When you think about it, slots are the best casino games for most people. No skills needed. No competing with poker sharks and experienced dealers. It’s you and the machine. You can speed up or slow down the reels.
You can adjust the bet sizes to the lows of $0.10 or to as much as $500 per spin. You can play with background soundtracks on or turn them off. But there’s one problem—you have no control over when you win or lose.
Slots use random software to determine when you win and lose. This software also uses math to determine hit frequency. The games have more features that influence your success rate. This article looks into these factors to help improve your edge and win more regularly.
1—Choose Top RTP Slots
All Casino games have specific odds of winning. If you can beat these odds, then you can win. Slots have varying odds that differ from one game to another. By law, every slot needs to pay out at least 85% of gambled money.
Unfortunately, 85% is such a low payout percentage that many slot developers create games with much higher odds. At land-based casinos, it’s not uncommon to find slots that payout between 90% and 95%.
At online casinos, some slots have 96% to 99% Return to Player rates. These slots carry the best odds of winning. And as a result, they should be your first choice every time you want to play slots.
To be clear, RTP is a theoretical estimate of the amount of money a slot pays out over time. It doesn’t mean you win always playing a 99% slot. It’s a guide meant to help you know which games give you the best chances of winning.
2—Select a Great Slot Site
Selecting high-paying slots is great, but it’s even more important to play these games at a reliable casino. Think of the user experience. Do you want a casino website that crashes constantly? Or would you rather play at a fast, mobile-responsive casino?
Think about the banking process, game variety, bonuses, customer service and security. You want a casino with the best services. But unless you actively join such a casino, you could end up at an unreliable operator.
So, how do you find a good casino for slots? For starters, check out casino review websites. If you’re Canadian, look for Canadian websites for slot games. If you’re British, visit a review platform that specializes in British casinos.
Choosing a good casino increases your odds of winning significantly. That’s because the best casinos also tend to offer top-paying slots. Additionally, they have bonuses to help save on your bankroll and quick payouts to ensure you receive your profits fast.
3—Maximize your Bet Sizes
As mentioned earlier, many slots have adjustable bet sizes. You have the freedom to wager small amounts like $0.10, $0.20 or $0.50. Or you can go big with bets as high as $100 or $200 per spin.
Now, we are not saying you should gamble more than you’re willing to lose. Don’t overspend. Create a budget to determine how much you want to spend in a night of gaming fun. But instead of spending small amounts of money to extend your gaming time, maximize your bets.
If you have $100 to spend and want to play for an hour, consider spending $1 per spin rather than ten cents. You’ll have 100 spins and not 1000, but you’ll have a better chance of breaking even.
Here’s why. Small bets produce small profits. If you bet ten cents and win 10x your bet amount, the result is $1. By comparison, if you wager $1 per spin and win 10x, you’ll end up with $10.
If you’re lucky and hit a 50x multiplier with a $5 bet, you’ll walk away with $250. In a different situation, a small bet of $0.50 cents would help you win a maximum of $25.
4—Learn about Volatility/Variance
This might come as a surprise to some but two slots with similar RTPs could pay out at different speeds. The explanation is that every machine has a level of volatility. Some games have a low variance.
They payout regularly albeit in small amounts. These are the kinds of games with 2x, 5x or 10x multipliers when you line up winning symbols on all reels. An example is Mega Joker by NetEnt. It has a 99% RTP—it’s the best paying slot online. But it’s also a low variance game.
Other slots have volatility levels. Many of them are great. In fact, most video slots, including all-time favorites like Gonzo’s Quest, Book of Dead, Cleopatra and Twin Spin are medium variance slots.
In the extreme end of the spectrum, you’ll find high-variance slots. They include progressive jackpots like Mega Moolah, Mega Fortune, and Arabian Nights. Nearly all Megaways slots—Bonanza, White Rabbit, Extra Chilli—are all high variance slots.
While medium variance slots payout at medium intervals, highly volatile slots can feel cold: they have long spells with no payouts. But on the upside, they payout handsomely with 100x, 500x and 2000x multipliers.
5—Utilize In-Game Features
Today’s online slots are beautiful, exciting, sophisticated and feature loaded pieces of software. They hook you with their colorful graphics, inviting soundtracks and unique themes. Then they give you a chance to chase wins with a myriad of features.
Some of these features—scatters—help you land free spins. Others—wilds—turn icons into winning symbols. Some features like a 50/50 gambling button, can help you double or lose your money.
Then there are jackpots and bonus rounds. All these features influence the amount of money you win. Let’s say you’re required to bet at least $30 cents for a chance to get into the bonus round. Or you have to bet at least $1 to get into the jackpot draw.
It goes without saying that you need to follow the rules to have a chance at the bonus round or the jackpot. In turn, your chances of winning increases rapidly.
Also read the piece on atHOME Victoria for info on which lotteries have the best odds in BC?
