Playing slot machines can be a great way to pass the time , but learning when to hold them and when to fold them does take a little practice .
If you go in with a positive attitude, you’ll win more. Slot gratis games are not for the faint-hearted , however, so be ready to put in some practice time before you cash in big .
Some of the tips below may seem common sense , but it’s surprising how many people don’t know these things or don’t follow them. Hopefully, you’ll find these tips helpful .
1 . Know the Ranges
If you don’t know your ranges, you’re not going to win much. Playing penny slots is a bad idea most of the time, but spending $1 per spin is even worse. For instance, even a penny machine has a maximum payout of $1 ,000 .
Most slot machines have maximum payouts of $10,000 , which is not unreasonable for a coin-flip game. However, keep in mind that if you play a progressive slot machine, the maximum payout increases as more people play .
If you’re playing a progressive machine, you’ll probably be playing with the maximum bet — so you’ll want to know your maximum bet payout . If you play a penny slot with a progressive jackpot, you’re guaranteed to see a minimum payout of $1 ,000, and this means the minimum bet is usually $1.
Also , be aware of how much you’re spending per spin — if you’re betting the minimum, there’s a chance that you’ll run out of money before you win back what you spent .
2 . Know the Rules
Most casinos want you to play their slot machines because it’s good business for them . If they weren’t making a ton of money off you at the slots , they might close down.
So most casinos offer promotions such as free lunches and buffets . They do this because they know that players will keep coming back if they don’t have to pay to play. And they’re right ! Players still come back even when they don’t have to pay to play at the slot machines.
You want to play at casinos that give you the most bang for your casino buck. This usually includes the casinos that offer free meals, rooms, and other things. They’ll often give you coupons to use in the casino’s restaurants , so take advantage of it .
Remember that the casino is also in business to make money , so they’ll always sell you something — maybe a jackpot promotion or a bonus for signing up — just to get you in the door .
3 . Watch for Free Games
One of the best times to play slot machines is during free game hours . These generally occur every hour on the hour , or about once an hour.
If you’re lucky , you might be able to play for free almost any time during the day — if only for a few minutes at a time .
Don’t be fooled into thinking that you have to be there during free game hours to get free slot play. Sometimes you’ll have to be near the slot machines at the right time and at the right time to get a free game or two .
Free games are a nice touch , but they don’t make you any richer than you normally would. So don’t expect to win anything extra just because you got free play .
4 . Know Your Pay Lines
The more pay lines you have on a slot machine, the higher your chances at winning are. If you have only one pay line on a slot machine, you’ll probably only hit one or a couple of symbols during the regular game play. With more pay lines , you’ll increase your chances of hitting multiple symbols .
Many slot machines have five pay lines on them . Some even have as many as fifteen. So it pays to do your research before choosing a slot machine.
If you ever stop between plays at a slot machine — whether you’re waiting for the next free game or because you want to cash out — you might want to take a mental note of how many pay lines the machine has. That way you’ll know if you’re getting better odds with the machine or if you should move on to another one .
5 . Know Your Slots
Some slots are better than others in terms of how often they work and what they pay out .
Some games hit fairly regularly at a fixed percentage rate. Other slots are hit-or-miss — sometimes you get a lot of consecutive wins and sometimes you don’t get any wins at all .
Some slots have progressive jackpots — which means your chances of winning increase with each spin you play — but other people may not hit on these games very often .
It pays to research the slot machines at your favorite casinos before you sit down to play . If you know which slots have the best odds and which slots are hit-or-miss , you’ll be in a better position to win money playing slot machines.
6 . Know Your Odds
One of the best ways to maximize your chances of winning is by taking advantage of your bankroll .
If you’re using only half of your bankroll to play a slot machine , then all the wins you get will be offset by the loss you make when you lose the other half of your bankroll .
A good rule of thumb is to use about 50% of your bankroll on each machine you play . So if you start with $100 in your bankroll and are playing at a machine with $5 maximum bets , then you’re not risking more than $50 per spin and you should be able to get at least one or two nice wins during each game play session.
However you decide to use your money — whether it’s $5 per spin or $50 per spin — you should use your bankroll wisely .
7 . Know Your Bonuses
New players are often rewarded with bonuses when they join an online casino . So it’s worth taking the time to see what bonuses are available before you sign up with an online casino.
It helps to know what kinds of bonuses are available because some bonuses are better deals than others. For instance , most online casinos will give you some kind of bonus just for signing up with them — this could be a bonus on a deposit you make or a matched deposit bonus on your initial deposit .
The best bonuses are usually the ones you qualify for automatically after signing up for the casino’s newsletter or joining their program. These bonuses are often worth 100% or more of the deposit you make with the casino and are usually paid into your bankroll when you make your first deposit with the casino .
Some casinos will also offer special bonuses for existing customers that are good at drawing all players back to the casino .
8 . Know Your Special Features
Even if the odds are stacked against you , you can still win money playing slot machines if you know how to take advantage of special features .
Some slot machines have wild symbols that can substitute any symbol in a line other than the scatter symbol — and this increases your chances of hitting a winning combination .
Other machines have scatter symbols that pay out even if you don’t hit any other winning combinations .
The best slots have various special features that increase your chances of winning big — so it pays to do some research before playing any particular slot machine .
9 . Know When to Hold and When to Fold
When playing slot machines , some hands are better than others. For instance, you might want to fold when the odds are against you because the payout won’t be worth the gamble — the same goes for those hands when you win the slot machine .
Some hands are worth playing because you’re almost sure to win big — these hands are HOT ones ! Hot hands are hands where the probability of hitting a winning combination is very high and they usually pay off big .
For example, suppose you have a machine with 2 reels, 3 rows , and 5 symbols on each reel . You’re playing the maximum number of pay lines and the maximum bet per spin and your total bet is $100 per spin. The total payout is $25,000.
You have three symbols on the first reel — one is a wild symbol and the other is a red diamond symbol and the third is a blue circle symbol .
Now suppose that the red diamond and blue circle symbols have been replaced by the wild symbol in the slot — now you’re playing a machine that pays out up to $20 ,000 per spin !
The first thing you need to do is decide whether you want to hold this hand or fold it – this is a decision you’re going to have to make every time you play this machine — there is no winning strategy here — you just have to decide based on how much you’re willing to risk and how much you’re willing to spend per spin — remember that each spin costs you $100 .
Now let’s say you decide to hold this hand — now you have to guess what the other symbols are on the three remaining reels — remember those symbols were replaced !
If two of those three symbols are diamonds, then the payout is increased to $40,000 — now you’re playing a machine that pays out up to $40 ,000 per spin !
Now let’s suppose that the other two symbols are also diamonds — now you’re playing a machine that pays out up to $60 ,000 per spin !
However, if your two remaining symbols are red circles — now you’re playing a machine that pays out up to $20 ,000 per spin !
You’ve now made an extra $10 ,000 per spin just by guessing the other symbols — but you’ll have to guess again on the next spin because the other two symbols will also be replaced !
That’s why you call this a hot hand — it’s hands when the odds become much better in your favor and you have a good chance of hitting winning combinations you’ll hit a lot of winning combinations — that’s why playing these machines is fun !
