How to Win at Slots – Tricks to Improve Your Odds

To learn how to beat slot machines, you need to first know how they work. Slots are amongst the most popular casino games throughout the world, both in land-based and online casinos. Slots are almost entirely down to chance, meaning there is very little strategy involved, and every player has the same odds of winning. You simply spin the reels and hope to match symbols along the various paylines. For a more detailed breakdown of the rules, check out our page on how to play slots.

Playing online slots is supposed to be fun, but sometimes it can become a problem. If at any point you find yourself becoming overwhelmed and are no longer enjoying the game, this is the time to stop. Take a step back from the screen, relax and even talk to a friend. For more support visit our responsible gambling page.

Although house edge is the term used in most casino games to tell the player what advantage the house has over them, in slots you might also hear another term. The RTP rate, which means Return to Player rate, is another phrase to describe the house edge. The RTP rate or house edge varies according to which game you choose to play.

Make sure you take a look at the RTP rate of any given slot before you start playing. Over time, you'll find that the house will always come out on top at any given game, it's just a case of by how much. Check out our slots reality check page to find out more about the house edge.

How to Win Big on Slots Online

If you’re hoping to walk away with a really huge win, progressive jackpot slots are your best option. Every so often, a few lucky players walk away with life-changing sums of money, with many jackpots reaching the millions. Popular games include the Mega Moolah series, Hall of Gods and Loot’enkhamun. It is, however, important to bear in mind that if you’re looking for smaller but more frequent wins, progressive jackpots may not be the best way to go.

While it may not be possible to use strategies to improve your chances of making a profit, your odds of winning can vary a lot with the games you choose to play. If you’re looking to increase your chances of a payout, you’re best playing low volatility slots. Low volatility simply means that the slot pays out less significant sums, but reasonably frequently. The opposite to this is high volatility slots, which can pay out some huge sums, but far less frequently. However, this doesn’t mean that when playing a low volatility slot, it’s completely impossible to hit a big win. Below, we’ve listed our top 5:

• 1
  Starburst
• 2
  Thunderstruck II
• 3
  Mermaid’s Millions
• 4
  Jumanji
• 5
  Triple Diamond

At land-based casinos you’ll often find rooms filled with slot machines from various game developers. The games are played in a very similar way to their online counterparts, although due to space limitations you’ll find that the selection is perhaps not as great.

When players say they know how to beat slot machines at a casino, it really means increasing their chances of winning at slots. As usual, you’ll be relying largely on pure chance. There are plenty of theories out there, for example that machines can be ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ depending on when they last paid out, or that those closest to the walkways are ‘looser’ in order to entice customers. However, this is very unlikely to be the case - casinos are, after all, in the business of making money and don’t want to make it too easy to win.

How to Win at Penny Slots

One type of casino slot you’ll find pretty much everywhere, from your local casino to the Las Vegas Strip, is penny slots. By betting such a small amount of money, you might think the payouts won’t be so big. However, by playing the max number of paylines and credits, some players have been known to walk away with hundreds of dollars from a penny slot machine. They’re certainly worth a try if you’re on a smaller budget.

Welcome Bonuses

• Most online casinos offer lucrative welcome bonuses to entice new players.
• Often these come with significant playthrough requirements, so you will need to wager this money several times before you can withdraw. The good new is, slots often contribute highly towards these requirements.

Free Spins

• Free spins bonuses are triggered within games, and enable you to spin the reels again for free.
• These can appear during bonus games or regular play. It's common to win several free spins at once when playing online slots.

Cash-Back Bonuses

• Regain a proportion of your losses with a handy cash-back bonus.
• This type of bonus is often not subject to any wagering requirements, making it a lot easier to claim than many other bonus offers.

Like all casino games, slot machines are available in a wide range of denominations. It's possible to wager pennies or one hundred dollars per spin if you prefer, but if there’s one thing you want to avoid doing, it’s running out of money too early! There’s no technique for how to win on slot machines every time – don’t forget you’re dealing with pure luck.

While it might be tempting to put all your money into a single spin, we highly recommend exercising what the pros call bankroll management. By placing bets in line with your budget, you'll be able to keep playing longer even when you don't win any large amounts.

Your exact recommended bet size depends on the size of your bankroll and how fast you play. You can calculate your bet size by seeing how much money you're willing to bet and how much you're not willing to lose. This is a good way to stay on track with bankroll management.