How to Play Slot Machines: 7 Efficient Strategies Exposed

Slot machines are gamed that involve spinning reels and gambling. After you place a wager and spin the reels, symbols appear on those reels. You win prizes if these symbols align. It all depends on the “payline” that they fall on.

These games have been around since the late 19th century. However, they have since only grown in popularity. They were initially mechanical devices that used springs and gears for spinning the reels. To determine where symbols land, modern slot machines use a computer program known as a random number generator.

Random number generators are computer programs that cycle through thousands of numbers every second. The program stops at the point where it is when you press the spin button. These numbers represent symbols and stops on the reels.

Here’s everything you need to know in order to play slot machines, from types of slot machines, how much they cost to play, how much you can win and lose, and so on!

Types of Slot Machines

There are numerous types of slot machines, but they essentially break into two big categories: free slot machines (great for beginners as they get to practice and see if they like the experience) and real money slot machines. Here’s everything you need to know about both of them:

Free Slot Machines

Free slots are relatively new. You couldn’t play free slots when you only had a casino that was located in a physical location. What’s the point of a casino offering this?

Online casinos don’t need to worry as much about the amount of money they make per square foot as land-based casinos. They’re able to allow players to play their games free of charge in the hope that they will like them enough to pay real money. This is a great opportunity to take advantage, but only up until a certain point.

You should absolutely test the software and games before you make a deposit. This will ensure that you are satisfied with the experience.

Real Money Slot Machines

I believe that the best way to experience a slot machine is by putting some money into action. Online real-money slot machines are as good, if not better than those you can find at a land-based casino. These games feature state-of-the-art graphics and sound effects.

Best of all, you can enjoy some of the highest payback percentages online if you play for real cash.

What you also need to know is that online casinos are much cheaper to run than traditional land-based casinos. These savings can be used by gambling companies to offer better gambling opportunities, such as a higher payback percentage.

You have limited options when it comes to playing real money casino games if you are located in the United States, and that’s because it is illegal in the USA for any company to offer real gambling online. However, in most states, it is legal to play these games for real money. It’s only illegal to offer them for real money.

On the other hand, international gamblers have more options. Online casinos are rushing to sign up players from Australia, which is a country where gambling is more popular than it is in the United States.

UK gamblers prefer to play table and sports betting to slots machines. These games are called “real money pokies” by Australian players, while the UK calls them “real-money fruit machines”.

These games, no matter their name, work the same.

How much money do you need to play slot machines?

It all depends on which machine you have, but you can play as low as $1 per spin or as high as $5000. Although I cannot find any figures on how many people play, observation and informal polling suggest that it is in the range of 50-75C/ per spinning.

Depending on your speed, you can spin between 300 and 800 times an hour. This means:

If you play 1C per spin you would be putting somewhere between $3-$8 per hour into the machine. For a net loss of $0.36 – $0.96 per hour you would get back somewhere between $2.64 – $7.04 per hour

If you play $1 per spin you would be putting somewhere between $300-$800 per hour into the machine. For a net loss of $24 – $64 per hour, you would get back somewhere between $276 – $736 per hour

These calculations are only meant to help you get an idea of how things may work.

How much can you win at slot machines?

The jackpot on most slot machines is approximately 1000 times your stake. If you wager a penny per spin, you can win around $10.00. Wager $1 per spin and you could win $1000.

There are also slot machines that offer higher jackpots, but they are harder to hit. Megamillions for instance has a top prize of at least $10,000,000 and was once hit by a player for $39.7M. It is the most popular jackpot and has the longest odds.

5 reasons why slot machines are popular

1. Big jackpots: You can win $7.50 if you put $5 on a blackjack machine. You could win $1000 if you put $3 on a standard slot machine. It could even be millions of dollars with progressive jackpots.
2. They’re easy: They don’t require complicated rules. Simply press the Spin button. That’s it.
3. They’re fast: They don’t wait for other players to finish their hand or for the dealer to shuffle cards. You can start spinning again as soon as the current round is complete.
4. They’re entertaining: You can find a variety of sounds, animations, music, bonus rounds, and a storyline in video slots.
5. There are many options: Blackjack is blackjack, but there are many different themes to slot machines.

Slot machines strategies that you MUST know

Play online instead of in land casinos

Online slots are often more flexible than land casinos, as they don’t incur the huge costs of physical machines and buildings.

It takes effort and time to visit a casino in person, but online slots are only a few clicks away. Online gambling is four times riskier than playing in a land-based casino. Even with better odds, you will lose more online. You should set loss limits and adhere to them.

Bet the minimum amount that’s still fun for you

The bigger you bet the more you will lose. You can be as modest as possible and still have fun. Even if you only bet a penny, most casinos will still offer free drinks.

Play the highest denomination machine that respects your budget

Machines with higher denominations usually pay more. It’s important to remember that you don’t have to bet more simply because you are playing a larger machine. Instead of playing 10 lines and 5 credits on the 1C/ machine (50C//spin), play 2 lines and 5 credits on the 5C/ machine.

Choose electro-mechanical machines over video slots

Old-school slots are more likely to hit their jackpots than video slots. An electromechanical slot can hit its jackpot every few weeks with full-time play. A video slot takes years. The more likely that you will win the jackpot, the greater your chances of winning.

On electro-mechanical slots, choose the machines that have the smallest jackpots

A smaller jackpot means it is easier to win, therefore increasing your chances of walking away as a winner. Video slots are not able to do this because the jackpot odds for video slots are almost always extremely long and not related to the jackpot size.

Limit play on progressives with huge jackpots

A large portion of every bet on machines that have huge progressive jackpots goes to feeding the meter. Megabucks is an example. A staggering 10C/$ of each $1 goes towards pushing the meter higher. Megabucks’ average return is 78%, excluding the jackpot. You can play a progressive if you have to, but you won’t be able to win a lot of money. Instead, play a two-coin or $0.25 machine.

Use a slot card

Get a free player’s club card (every casino has one), and you can use it to get free food and offers for rooms at a deep discount. This will save you some money.

Using a slot card does not affect your chances of winning. The RNG decides where the reels will stop. My slot card for example has helped me win several jackpots.

So, now you know a little bit about how to play slot machines, what they are, and how to bet. Keep in mind that one of the most important aspects is betting with your budget in mind, but also remember to have fun!

As always, remember to bet with your head an not over it!

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