If there were a sure-fire way to always win at slots, then we wouldn’t be writing this, we’d be living in luxury on a sunny island in the Mediterranean. Slots is largely a game of chance and you can’t really become a professional player based on skill or strategy like you can with poker. That said, there are ways you can get more out the game, increase your chances of winning, and make it likely that you’ll be able to cash in more often.

In this article, we’ve divided up your options into approaches or strategies that can help you win, strategies that won’t hurt to try, and ones that you probably shouldn’t consider. By the end of this article, you’ll hopefully come away with a much better idea of what you can do to win at slots.

1: Play Slots with the Highest Payback Percentages

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Although you can calculate the odds based on the game, this can take away from the fun of the game. Online casinos will give you a return to player percentage (RTP) so you can use that to guide you, but it’s not always the available. The volatility level is also worth checking; this is the measure of how the payouts are awarded in terms of frequency and in terms of the size of the bet. If you have this option, you can pick high RTP slots that have a low volatility.

If you don’t have that information immediately available, a good rule of thumb is that higher denomination games equal higher payouts. This does mean you would put on bigger bets, and increased risk of higher losses, but your wins will also be bigger. There are other things to consider, such as how enjoyable the game is, but ultimately if you want to win, bigger bets mean bigger wins.  

2: Make Sure You Make Big Enough Bets in Progressive Slots

If you bet on progressive slots, then you should make sure that you have bet the maximum number of coins. On three-reel slots, you can only win the jackpot if you have made the highest-possible bet. This isn’t always the case and on some video slots, all players might have a chance of winning the jackpot. Some others might give you different stages, such as mini, major of grand tiers, with different jackpots associated with each. In all these cases, bet what you need to get the biggest win. So, if it’s traditional slots, bet big, but check the details for video or online games.

3: Use All Available Bonuses and Promos

Sometimes you can get bonuses simply to win, or higher bonuses if you make a deposit. Online casinos can give you a bonus if you just sign up for the account. This can help you check out games that you’d like to play without stumping up money. For example Tsars do X promotion and some other people do this kind of promotion with hyperlinks. These promotions can boost your expected return and really help increase your opportunities to win big.

4: Practice On Demos and Watch Player Videos

This mostly applies to online casinos. It helps to be completely familiar with the game, so have a look at player videos, online demos, or look at reviews. This kind of thing really helps you get an insight into all the angles of the games and helps you spot opportunities for improving your approach. It means you can get familiarity with the game without spending, and it helps you be primed for action when you play your first game.

5: Develop a Strategy

There are a number of strategies you can bring up to improve gameplay so it’s worth considering the following:

Levels Betting

 This uses steps which help you decide the size of each bet. First you start off with about 1 percent of your available money, and then increase the size of the bet after you have lost five times in a row. For example, you can start of at $1 and after five consecutive losses, go up to $5. When you win, you go back to be initial betting level and start the process again.

The idea behind this strategy is to win back losses, so you increase the bet so that when you finally win, you get a larger payout.

Fixed Percentages

This involves betting a fixed percentage of how much you have. If you start with $100, then you take 3 percent to bet first, which is $3. If you win, then you have a higher sum to bet, and you bet a higher percentage. So, for example, if you win $10 then you will have $107 and so you bet $3.21 next time or the closest denomination you can use. This will be good if you play games that pay higher than average, and by increasing the size of the bet you can increase the streak.

Progressive Jackpots Strategy

With the progressive jackpots, you need a different strategy to the other approaches. The first thing is to see what you need to put down to be eligible for the big jackpot win. In some the jackpot might only be won if you go to the bonus round. In others, you may need to check-in for the jackpot.

After that, you should go for the smallest possible bet to keep the number of games played going much faster. Also, the odds of winning the jackpot are consistent, so it’s best to go for it when the jackpot is already at a high level.  Be aware that the wins might not happen for a while, so you need tenacity to push through with this strategy, but once they do, you can win big.

The Martingale Betting System

The Martingale Betting System doesn’t work for all slots, but it works for a number of situations. In this case, you double the bets after you have lost, and then resetting after every win. Usually, you should make a limit for how high the bet should be before you reach a stake that’s too high, such as eight times the limit. The benefits of this is that you then only need one win and you’ll get back all of the previous losses.

6: Other Strategies that are Worth a Try

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Start Small to Win Big

One strategy is to assume that the wins don’t come quickly, and you need to work your way up. This leads to a strategy known as priming the pump, where you begin with a number of smaller bets and then work your way up. One the other hand, this actually doesn’t work as a strategy; the odds remain consistent no matter when you start playing. So, it’s an idea, but it doesn’t necessarily hold up to scrutiny.

Chose the Machines at the End of Rows

If you’re playing in a casino, a traditional approach is to choose the machines at the ends of rows. The idea is that these are the most visible machines, and Casino owners can generate more business if people are seen winning. However, these days, it’s more common to have wins registered with tickets and the roar of coins pouring into the hopper is much less common, so passers-by don’t necessarily know you’re winning. It seems more likely that all the machines in a row have the same odds, but it’s always worth a shot; it can’t really hurt to try.

Pick the ‘Hot’ Machine

This can be a bit of a mixed bag as a tip because some people say one thing and others say something else. Sometimes players will go for machines that have just made a payout, figuring that these are hot machines. Others will look at machines that haven’t made a big payout in a while, and figure that these machines will be due to make a big payout. Alternatively ,you can watch for near misses, where the game comes up with rows that are very nearly a win.

The reality is that this is just random variation in the number of payouts the machine makes. There are actually no ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ machines. Even near misses don’t have any influence on the next outcome. But it can be fun to watch what’s happening, and it might help you strike lucky.

7: Avoid These Strategies

You may come across some other possibilities that seem like a good idea. However, these tend to cross the line into cheating. Most of these relate to physical slots, which are more susceptible to cheating than the online version. Casinos take a very dim view of cheating, so it’s worth bearing in mind that the following are not good ways to increase your return:

-Using a coin on a piece of string to trigger the mechanism for credit without every paying for a game.

-Using fake coins to trigger the casino mechanism.

-Using magnets to change the position of the wheels (most slots aren’t susceptible to these anymore,but a few vintage machines might be manipulated in this way).

You’re unlikely to get away with these for long because casinos watch you like a hawk even if you think they’re not paying attention. The penalties for not playing fair can be severe, so it’s best to stay away from anything dodgy.

Winning at Slots is Within Your Grasp

Yes, you can win at slots. You can’t win all the time, but you can win better and be more consistent in your strategy. The bottom line for all of these is that it’s good to be prepared rather than just barge in relentlessly, hoping for the best. There’s no failsafe solution that can guarantee wins, but these ideas might give you a few good strategies to try. If you feel pepped up and ready to dive in, then why not have a go at the vast range of slots at Legiano or check out the great games at Burano and let us know how you get on.