How to Win at Slots 2024 - 7 Tips & Tricks to Improve Odds

Made famous by movies, slot machines are one of the most popular online casino games in the gambling industry. Online slots are based on pure luck and chance and require no skills. You can either walk away with some money, big money, or nothing. Winning at slot machines is not an easy task. You can do nothing to bend the game to your advantage, like you would in a game of craps by placing the right bet. The wager in slot games is up in the air; the jackpot is as much yours as the casinos.

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The slot machine is renowned for being completely and utterly random. Therefore, no skill or bag of tricks will give you an edge over the machine. However, there are some tried and tested tips from experts that increase your RTP ( return to player), increase payout percentages and winnings, and minimise losses.

Let's dive in.

Quick Summary of How to Win at Slots

Choose the best games to play - with a high RPG, casino bonus, adequate volatility, and set limits.
Understand the difference between progressive and regular slots.
Understand high volatility (higher wins, less chance of winning) and low volatility (incremental wins, frequent wins).
Practise free games online.
Place higher bets to increase your chance of winning huge amounts of money.

Tips To Win At Slots

We have seven tips to help you win slots. Let's get through them one by one. By the end of this article, you will have adequate information to help increase your chances of growing that bankroll slowly but steadily.

1. Choose The Best Online Slot Games to Play

Gamblers need to know how to pick the best slot machines to increase their return to player percentage. This requires more than knowing which slot machine will hit. The best slots to play have the following features:

The right combination of volatility
High Return To Player (RTP) percentage
Set limits
Several bonuses (both in-game and by the casino)

When presented in the right combination, your chances of getting a good payout rise exponentially. When you play real money slots, remember the payout percentage and the stakes. Choosing a good slot machine by playing only the amount you can afford to lose is the only way to improve your shot at winning.

Casinos have various slot games with different characteristics like volatility and pay lines. The most important for players is RTP. Based on RTP alone, research shows that the best slot machines are:

1429 Uncharted Seas
Big Bad Wolf
Blood Suckers
DemiGods
Devil's Delight
Gypsy Road
Kings of Chicago
Mega Joker
Retro Reels Extreme Heat
Simsalabim
Couch Potato
Wild Orient

Big Bad Wolf

Quickspin

5/5

Play now

Blood Suckers

NetEnt

5/5

Play now

Mega Joker

NetEnt

5/5

Play now

Opting for combinations of these slots might pay off your investment because of RTP. Picking a good slot machine from these options is the most crucial step to tipping the scales of slot machine odds in your favour. Think with a calm mind, because all it comes down to is choice.

Many casino strategies tell you to skip the most popular slot game as it has the worst payout percentage among other options. Popularity does not matter in this case. The payout percentage does not have much to do with a game’s popularity.

2. Practise With Free Games

This is a crucial strategy for serious players. The number of times you've indulged in gameplay matters to get the best shot at winning. You can visit online casino sites that offer variance in games with bets based on points instead of cash deposits. Playing with coins instead of cash will allow you to learn the ins and outs of slot games without the risk of losing money.

Playing free games is also fun; it gives you a chance to understand a game and its quirks truly. You may also get a chance to win bonuses with a bonus round. The outcome can range from winning sweepstakes, prizes, coins, or a massive payout in cash prizes.

3. Choose Between Regular or Progressive Slots

Regular slots have a set limit on a jackpot amount you can win, while progressive slots can reach any value. As a player, you have to choose between these two as it can impact how much money you win at the table.

The difference between the two is that regular slots tend to have lower variance, which implies that wins tend to be more frequent. However, the payouts are much smaller. On the other hand, with high volatility slots games like progressive slots, you can win huge jackpots. These huge jackpot wins will be fewer and far between, though. On average, progressive slots have the lowest RTPs in gambling. Don't pick a progressive slot game if you have a limited budget.

The bottom line is that regular slots are the way to go if you are gambling to win money. However, suppose you want that exhilarating feeling with the looming potential of a big win. In that case, you should go for progressive slot games.

4. Slot Volatility

Volatility is also known as risk level. It occurs in every kind of game; poker, sports betting, craps, or blackjack. Volatility is the basis of any game in the gambling industry.

The volatility of a slot machine measures the amount of risk involved in playing the game. You can learn this over time with experience or look up the numbers on the internet. Most gambling sites list the top volatility slot games, so casting an eye over that section is likely to pay off.

Volatility will determine how you win at slots. In low-volatility slots, you have a high chance of winning. You can maintain streaks as you can easily strike winning combinations when you hit the spin button. The wins are smaller, however. With high volatility slots, the sum of your winnings may be higher, but the wins will be fewer.

You can win slots with the right strategy if you have the right bankroll.

Pro Tip: Type mega moolah in the search bar to understand its slot game volatility & variance.

5. Studying the Pay Table

Whether it's jackpot slots, video slots, or penny slots, slot machines have multiple symbols and hundreds of ways to win the jackpot. They also feature bonus games and special features that can increase your chances of winning some of your bet back. If you take the time to read the paytable of each slot game, you may increase your chances of winning when you spin.

Pay tables give you a list of the game's pay lines, bonuses, multipliers, and symbols. People should take time to understand what these features are and how they can be triggered so that they can be on the lookout for them when they are playing the game.

In the online realm, pay tables are interactive and illustrated. You can simply scan the table image to take note of the various sections before jumping back into the session on the site. In addition, online slot games will include information about minimum bet requirements for bonus rounds or features.

There are five types of commonly used symbols in slot games:

Scatters: when a certain number of scatter symbols land, it triggers free spins on the spin button. Scatters can also trigger bonus rounds within the game.
Wilds: the wild symbol acts as a substitute for other symbols on the reels, making it easy to land a winning payline for punters.
Multipliers: with the multiplier symbol, you can multiply your initial bet and increase it to a specified amount.
Sticky: the sticky symbol remains on the reels for an extended number of spins, making it easier to land a lucky payline.
Stacked: the stacked symbols can trigger a bonus game or a slot bonus.

If everyone took the time to read the paytable and understood the rewards of doing so, slot machines would be easier to handle, even for beginners.

6. Do Not Go For The Obvious Option

The thing with online casino gaming is that many temptations are in place in the form of offers and deposit bonuses. It can be easy to get drawn into a casino because of how impressive it seems on the surface. The fact is that casinos want to draw in the maximum number of players from all over the world, and they do this by offering free spins or deposit bonus codes.

It is important to choose a site that is legitimate and regulated. For this purpose, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC), to name a few, exist to maintain standards and remove rogue gambling sites from all over the country.

Do not play online poker or slot machines on unlicensed casino sites. The list of legal casinos differs from one country to another or from one state to the other. As in the example of the United States, what can be played legally in Vegas can't be played in Michigan or New Jersey. It is best to cast an eye on what is legal in Ireland.

7. Place High Bets

In online gambling, many gamblers try to win on penny slots. You can increase the size of your winnings at penny slots by tweaking your bets. In this case, wagering requirements are bets larger than €0.01, as these bets do not progress to bonus rounds. To fully qualify for the jackpot, you must place a bet on every payline to bring the total sum of your bet to more than one penny.

The point is that you can't possibly win a progressive jackpot with a minimum bet. Top wins are linked to maximum bets. Much like video poker, the higher the best is, the more you can win. Similarly, the smaller the bet, the smaller the win. The bet will determine how much you win on slots.

So, betting more money will help you win more at online slots. Conversely, betting more money will also run the risk of depleting your funds faster.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a dealer in slots?

No, slot machines do not involve dealers or staff. A machine does all the work through a random number generator, and gamblers simply spin the reels.

How many rules are there in slots?

There are multiple rules in slots that a person needs to follow to fully enjoy and understand the game. It is important to understand the gameplay, symbols, and terms like pay lines and progressive jackpots.

What is the probability of winning a slot game?

The probability of winning a slot is low. The odds range from 1 in 5000 to 1 in 34 million when using maximum coin play. For this reason, many gamblers opt for anything other than slots, like a card game or roulette, where they can lower the house edge.

What is the probability of losing a slot game?

Losing at a slot game is more likely than winning at one. Winning depends on various factors, like how frequently a machine pays, your luck, and the slot game’s payout percentage.

What is RNG?

RNG refers to a random number generator which is how a slot machine generates spin combinations on the reels. Every spin combination is independent, and the previous spins do not affect the next ones at all.

What is a house edge?

All casino games, in-house or online, have a house edge. The house edge is an advantage that the casino uses to beat players and earn money from their bets. You can't reduce the house edge in slot games like you can in card games such as poker or blackjack.

Casino Mentor

Seánie O'Brien

Casino Adviser

Seánie has plenty of experience in the casino world and enjoys sharing this accumulated knowledge. He offers great tips and tricks for players to enjoy casinos safely.

Expert on:

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Fact Checked By Rebecca Mackay