7 Questions to Ask Before Picking an Online Slot

What is the best online slot to play? This is a question that is asked a lot by experienced and novice players alike in the world of online casinos. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. There are a lot of great online slots out there. Depending on what type of games you like to play, how much you like to wager, and a whole host of other factors, the game that is best for you might be totally different than a game that is best for someone else.

 If you are looking for online slots tips on how to find the best slots game for you, we are here to provide you with some expert advice. The best advice we can give is to really think about what type of player you are and what you are looking for from your slots games. The best way to do this is by asking yourself a series of questions.

These questions below are designed to give yourself more insight into what you are really looking for in a great slots game and help you pick ones that are right for you. If you take our expert online slots tips and ask yourself the following questions, you will be on your way to finding your ideal slots game.

Question 1: What’s the RTP on this slot?

These are the 3 most important letters in the world of online slots. RTP, which stands for Return to Player, is the percentage a player can expect to earn back from a given slot machine. So, for a slot machine that has a 95% RTP, it means that for every $100 that is bet, a player will see $95 back in winnings.

 Does this mean that if you always play $100 you will see the RTP percentage back? No. This would make slots incredibly boring and make it so you never win. The RTP is calculated over thousands of spins of the slot machine so when you are playing, you are at the mercy of whatever spins come up in a given moment. This means that sometimes you will play $100 or more and win big and sometimes you will do the same and lose it all.

The point of asking yourself this question though is to give yourself a good understanding of what your overall odds are. The higher the RTP percentage, the better chance you have of winning or at least not losing, a lot of money in the long run.

Here is some bonus online slots tips – Slots in physical casinos usually have an RTP of between 70% and 90%. Most online casinos offer slots with RTPs of 94% or higher and many new games are set at 96% and up.

Question 2: What’s my bankroll strategy?

Every gambler should have a bankroll and bankroll strategy. Your bankroll is how much, in total, you are willing to lose while gambling in a given timeframe. Your bankroll strategy is how you break up your overall pot and your bets to stay within your bankroll. Creating a reasonable bankroll and sticking with your bankroll strategy is important so that gamblers do not get in over their heads.

Your bankroll should be the same whether you are playing online slots, video poker, or live dealer games. You need to set a strict budget, never wager more than you can afford to lose, and make bets with your head and not your emotions. A good bankroll strategy will not only keep you from getting in trouble financially, but it will also allow you to play for as long or as often as you want and actually win money when you put winnings aside. 

Asking yourself what your bankroll strategy is will help you determine what your goals are for playing online slots. If your strategy is to play for a long time, you will want to choose slots with low maximum bets. This will allow you to stay at the game longer with the same bankroll. If your goal is to win big or go home, higher max bet slots may be right for you.

Question 3: Is it a progressive slot?

Progressive jackpot slot machines, or just progressive slots, are machines that have a variable jackpot. The way they work is that the machine takes a small percentage of every bet placed and adds it to the jackpot total. The jackpot grows until someone wins the whole pot and then it resets to its base level and starts growing again.

There are three kinds of progressive slots, each with bigger jackpots but worse odds than the last. There are standalone games where the jackpot is added to from bets on that single game. Local games take from all the progressive games in a single casino and create a bigger jackpot. Lastly, wide network games draw to their progressive jackpots from multiple games at multiple casinos leading to huge jackpots… that are also much harder to win. 

The reason you ask yourself if the game is a progressive slot or not has to do with the type of player you are and what you are ultimately looking for out of your slots experience. Everyone wants to win and win big but even though winning big is what progressive slots are all about, that is not what the question is about.

The question here is more about your tolerance for losing money. Because progressive slots have worse odds and the big jackpots factor into RTP, chances are you will lose more money on these in pursuit of a big win. For some, that is ok because of the possible rewards. If you are more of a “slow and steady” type, progressive slots might not be for you.

Question 4: Is there a free play option?

The allure of online casinos is that you can play for real money right from the comfort of your home or on the go. However, it is worth asking whether the casino you are going to play at has free play slot games options as well.

Like other online slots tips here, this question is designed to help you get a leg up on the casino you play at by finding the perfect game for you. The ability to play for free is a great way to get a feel for the game before you start playing with real money. You can determine what the best bet size is, how the odds and RTP feel to you, and if the game itself keeps you interested long enough where you will want to keep playing for a good amount of time. 

A free play option is also great for bankroll management. When you set time, loss, or even win limits on yourself, sometimes your session will end before you are ready to stop playing your slot game of choice. With a free play option, you can keep the fun going without having to worry about going beyond your bankroll or losing what you have won and banked.

Question 5: Are there any bonuses available?

Certain casinos offer special slots bonuses. These bonuses usually come in the form of free spins or credits towards a certain game. This is a great way to get started playing a game with little to no risk in the beginning. You want to make sure you read the fine print though. Depending on the casino and the bonus they offer, some may not allow you to withdraw your winnings from these bonuses while others may require you wager your bonuses a certain number of times before they become real winnings.

Even if there are special restrictions on a given bonus, as long as they convert to real winnings at some point, they are a great deal when trying out a new casino or playing a new game. Everyone likes free money and casinos with bonuses offer this in some way. 

To find out where you can find the best online slots bonuses and which ones are the most legit and beneficial to the players, you will need to do a little research. A resource like Online Casino Gems can give you even more online slots tips and help you sift through all the bonuses offered and figure out which ones are for real and which ones are little more than window dressing.

Question 6: Should I bet the max?

This may be the easiest question on this list to answer but it is also slightly misleading. When you ask yourself, “should I bet the max?” The answer is yes. You should always bet the max on any slot machine you are playing.

Slot machines generally have different multipliers and different levels of jackpots. If you want to be eligible for the full, advertised winning amounts, you will have to bet the max to do so. If you do not, your big win might not turn out to be as big as you expect.

So, if you already know the answer, why even ask yourself this question? The reason is that it has more to do with budgets and bankroll strategy than whether or not you should actually consider betting less than the max each spin. Because you know you need to be the max to win big, you should pick games where you are comfortable with the max bet and where the max bet will not crush your budget after just a few spins. 

For bankroll strategy purposes, always use the max bet to divide your total bankroll for the session or day. This will give you an accurate count of how many spins you will be able to play (without winning) before you have to step away. If you use any number other than the max, you risk being disappointed or worse, going over your budget.

Question 7: Is this casino reputable?

This is the last question you should ask yourself before picking an online slot game but it may be the most important. There are tons of online casinos out there. Many of them are great and you will never have a problem getting money in or taking money out. Unfortunately, this is not the case for all online casinos. Like any business, there will always be companies that act in a shady manner that you should not do business with.

There are a few things you can do to answer this question. First, do your research and read several online reviews. If you find reviews that say the site is blacklisted or has tons of player complaints, it is best to stay away. The same is true for casinos that 100% glowing reviews or offer things that are too good to be true. Most casinos will at least have one or two negative points, one that does not may be suspicious.

Also, you can look at where the casino is licensed. If it is not licensed at all, you want to stay away for sure. Some popular licensing countries, like Costa Rica or Curacao, are known for having low standards for issuing licenses. This does not mean you should 100% stay away but you may want to be wary and do a little bit more research. Other countries, like Gibraltar or Malta, have much higher standards. When you see the license from these countries, you can be sure they are on the up and up.

Conclusion

Now that you have answered these expert online slots tips questions, it is time to start trying out some different slots games. You should have a better understanding of who you are as a player and what you are looking for now so picking the perfect game for you should now just be a function of a little research and some trial and error.