Some people are poker experts. They can walk into any casino and walk out with money after a few hours at the poker tables. Some players are blackjack experts—Don Johnson once won $12 million within six months in Atlantic City.
However, there’s no such thing as a slot machine expert. You could win $100,000 from a slot game today. But there’s no guarantee you’ll ever do it again. So, what can you do to increase your chances of winning these games?
Slots come in many types. Some games target players who are looking to become overnight millionaires—progressive jackpots. Some slots focus on the graphics and gaming technology—VR and 3D slots. Other slots are a mix of everything: video slots.
Learning about different slots can help you determine the fair games to play to have fun and win regularly. It can help you know what to expect. Megaways slots, for example, can pay you up to 50,000x your bet amount. But they don’t pay out often.
On the other hand, classic slots have low payout rates, retro graphics, and limited features. Due to that, you should avoid these games unless you’re nostalgic about a game you used to play decades ago.
The more knowledge you gain about slots, the more likely you’re to choose the right games. For example, knowing most brand-name slots—Rick and Morty, Game of Thrones, Wonder Woman—have low payout rates ensures you steer clear of the games.
Casinos don’t make slot machines. But they determine the slots you can play, the maximum you can win and withdraw, and how fast you receive your money. Picture this. You join a casino with 100 slots from IGT and WMS.
Both IGT and WMS are respected software providers. But there are far too many other software companies out there: NetEnt, Microgaming, Betsoft, BTG, Playtech, and Play’n GO, to name a few.
That means there are plenty of great slots you can’t play at your IGT/WMS casino. Also, imagine if you win $20,000, but the casino limits you to withdraw $2000 per month, you’ll have a lot of problems withdrawing the money.
In light of that information, take time to find the safest betting sites online. Choose licensed operators. Additionally, look for safety features like SSL encryption, two-factor authentication, and a certificate from a casino auditing firm like eCOGRA or iTechLabs.
RTP is an acronym thrown around regularly at online casino forums. But what does it mean? Why choose top-RTP slots? RTP means Return to Player: the amount of money a slot returns to gamblers through winnings over time.
Let’s say people gamble $10,000 in a slot machine within a month. The game pays out at 90%. It means the slot will return $9000 (90%) to gamblers and hand out the remaining $1000 to the casino as a guaranteed profit.
Some slots payout at much higher rates—96%, 98%, and even 99%. With a 99% slot, the casino would keep just $100 while players would receive $9,900 through winnings. This is the kind of slot you want to find because it increases your chances of winning tremendously.
To be clear, slots are gambling games. So, just because a game pays out 99% of gambled money over the long run doesn’t mean you’ll win. You win only if you’re lucky. That said, below are the top five best RTP slots:
Do you want to win regularly at slots? Choose games with scatters, wilds, random jackpots, multipliers, and cascading reels. Scatters, in many slots, trigger free spins to give you another chance at winning.
Wilds replace regular symbols with winning symbols, which increase your odds of winning. Cascading reels do something better—they introduce winning symbols consistently to magnify your profits tremendously.
In other words, bonus features give all slots a chance at winning. You might not walk away with €17 million like a British ex-soldier did in 2015. But you might trigger a 10x multiplier during a bonus round or win a random jackpot that pays 5000 coins.
Crucially, research around to discover slots whose bonus features payout generously. Some slots might have wilds, scatters, and multipliers. But they give you two free spins or x3 multipliers while you could receive better deals from top-rated slots.
Perhaps the reason you lose at slots is that you tend to play high-variance slots. Think of Megaways and progressive jackpot slots. These games are programmed to pay out decent or large amounts of money, albeit scarcely.
A jackpot game like Mega Moolah could go thousands of spins before anyone hits its jackpot. But whoever triggers the game’s jackpot symbols could win millions of dollars. By comparison, slots like Mega Joker are low variance games.
A low variance slot pays out small amounts regularly. You can trigger winning symbols after every ten spins. But the problem: you win small amounts of money. Against that backdrop, determine whether you would rather win minor amounts regularly or be patient to win more considerable amounts.
Betting big slots is risky and costly. But it’s your best opportunity to win a lot of money from an online slot. The explanation is simple. Most slots pay through multipliers—you can win 10x or 50x your bet amount.
If you wager $10 and win 10x your bet, you’ll cash out $100 from the casino. Now, picture wagering $100 and triggering a 10x multiplier. Your profit increases from $100 to $1000. With that in mind, maximizing your bet amount doesn’t mean gambling beyond your means.
You need to bet within your budget at all times. However, use your budget to maximize your wager amounts. If you have $10 to spend, consider betting 20 spins of 50 cents rather than 100 spins of 10 cents each.