Online Slots Strategies
Don’t laugh – informed slots players know how to maximize their gambling dollars by using simple slots strategies and techniques. This is true for both offline in real casinos, as well as when playing at online casinos. By using straightforward tactics you can gain an edge over ‘regular’ slots players. Don’t get me wrong, you’re not going to be able to tip the scales all the way into your favor over that of the casino, but you can definitely maximize your winning chances.
The first time I heard anything about slots strategy, I chuckled to myself. About 15-20 years ago I saw an ad on TV featuring a semi-famous American actor in an infomercial for a VHS tape called “Winning Strategies for Slot Machines.” How silly, I thought. How could anyone possibly pull a one-armed bandit better than all the other player in the casinos. And then to my embarrassment at the time, my Mom ordered the tape.
After sitting through it all and watching the whole video with her, waiting patiently for any opportunity that I could pick apart this silly notion that there could be any real money saving slots strategies, I understood how it worked. Slot strategies aren’t just about beating the casino, it’s about not allowing the casino to beat you. By playing slots with solid strategies you can minimize your losses, maximize winnings, and play your favorite slots longer (ie. more bang for your buck).
Slot Strategies – The Basics
This is a very important note – every modern slot machine is based on computers and microprocessors, both online and off (‘real’ slots). Simply put, once you tell the slot machine to start spinning, your chances of winning are determined by a random number generator that is worked out by a computer. Every popular Las Vegas slot, Atlantic City slots, and Monte Carlo slot machines are all computer based. It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting the button on a video slot machine, pulling the lever down on a one-arm bandit, or pressing your mouse button on an online slot game…every time the signal is sent to a computer within the slot game, and your result (hopefully a winning combo) is displayed on the slots reels. So how can we possibly use a slots strategy to be better slots players?
Slots Strategies for Progressive Slot Machines
If you’re looking for a huge online slots win and you’re willing to play as a more aggressive gambler, progressive slots are a great option. However, progressive slots also offer lower ‘basic’ payouts on the slots reels. Instead of paying out as much as standard (non-progressive) slots, a small part of every players losses are put into the ever-growing progressive jackpot. This is awesome if you ever hit a progressive – there have been multi-million dollar winners online and some very massive wins in places like Vegas. But be aware that anything with a growing progressive jackpot is going to offer you slightly lower payout odds on the slot machine, at least in the short term. If you’re going to sit down with $10 and try to stretch it into a long slot playing session, a progressive slot probably isn’t going to be your best option.
Another very important strategy for progressive slots is that you almost always have to be playing the maximum bet in order to claim the jackpot if you hit the right combination on the slot machine. That means that if you’re playing 1 or 2 coins on a slot machine that allows you to play up to 3 coins and you hit the progressive jackpot payout, you won’t win the big one! You need to play 3 coins on slots that allow 3 max, 5 coins on slot machine that allow 5 max, etc. NEVER get caught playing less than the maximum number of coins on a progressive slot machine. If you’re uncomfortable with the increased wager, play at lower stakes and then maximize your coins on that lower level. Trust me, there have been stories abound about people thinking they’d hit life-changing money, only to find out they weren’t playing the maximum coins and didn’t qualify for the big win. Ouch.
You Can’t Pull a One-Armed Slot Bandit Machine Better Than Me, Can You?
So the slots technique for all progressive slot machine is pretty easy – play the maximum number of coins allowed or you won’t qualify for the jackpot. Well, the same actually goes for standard slot machines most of the time. If you look closely at the “paytable” on the slot machine, you’ll notice that if you play the maximum number of coins and you happen to hit the biggest payout the slot machine offers, you get an extra-big win (compared to having only played 1 coin). For example if you play 1 coin and hit the jackpot combination on the slot you might win 1000 coins, 2000 for 2 coins, but if you’re playing 3 coins you might win 5000 or 10000 coins for that same combination.
It’s almost always in your own best interest in terms of slots payouts to play the maximum number of coins allowed on any slot machine.
Know Your Limit, Stay Within It
Simply put, don’t bet more than you can afford to play with comfortably. You can play for longer if you play at lower stakes. After all, online slots are all about having fun.
These simple slots strategies can help you maximize your slots play, both online and off:
- playing a progressive slot? remember to bet the maximum number of coins
- play at lower value levels to extend your play time
- make a habit of playing max coins to win biggest payouts
- play within your own financial limits
- remember you’re playing for fun
