Winning Tactics for Online Slot Players

Slots are the most popular games in any casino. They’re playable for people of any experience level, they’re pretty straightforward, and they can provide hours of fun.

While most people think that slots are simply about chance, in reality, there’s a little bit more to it than that. Sure, there is a lot that’s left up to chance, but that’s true of any situation that involves gambling--otherwise, it wouldn’t be gambling, it’d just be getting paid.

While some of it is just luck, there are some things that you can do to increase your chances and see better payouts.

The strategies that you use to place bets, budget your cash, and allow for longer gameplay can all affect your experience. If you are just starting out or you’re looking for a way to increase your success with slots, check out some of these tactics that will help you win and have more fun!

Manage Your Cash

Cash management is extremely important in any gambling situation. Before you ever sit down to play a casino game, you should consider how much cash you want to invest and how you will play it throughout the day.

First, decide on your budget. Then, find a slot that is in a price range that will allow you to play for a long time. If you play a slot with too high of a buy-in, you’ll run out of cash quickly and have fewer chances to win. If you parcel it out correctly, you’ll have a lot of chances to win and you’ll stay entertained for hours.

It’s also a good idea to spread your bets out through multiple games and multiple sessions. In the slot machines that we see today, the win rate is about 50%. This doesn’t mean that you’re hitting the jackpot that often, but it’s likely that you’ll get some cash flowing back in so that you can play for longer. By spreading out your bets, you’ll get more of these small wins that will keep your balance higher for longer.

Before you start playing, you should also decide on a goal for when to walk away. If you score a jackpot, have the discipline to walk away and take your winnings. By putting them back into the game, you risk losing all of your progress. Set a number in your head, if your winnings hit that number, you know it’s time to stop.

Divide Your Bets

So you already have a budget in mind, and now you’re ready to start playing. The first rule you should know about placing a bet is that a $2.00 bet and four $0.50 are not the same. A single $2.00 bet only gives you one chance to win, where four bets of $0.50 give you four chances. You’re investing the same amount of cash either way, but your chances of winning with a $2.00 bet are smaller.

When you decide which slot to play, look at your budget and see how far you can stretch your cash. While dividing out your cash into small pieces may feel like you’re decreasing the amount that you will win, that’s not totally true. Don’t forget about multipliers. When you use multipliers, you literally multiply the amount that you win from your bet. Spreading out your cash will give you more opportunities and multipliers can keep your winnings proportional.

You should also split your cash into a few “sessions.” So, if you have enough cash for 50 spins, maybe split them into 5 sessions of 10 spins. This will space out your spending, keep you from getting sucked into an impulsive pattern where you lose cash, and create a more enjoyable experience.

Bet on Multiple Paylines

Paylines are your best friend when it comes to succeeding in slots. Paylines allow you to place multiple bets on a single spin. The most basic way to bet on slots is to bet on all of the symbols matching in a line, but you can also place bets on diagonal lines or other symbol combinations. Doing so will increase the chance that you will win.

Even if you start to notice that your cash is running out more quickly than you thought it would, don’t decrease your paylines if you can help it. Instead, decrease the amount that you are betting on each payline. Some slots don’t allow you to adjust the bet amount per payline, but if it does allow it, do that before eliminating a payline completely.

Try to find slots that will allow you to max your bet per payline on every payline available. This may mean that you’re only betting pennies, but that’s okay. You’re creating good odds for yourself with this strategy.

Max Your Bets

As I briefly mentioned in the previous tip, maxing out your bets is a good strategy. It’s the best way to land those big jackpots. Because of their size, casinos usually keep access to these jackpots pretty exclusive. Most slots only bring the jackpot into play if you place the maximum bet.

Again, being able to play for the jackpot is all about finding a slot machine that fits your budget appropriately. You should be able to max out on bets without burning through your entire budget in a matter of minutes. There’s a reason why that cash management tip was at the top of the list.

With the right slot machine, even maximum bets should only use a small portion of your allotted budget. And while many experts recommend that you always max your bets, it’s okay to keep it small and not go for the big jackpot if that’s more your pace.

Practice in Free Games

Many online casinos offer a free version of their slots so that you can play and get used to them before involving any cash. These games don’t require any deposits, you aren’t playing for real cash, you’re just playing to have fun and build your skills.

Try to find the exact slot games that you want to play once you start placing bets. This will get you comfortable with the game and help you have realistic expectations when you choose to play for winnings.

Practicing in free games will also give you an idea of how long you want to play and how many spins you can play in that timeframe. You can use this information to inform your budget and your cash management strategy.

You may be eager to just get going. After all, how hard is it to play a slot machine? But, you’d be surprised how many different bonuses, advantages, and features are worked into today’s slot machines. You’re better off practicing ahead of time so you know exactly what to expect. That way you aren’t wasting any of your cash while you try and figure things out.

Take Advantage of Promotions and Bonuses

A lot of online casinos will give you some free spins, bonus spins, and no-deposit spins when you sign up. Look around to see who has good promotions and take advantage of those free deals! 

Here are some common ones that you may see:

Welcome Bonuses: Welcome bonuses are sometimes distributed as free “cash” that you can wager and eventually cash out. It usually comes with a stipulation of how many times you need to play the funds in a game before you withdraw it. Make sure to read the requirements carefully before you spend too much time trying to make money off of it.

Free Spins: Free spins are often rewarded in games as if it were a cash reward. It’s another form of payout. Sometimes you need to play certain slots to unlock free spins, and sometimes it’s a matter of spinning a specific combination. What this translates to is more gameplay and a higher chance of a win, so make sure to use them up!

Cash Back: Cashback bonuses can give you the opportunity to take back a portion of the funds that you lost in a wager. These bonuses are like a second life. You get to give your wager another shot!

No matter what the bonus or promotion is, it’s important that you pursue anything that will give you an advantage. If you ignore these bonuses, you’re essentially ignoring free money. In order to be successful, you need to use every opportunity to your advantage.

Take Breaks and Limit Your Time

It’s easy to get sucked into slots. There’s a phenomenon that pros call “getting in the zone.” It means that life around you starts to fade away, you don’t notice how quickly time is passing, and you lose track of your cash easily.

In order to maintain a good cash management strategy, it’s important that you take breaks, set an end time for yourself, and walk away when your time is up. Doing so will help you keep track of your strategy better.

Use your breaks to evaluate your winnings. If you need to adjust the bet amounts in your paylines, do it then. Your breaks should fit between the sessions that you’ve separated your spins into. Using our prior example of 50 spins spread over 5 sessions, you should take your break every 10 spins.

Keeping your mind sharp is essential to the success of your strategy. If you don’t take regular breaks or stay diligent about your cash management, you’ll blow through your funds too quickly.

Focus on Smaller Jackpots

A successful slot strategy doesn’t just focus on winning the big jackpots. Those jackpots are big for a reason: because they’re hard to win! Sure, winning the big jackpot would be ideal. It would be the highest return on investment for a single bet. But, it probably is going to take a lot more than one bet to win it.

To increase your chances of success, try to focus on a smaller prize. These games usually pay out more frequently because it has less of an impact on the bottom line of the casino. 

If you’re going in with a small budget, the jackpots of slots with a lower buy-in are probably already smaller. Believe it or not, it’s an advantage. You’re more likely to win and the small bets that you are able to place are more likely to earn you some cash.

No matter what your budget is, the more times you can play, the better your chances are of winning. This is true across the board. So, even though it’s everyone’s dream to win a large sum of cash, don’t let that dream trick you into blowing your whole budget in one spin because you want the mega jackpot. Stay levelheaded and go after the small jackpots instead.

Stop If You’re Burnt Out

If you start to feel stressed out or upset about how things are going, don’t be afraid to walk away. Just because you still have cash in the bank or you haven’t hit your end time yet does not mean that you have to keep playing.

Online casinos and slots are supposed to be fun, enjoyable experiences. If you’re not having fun anymore, call it quits! You can end it for the day or just take a break and have a snack. No matter what, you want your mind to stay fresh.

If you continue to play through your frustration or through burnout, you’re more likely to make mistakes, make impulsive moves, or stray from your original strategy. The slots will still be there in an hour, a day, or even a week. Take some time to stretch your legs, refresh your mind, and come back sharp.

Conclusion

Online casinos are growing in popularity every year, and I mean booming. In 2017, the market size was estimated to be worth 45.8 billion USD and is projected to grow to 94.4 billion USD by 2024. 

Online casinos are relatively new, but they are here to stay. If you haven’t already prepared yourself for this online gambling revolution, now is the time to do it, and the slots are a great place to start! These helpful tips will make sure that you have a winning strategy from the beginning.