Jackpot slots have some of the highest variance that you will see out of online slot games at real money online casinos. Of course, these slots are the most profitable long-term because of those jackpots. While winning at any slot game requires a large amount of luck, there are a few things you can do to help improve your odds.
Slots are popular in casinos around the world because they’re easy to play and offer a chance at a big win for a small investment. While some gambling games have strategy components you can use to increase your chances of winning, slots aren’t influenced by strategy in a traditional sense. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do some things to help improve your slots results.
All of the tips included in this article are easy to implement and you can use many of them to improve your slot machine results. Once you finish reading the list, you can start using what you learn the next time you play slots.
1 – Return to Player
The most important information about slot machines is the return to player (RTP). It’s usually represented as a percentage, and it shows how much on average of all money wagered on the machine is returned to the player.
A slot machine with a 97% return to player returns $97 out of every $100 wagered on the machine to the player. This is a long term average, so the actual percent varies a great deal in the short term.
When you look at most casino games, you can find the house edge, which is the percentage of all bets that the casino keeps on average. The house edge on a slot machine is the difference between the return to player and 100%. This means that a machine with a return to player of 97% has a house edge of 3%.
The reason why all of this is important is because if you play on slots games with a higher return to player, you have a better chance to win. The problem is that casinos don’t want you to know the return to player percentages for their slot machines.
Some online slots have information available about their return to player percentages, and you can research industry publications to find details sometimes. It’s worth your time to do some research, but you won’t be able to find the return to player for every machine you play.
2 – Slots’ Club
If you play slots, you need to sign up for the slot’s club or player’s club program everywhere you play. Casinos like slots players because they tend to be profitable for the casino, so most casinos have a rewards program that gives you comps for your play.
This means you get free rewards for playing slots, which you’re going to do anyway. The rewards you earn vary from casino to casino, but everything you get for your play helps offset your losses. Even if you just earn a free buffet pass, it means you don’t have to pay extra to eat.
Some programs offer entries into special tournaments and free play, and some even offer cash bonuses for your play. Big players can earn free trips and free hotel rooms.
It doesn’t matter if you play slots in a land based casino or online, you need to always sign up for the comp program before you play. If the casino where you play doesn’t have a club, don’t play there. Most land-based casinos have a rewards program, but not every online casino has one.
The good news is there are hundreds of online casinos, so you don’t have to play anywhere that doesn’t offer a rewards program. Online rewards often come in the form of bonuses to play more slots, but they differ from casino to casino just like land based rewards clubs.
3 – Online Slots Bonus Offers
One of the best ways to get an instant boost to your slots bankroll is to sign up at an online casino and receive a bonus. Most online casino bonuses have restrictions, but you can play slot machines with most of them.
The reason I say it’s “basically” free is because when you accept a bonus, you agree to meet a set of terms and conditions before you can make a withdrawal. The two most important things to look for are play through requirements and limits on the total amount you can cash out.
Almost every online slots bonus has a play through requirement. I never play where they have a cap on the amount I can cash out. While most progressive jackpots are funded a different way than normal slots wins, you can run into problems if you have a max cash out limit and hit a big jackpot.
4 – Progressive Jackpot Slot Machines
While there are several types of slot machines, I tend to play progressive slot machines much more than other types of slots. I know that the casino has an edge when I play slot machines, so I focus on trying to win a big jackpot. In many ways, playing progressive jackpot slot machines is like playing the lottery. You invest a few dollars and hope to win millions.
I set a budget for the playing session and tend to play until I run out of money or hit a decent jackpot. Most of the time, I lose all I’ve budgeted for the trip, but I look at it as an entertainment expense. I look at it as an all or nothing thing, so I enjoy the chase for a jackpot.
You don’t have to play progressive slot machines, but you need to understand that slots are designed to slowly take your money. The only hope most slots players have of getting ahead is to hit a big jackpot.
5 – Smaller Average Wagers
Improve Odds Slot Machine
I’ve already covered the return to player percentage, but you need to understand exactly how it works and how the casino makes money from slots players. If you make 500 bets of $2 each, you wager $1,000. When you’re playing a slot machine with a 97% return to player percentage, this means that you’re probably going to have somewhere around $970 left of your original $1,000.
If you make the same 500 bets at $1 each, you only risk $500. In this case, you should have somewhere around $485 left of the $500. In the first example, you lose $30, and in the second, you only lose $15.
This is fairly simple, but the fact is that you lose less when you make smaller bets. Look for slot machines with smaller bet amounts and you can play longer. This is even better when you can find progressive machines with smaller bets because it gives you more spins to hit the jackpot.
Slots With The Best Odds
6 – Fewer Spins per Hour
In the last section, I talked about increasing your number of possible spins by lowering your average bet size. You can do something else that helps extend the amount of time you play. It doesn’t increase your total number of spins, but you can easily play for twice as long.
Most modern slot machines are designed to allow over 500 spins per hour once you start playing. You can set your preferences then simply hit the button as fast as you want. The machine takes losses from your balance and adds wins to it.
I’ve heard that some players are able to get to over 600 spins per hour. While some players might find this fun, I prefer to take a little more time when I play slots.
If you just slow down your slots play a little, you can play longer. If you go from 600 spins per hour to 300, you’re still taking a lot of spins and you can play twice as long. When you combine a lower number of spins per hour with a lower average wager amount, you get to play longer and get to take more spins. This is the best of both worlds.
7 – Promotions
Often, slots players think of promotions as either online bonuses or attached to the slot’s club. While both of these can be viewed as promotions, you can also find other types of promotions at many casinos.
Common types of promotions include:
- Free slots play on gambling junkets
- Coupons for slots play
- Entry into special drawings with a set amount of play
- Entry into special tournaments based on your volume of play
You should always ask the slot’s club desk if they have any promotions when you play in land-based casinos and you should sign up for any newsletters they offer. If you play online slots, send an email to support and ask about promotions.
Another good place to find slots promotions is in the newspaper where the casino is located. You can also look on the casino’s website and look for online forums where other gamblers communicate.
Conclusion
Slot machines are popular with players and casinos. Players love the simplicity and the chance to win, and casinos like them because they churn out consistent profits. While there isn’t anything you can do outside of cheating to beat the slots, you can use some of the tricks on this page to give you a better chance to win.