do not become “due” if they haven’t paid a jackpot in a while; in fact, every time you make the machine spin its wheels, you’ll have the same odds of winning, whether the machine has recently been hot or cold; they’ll only reach their designed payoff percentage in the long run due to the laws of probability. Similarly, strategies that claim to make you able to beat slot machines over the long haul are almost always scams, or at best, mistaken.
But there are some slot machines strategies you can use to reduce the house edge as much as possible, or in rare cases, even eliminate it altogether! Here are a few tips on how to get the most from slot machines.
• The best time to play slot machines is when there is a large progressive jackpot or other bonus in play that makes the potential payouts much more lucrative. For instance, if you see a machine in a high-payout bonus state that has been left alone, it may be worth playing!
• In most slots, it pays to use the maximum number of coins allowed per spin. This is because jackpot amounts often vary drastically between using one coin less than the maximum and the full amount. Many progressive jackpots only pay out when you play with the maximum number of coins.
• However, playing the maximum number of coins is not always the best gambling strategy, especially if there’s very little difference in the payout by doing so. Higher denomination slots tend to have much better returns than low-denomination ones, so by moving up from, say, a nickel slot to a quarter slot, the difference in the house edge might more than make up for the advantage of playing the full number of coins on a lower-cost slot machine. Because of this, in general, your best bet is usually to play the highest denomination slots you feel comfortable with.
• Some casinos will label certain slots with a payback percentage that tells you exactly how big the long term return on that slot will be. Given that most slots only return somewhere between 85% and 95%, if you see machines that guarantee higher payouts, it’s usually worth playing on these slots. However, be careful; it may appear that a sign promises high returns on a large number of machines in a certain area (or in an online casino, the entirety of that casino’s slot games), when in actuality, the guarantee only applies to one or a few machines.
• If you are playing in a brick and mortar casino, make sure you use your casino’s slot card or rewards card while you’re playing, and that the machine is reading it properly. While many people do not associate one with the other, the added value you get from these rewards cards does help offset the house edge of a machine somewhat. If you’re playing in an online casino, make sure the slot machines you’re playing on are eligible for any rewards program that your casino offers.
