While slot machines in land-based casinos offer the potential for dodgy pubs to rig the outcome, no such option is possible for online games at any licensed online casino to change the random outcome of the games. How do you pick a winning slot machine? There is no way to know which land-based slot machines or online slot games will be winners. We interviewed some frequent slot players and casino workers. We got these inside tips on how to increase your chances of winning. You won't want to miss thi.

Know your limits and play within your budget. Not setting a gambling budget is. Elements like the slot themes, graphics, and jackpots are the least important to consider when you want to pick a slot machine. The most important tip to win at slots is to pick the games with the highest RTP. These are the slots with the best odds. What is the RTP?

Everybody wants to know how to win on slot machines. If only there was a secret formula or cheat code that could allow you to win slots every time, your bank account would swell and your dreams would come true.

Alas, no such secret formula exists. However, that doesn’t mean there’s no way to win slots more often.

I’ve been playing slot machines since as long as I can remember. In the past decade or so, I’ve come to learn a thing or two about them. I’m going to share real, practical, and actionable steps on how to win at slots.

I’m not promising you’ll win a progressive jackpot and retire to live the high life.

All I’m offering is hard-won insights and some useful information which can help you avoid common mistakes and maximize your chances of winning.

A Word About Slot Cheat Codes

Before we go deeper into slot machine secrets and winning tips, I need to tell you what this article is not about.

I am what you’d call a natural skeptic. I don’t believe in things like lady luck and good fortune, I believe in probability and verifiable facts. That’s why I don’t put any stock—none whatsoever—in slot cheat machine codes and systems designed to help you win every time.

I recently read a short e-book called How to Win Gas Station Slot Machines Every Time. I was curious to see what the author had to offer. It turns out, it was full of clichés and empty platitudes.

• Waiting until someone had played for a while because the slot machine would be due.
• Finding specific games and tapping the buttons in specific sequences to unlock hidden features.
• Outright cheating by using mobile phone apps to read machine patterns and tricking the machine into paying out.

I chuckled to myself as I scanned the pages, knowing deep down that the author was a huckster and that nobody who used these slot machine cheats would gain anything.

Let me spell it out for you once, and once only: The companies which make slot machines, like Microgaming, are very rich indeed. They didn’t get that way by building games you can exploit.

In the next section, I’m going to teach you how slot machines really work. Understanding this vital information is the only way to win at slots more often.

How Slot Machines Work

There are still a few slot machines in Vegas and other casinos around the world which operate mechanically. But, these days, the majority of them are electronic. Trying to interfere with them physically won’t give you any advantage whatsoever.

Computer chips and algorithms known as “random number generators” (or RNGs) power modern video slots.

Without getting into complex technical details, these are algorithms which generate millions, and even billions, of numbers per second. When you hit the spin button, one of these numbers is selected, and if it’s associated with a payout, you win.

That’s pretty simple, right? There’s nothing overly complicated about it from a player’s perspective. Yet, if you think about it, you’ll realize that it means you can’t manipulate slot machines.

Setting aside philosophical arguments about whether true randomness really exists or not, you’re at the mercy of the algorithm. It could take a million spins before it pays out the jackpot, or it could happen three times in a row. It’s all based on the RNG.

Random number generators control both land-based and online slot machines. Gaming commissions check them to make sure they are random and fair. For online slot games, organizations like eCogra test the games while, in Vegas, it’s the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

If you understand the concept of random number generators, you understand the gist of slot machines. Let’s now move onto how to win on slot machines.

How to Win on Slot Machines — Tips and Tricks

I’ve created some general rules of thumb for playing slot machines. These aren’t 100% foolproof, but they do tend to be true. You should jot them down or remember them when you’re playing. You could think of this as slots wisdom won over many years of spinning the reels of fortune.

The Bigger the Jackpot, the Lower the Payback Rate

Every slot machine has what’s called an “RTP.” This is a percentage which tells you how much money the slot returns to players.

For example, if a slot machine has an RTP of 97%, which is high, then it will pay back $97 out of every $100 which players feed into it.

It’s important to remember that RTP is a theoretical number which explains the payback rate over the long run. It does not mean you will win back $97 out of every $100 that you play. It means that the machine returns this amount to all who play that slot. This includes all of the small wins as well as the jackpots.

Well, in my experience, slots with bigger jackpots, and particularly progressive jackpot slots, have a lower payback rate. I’ve seen jackpot slots with an RTP of 91%. That’s low compared to a game like Jack Hammer II by NetEnt which has an RTP of 97.07%.

Sometimes, you’re better off playing high RTP slots, even if they have a smaller jackpot. The chances of winning a progressive jackpot are slim, so you have to be realistic about the possibilities.

Yes, you could strike it lucky, but for every multimillion-dollar winner, thousands of players lost. If you want to win at casino slots, you’re better off with high RTP slots for this reason, you get more back in the long game.

Tip:

One of the highest RTP slot machines is Mega Joker by NetEnt. It has an RTP of 99%. It’s a classic slot, and many people play it religiously because of the high payback percentage.

Don’t Forget the Bonus Features

Almost every slots player I know is blinded by huge jackpots. There’s a reason why casinos plaster the largest progressive jackpots all over banners across the web. They attract slots players like moths to a flame!

I’m not. The odds of winning the jackpot on any slot are low. Instead, I focus on lucrative bonus features. Some of the biggest wins I have ever had came from slot machine bonus rounds.

Here are a few which I feel are particularly worth looking out for. If a slot machine has one or more of these features, I give it serious consideration.

Free Spins

• Free spins are one of the best slot machine bonus rounds. When you enter them, you’ll automatically bet at the value you were betting in the base game. If I haven’t triggered the free spins feature after 20 spins, I usually increase my bet size in anticipation. It has to trigger eventually, and I want to reap the rewards to the maximum extent when it does.

Multipliers

• Multipliers can be part of the base game, or they can be part of bonus features. For example, a free spins feature can have a multiplier. I always look for slots with multipliers of up to 3x or higher. I then play with larger bets than I usually would. One big win with a 3x multiplier can be as good as a jackpot.

Cascading Reels

• This is probably my favorite feature in slot machines. When you create a win, the symbols disappear, and new ones take their place. If you win once more, the same happens again. Some slot machines mix cascading reels and multipliers together. Sometimes, the multiplier gets bigger every time you create a new cascade. An example of such a slot is Gonzo’s Quest.

There are lots of other great slot bonus features. Bonus wheels, picking games, and progressive jackpot bonus rounds also offer a chance to win big. The point is, you should always study the paytable of a slot machine, play it for free, and try to figure out its bonus rounds.

Of course, if you can find a slot machine offering lots of great features and a big jackpot, that’s the golden ticket. I’d always double-check the RTP on such a game, though. Usually, the greater the risk to the casino, the lower the RTP is.

Manage Your Bankroll by Leveraging Slot Volatility

Want to know the first game I play every time I log into the casino? It’s almost always Starburst.

Why so? Because Starburst is a high volatility slot. I rarely, if ever, experience long dry spells on this game. The wins are frequent, even if they aren’t life-changing. And I find that Starburst often helps me boost my balance. Once it’s suitably boosted, I move across to a higher volatility slot for a shot at bigger wins.

You can read an in-depth article on slot machine variance and volatility here. I’ve created a short and easy version for you below:

• Low volatility slot machines pay little wins frequently.
• Medium volatility slots pay mid-range amounts semi-frequently.
• High volatility slots pay bigger wins less frequently.

For example, I never play high volatility slot machines when using free spins bonuses which offer only 10 or 20 spins. Experience tells me that on a high volatility game, I could easily experience 10 or 20 spins without a single win. I know that when the win does come, it will be explosive. But those slots aren’t best suited for this kind of bonus.

To leverage slots volatility, play low volatility slots when you’re down on your luck and only have a small bankroll.

They can also be extremely useful when trying to meet wagering or rollover requirements on a bonus offer. However, when you have a suitable amount of house money, switch over to higher volatility games with bigger potential wins.

Please remember that this is not a foolproof plan. Sometimes, the RNG just doesn’t spit out the right number, and no wins occur. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, and you’ve got to accept that before you start playing a slot machine or expecting to win on slot machines.

Conclusion

I promised you logical, sensible tips for winning slot machines, and I hope you feel that I’ve delivered. All of what I’ve written above is fact-based, and none of it requires you to believe in hocus-pocus or to resort to cheating.

Casino Slot Machine Tricks

Winning slot machines is all about reducing the house advantage, knowing how to give yourself the best shot at the biggest payouts, and avoiding the common mistakes that too many players make.

That’s all I can offer you, and no matter what they say, it’s all anybody else can offer you, too.

How To Pick A Winning Slot Machine

Now that you know how to win more often, check out some of the best slot machines online.

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