How to Win While Playing the Slots

A slot is a game of chance governed by the random number generator. Many will argue that there is no skill involved in playing a slot game but seasoned slots players will beg to differ. Much like Blackjack where you cannot predict nor control the cards, card counting is not an option these days. What makes blackjack a game of skill is the fact that you get to make decisions along the way.

Gone are the days when slots were mind numbing where you clicked until it paid. These days slots can have over 100 paylines. You decide which ones to bet on and how many coins you want to bet per line. Slots also have variable coin sizes that can be set to fit your pocket. Video slots have arcade style bonus rounds where you have more decisions to make, for example, do you collect or spin again?

So here is a list of ways that your decision can have a favorable impact on your game play.

A progressive slot has to eventually pay out. The law of averages says so. If it is the massive pot that you are after then wait until the jackpot is long past its sell by date and is escalating into the millions. The main thing to remember when playing these types of slots is that you only win the pot if you are playing max bet. That is all paylines, max coins per payline and the highest coin value. Some progressive slots have a very high price tag for this very reason. Steer clear of these unless they really are cracking under the weight of gold.

Never play a slot on max bet if the bet is more than the highest win.

Always play all paylines. Every single payline counts and all it takes is one coin to make the wins off any one payline count towards your balance on each spin. If your balance is low rather reduce your coin value or coins per line.

Weigh up the advantages of playing max bet. This can be done easily by examining the paytable. Usually wins are proportional to bets but in some cases a maximum bet will pay out a bonus on top of the proportional payout. That bonus can be hefty enough to convince you to up your wager. Play according to your available balance. If your balance has started to drop, drop your bet amount. There is no harm in reducing your coin size right down. Some machines even go as low as 1c. Reducing your coin's value may be enough to allow you to recover from a heavy loss to keep you in the running.

Practice the game in free play mode first. Some of the newer games have bonus rounds that can turn the entire game around with sky rocketing prizes. These are sometimes the rounds that require a bit of practice or maybe even getting used to. Play at a casino that allows you unlimited credits to practice the games. When you play for real it may even come down to a case of knowing when to walk away and cut your losses.

As with everything else, practice makes perfect. Getting a feel for a game gives you more confidence in decision making. Make the right decisions at the right times and you can win at slots.