Slot Strategy

Our guide to understanding what are great slots strategies to follow when trying to win at online slots and land-based casino slot machines.

What is the most effective slot strategy that you can use to win at slots? While this is the one-million-dollar question, there are guidelines and recommended strategies that good players use to optimize their slot winnings.

Maybe you wonder what the best practices found in most winning online slot methods so you can improve your gameplay are. We have prepared this guide with slot machine strategies that actually work. But remember, slots are a game of luck, and there is no way of cheating them.

How To Win At Slots

Because of their excitement and variety, slot machines are widely sought after in online and land-based casinos (including slots in Las Vegas). Each machine will offer different ways to win and additional features that make the game more exciting.

Although many books and websites will promise a slot strategy that can guarantee a big win - it's all a scam. Slot machines will only allow winning amounts initially programmed to do so (see RTP).

This article will not promise you specific ways to win. Instead, we will focus on slot machine tips and how you can use widely-available information to your best advantage.

Here are a few general tips on how to win big at slots or at least get better chances of winning:

  1. Set a fixed spending limit - knowing when to stop is the best gambling strategy that works all the time, for all games! Stop while you are ahead!
  2. Play the lowest denomination - especially at the onset to get a feel of the game's volatility! Once you understand the variance, you can decide whether to keep it low or go for the max bets.
  3. Know The Paytable - check all the pay lines and take advantage of slots with free spins.
  4. Avoid progressive slots - unless you have ample money to spend, these tend to distribute their payouts in jackpots and less so with regular spins!
  5. Play for Fun - not as a lucrative hobby.

Many other winning slot strategy tricks are available if you know where to find them. Let's take a look at some of the online slots strategy tips you can use while playing and important concepts to know when playing online slots.

10 Best Online Slots Strategy Tips

In this section, we've compiled some useful online strategy tips to remember when playing slot machines.

1. Find High-RTP Online Slots

The best online slot strategy we can give you is to find the highest RTP slots. Slots with a low RTP of 95% are acceptable, with some machines giving you as much as 98%. Regardless of high or low variance, the RNGs will ensure you have an equal chance of hitting the jackpot in every spin. And RTP will give you an idea of how much money is given back to the players for every slot machine you choose.

2. Select Slots With Bonus Symbols

Always take advantage of free money. Know your slot symbols! The most effective slot strategy is to find machines that offer free spins, re-spins, jackpot rounds, multiplier symbols, and wild cards. These bonus features give you higher value for bets and add excitement to your games. Games with many bonus symbols tend to be high variance but make it easier for you to win.

3. Choose Between Hit Frequency or Payout Size

Another online slot strategy is to choose either a higher hit frequency or a higher payback percentage. You cannot choose both. Depending on your playing style, you can select frequent small wins (higher hit frequency) or occasional big wins (larger payouts). You need to assess the risk factors involved in the games that you play. The higher the risk, the greater the chance of winning big.

4. Don't Chase the Progressive Jackpots

Wide-area progressive jackpot slots may have huge jackpots, but that money comes from somewhere… Does this mean the regular spins pay less to account for the future colossal jackpot payout? Sort of.

Chasing long-odds means you're not going to grow your short-term bankrolls, which means you will not be playing for a more extended period. If you have a smaller playing budget, frequent small wins should be your slot strategy. The small amounts can pad your bankroll and allow you to play for an extended time.

5. You Cannot Influence the Random Number Generator

There is no way to influence the RNG on your end and the casinos. Each spin is random, full stop. There is no hot or cold machine. There is no cheat code (e.g., playing very fast, hitting buttons twice, etc.). The algorithms in these machines are inspected and tested by a third-party company to ensure that winning combinations cannot be guessed and cannot be rigged.

6. Grab The Slot's Pick'em Bonuses

Make sure you know if your video slot machine requires some action on your part, at times, to enable or activate some bonuses. Most slots count bonus symbols automatically when they appear; others need you to touch the symbols. Such bonuses are called pick'em bonuses.

Before playing seriously, read the information section and the paytable to understand all the game features. You may accidentally pass up bonuses just because you don't know that it's there.

7. Use Slots With Free Spins!

Every little helps! Go for the machines with free spins! The best slot machine strategy is to pick games that offer free spins. Who says no to free money? Of course, these games may have higher variance than slots with no free spins, but additional features like free spins and wildcards heighten your odds of winning at slots.

Free spins are usually activated when a specific pay line or a particular symbol appears at a set number of times. Once activated, it can give you a big payout.

8. Bet Enough To Enable All Features

Many land-based and online slots need you to "max bet" to even participate in the jackpot. New players don't realize and simply bet the minimum; without understanding that, they'll never stand a chance to win the jackpot unless they max bet. The most effective online slot strategy to win is understanding the game's rules!

9. Set Up Personal Loss Limits

Slots are very addictive - they are designed to be! Set up a daily loss limit, weekly loss limit, and monthly loss limit, beyond which you stop playing for the day, week, or month. No exceptions, never.

To grow profitable, you can't just maximize winnings, you need to minimize your losses as well. Whether you win or lose, you need to know when to stop.

10. Don't Be Superstitious

Don't bother the Gods for your game of slots. Don't keep on playing and losing "because you feel like this time it will payout". Slot machines use RNGs to produce the symbols for every spin. You cannot use a pattern nor a "lucky number" that you can continually use in the hopes of getting that win.

Our guide to our favorite slot strategies, tips, and tricks!
Our guide to our favorite slot strategies, tips, and tricks!

Understand Random Number Generators

Random Number Generators (or RNG) is a microcomputer inside slot machines that continually generates a predetermined or unpredictable random number, whether the device is being used or not. RNGs pick an independent and random sequence of numbers or symbols that cannot be predicted or guessed. These sequences of numbers correspond to specific pay lines, and in turn, determines how much you can win or lose at every spin.

Most casinos, whether online or land-based, use pseudo-random number generators. They are independent and require no data to give an output other than a seed number and an algorithm. A third party company tests this algorithm to prevent it from being rigged.

For slot machines, every random number is assigned a specific value. The RNG output produces random symbols that correspond to a winning combination, and this combination determines the winning amount. The RNG ensures that any player has a chance of winning the jackpot at every spin. Even if you already received a big payout on this spin, you will still have an equal opportunity of getting another big win on every next spin.

Switch Strategies Based on the Slot Machine Type

Each slot game has a different level of volatility and return-to-player percentage. Online slot machine strategies are different from the methods you employ for land-based slot machines. Therefore, you must adjust your gameplay depending on the platform you are playing on.

For high volatility games, the effective slot strategy is to put the maximum bet. If you have sufficient funds to play, betting the full amount will give you a big win when you hit the winning combination. Likewise, small and medium bets will give you an advantage in low volatility machines because it gives you constant small wins.

slots variance
Volatility (also called variance) is a measure of how often a slot is likely to hit a winning combination and consequently, its average payout size.

As a general rule, check for RTP and the volatility of the game. Most online casino slot games display RTP in the information section. Try to spin a few times with a minimum bet to check for the volatility of the game. Look at the pay lines and the bonus features as well. It will give you an idea of the best online slot strategy to employ during the game.

Online vs Land-based Slot Strategies

There are many advantages to playing online slot games. For one, you can enjoy playing in the comfort of your home. Online casinos also offer an RTP from 93-98%, compared to the industry standard of 95%. Hence the probability of your wagers going back to you increases.

By contrast, land-based slot machines have lower RTP because they consider operating the establishment's overhead costs, including its additional services. RTP can be as low as 75% to only as high as 85% for land-based casinos. Exactly, running a land-based casino a lot pricier than an online gambling site.

One general strategy for playing slot machines for most seasoned players is to not play at airports. Your chances of winning at an actual casino are higher, plus the quality of the devices will be way more advanced than the machines you see at the airports.

slot rtp (return to player in slots)
Slot RTP - Return To Player Percentage, Examples & FAQ

Slot Machine Strategy - FAQ

I'm sure you wanted to know the effective slot machine strategy you can use to maximize your winnings while playing slots. Here are a few questions that usually come up when talking about slots strategies.

How to manipulate a slot machine?

You can't manipulate a slot machine because it comes with a built-in random number generator that ensures each spin has an equal chance of winning.

However, you can still adopt a slot betting strategy and overall slot strategy that could maximize your chances of winning. The only method that works for slot machines is to check RTP, variance, and hit frequency. You can also take advantage of bonus features such as free spins and bonus rounds.

Do slot strategies really work?

Slot strategies work, but there is no cheat code. A third-party company inspects RNGs to ensure that players, or the casino operators, cannot determine the pattern or rig the algorithm embedded in the machine.

An effective online slot strategy is not how you can win the games, but rather, how you can maximize winnings and minimize losses.

How can you tell when a slot machine is on a hot streak?

There is no such thing as a slot machine on a hot streak. Because of the RNGs, each spin has an equal chance of hitting the jackpot. Every player has a chance to win, and the amount of wins that all players can get is determined by the RTP.

Maybe it's just your luck that you had been hitting big cashouts in the last few spins, but in the long term, the value of the wins will even out into what it is programmed to return in the form of wins.

How to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay?

Sorry to burst your bubble; this is a complete myth. There is no way to know if a slot machine is ready to pay.

This information is spread around by various websites that claim to give online slots strategies for you to sign-up or play on their website. Winning combinations are random; there is no pattern or sequence that you can follow.

Do progressive slots pay less?

For most slot machines, there is a predetermined percentage of bets given back to the players in the form of winnings. The majority of the slot machines have a fixed amount of winnings, around 95%-98% of the total bet amount. The exception is in the form of progressive slots, wherein a set amount of the bet is added to the "pot" and consequently adds up to the jackpot value.

Progressive jackpots, in general, pay less and at a lesser frequency than slots with fixed jackpots. It needs to set aside a part of the bet to add to the growing jackpot prize. The chances of winning are very low, no matter how big the pot money is.

Where to find cheat codes for slot machines?

Unless you are the engineer who built the game, and you want to land in jail, there is no way to find out the cheat codes for slot machines. The gaming commission is created to ensure that these devices are operating lawfully.

Game engineers spent long hours designing the quality of the game and the effectiveness of the RNGs. The algorithms are routinely inspected, monitored, and audited to ensure that the games are working correctly.

Are slot machine algorithms fair?

Yes, slot machines are built with random number generators, which guarantees that all combinations are as random as possible.

The algorithm employed in slots is too complicated because there is no way to accurately guess when the next winning combination will come up or find a pattern on the sequence of symbols. RNGs cannot be rigged by both the player and the casino, which guarantees fair play for both parties.

What are the best-proven slot machine strategies?

There is no sure-fire proven slot machine strategy, but you can balance several factors to maximize wins and minimize losses. The best rule for playing in any casino, both online and land-based, is not to play more than you can afford. Slots are always designed to have a house edge. While you may be lucky in the first few spins, your losses will always be higher than your actual wins.

Should you play new slots to win more?

The odds of winning on old slots and new slots are the same. The age of the slot machine doesn't matter; only RTP and slot volatility do.

All slots are assigned a specific return-to-player percentage and a volatility percentage. RTP determines the percentage of total bets returned to the player in the form of wins in the long term. Volatility is the risk factor, how often and how much you can expect to win in a short time.

What is the correlation between payout rate and hit frequency?

Payout rate, also called return-to-player, is a percentage of the total bets given back to the players as cash outs or jackpots, while hit frequency refers to the number of times the slot will show a winning combination.

A higher hit frequency gives the impression of winning but will always be smaller amounts, while a lower hit frequency will provide very few, and far in between, big wins. Regardless if a slot machine is programmed with a high or low hit frequency, the amount of the win will always be close to the RTP.

Can you predict when a slot machine will hit?

There is no way to predict when and at what time a slot machine will hit the jackpot. Random number generators are in place to make sure that symbols show up at random and that each spin has a chance to get the winning combination. With RNGs, there is no way to guess the pattern or predict the outcome of spins. There is also no way to get the jackpot prize at a determined time.

Should you play slot machines that are hot?

Hot and cold slot machines are a myth. There is no counter within all slot cabinets or digital games that affect their RNG and determine when to reward the next player with a big payout.

Are ways-to-win slots better because of their paylines?

Ways-to-win slots allow players to match symbols across adjacent reels regardless of their position. While this may seem more advantageous than slots with limited lines, ways-to-win games still have the same RTP and variance as regular titles.

Your betting patterns determine what kind of strategy you can use to win at slot machines. There are many factors to consider, like RTP, volatility, hit frequency, and win frequency. More than anything, don't break the bank trying to win at slots. The important thing is that you enjoy the thrill and excitement of the game - and win or lose a few bucks along the way.