How to Play Slots: The Ultimate Guide to Slots Strategy
Slot machines are among the most popular casino games worldwide. Whether you're playing online or at a land-based casino, understanding how slots work can help you maximize your entertainment and even improve your player experience.
So, how do you play slots?
When learning how to play slots, many casino players often wonder, is there a strategy to playing (and winning)? We can't promise that, but our guide will walk you through the essentials, from paylines and symbols, to strategy and bankroll management.
What you'll learn in this 'How to Play Slots' Guide:
Unfortunately, there’s no surefire way to win on these games of chance when playing at an online casino, and they are notorious for their random payouts. However, there are aspects of slots strategy that can set you up to have a better overall experience.
In this definitive how to play slots guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about slot machine payouts and the different types of slots on the market. We’ll also discuss some key aspects of slot games that you need to know. Once you’ve got a firm understanding of how these games work and the best ways to play them, you can improve your enjoyment of the games and maximize your chances of making a return.
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Understanding Slot Machines
The first step in learning how to play slots is understanding how the games work. Slots come in various forms, from classic three-reel machines that you can still find in casinos to modern video slots with advanced features and eye-catching graphics, so it's essential to know the differences of each type, but also their standard features.
Here’s what you need to know about the typical features of (most) slot games:
- Reels and Symbols: Most slot games have 3 to 5 reels with various symbols. The goal is to land winning combinations of these symbols.
- Paylines: Slots feature multiple paylines, which are the patterns in which symbols must align to create a win. The more paylines active, the higher the chances of winning.
- Miniumum and Maximum Bet: Players choose how much to wager per spin. The max bet button allows you to bet the highest amount permitted per spin.
- Random Number Generator (RNG): This technology is the engine at the heart of each slot, and ensures all spins are random and fair.
Types of Slot Machines
Let's dig a little deeper into the types of slot machines you can play and the features each type usually include:
| Type of Slot | Features |
|---|---|
| Classic Slots | Typically have three reels, fewer paylines, simple gameplay that is reminiscent of traditional slot machines. |
| Video Slots | Feature five or more reels, include bonus rounds, multipliers, and special symbols. Offer immersive themes and animations. |
| Progressive Slots | Feature a jackpot that increases as players make bet, leading to sizeable payouts. Often linked across multiple casinos or games. |
Slot Machine Special Features
Modern slot games come packed with various features designed to enhance gameplay and offer a new experience for players. Each feature aims to provide additional routes to win or extra bonuses alongside the main mechanism of the slot itself, so part of learning how to play slots is some familiarity with these elements.
Wilds
Wilds are special symbols that can replace other symbols on paylines to generate wins. They are usually the most important symbols in the game and can also sometimes trigger bonus features.
Scatter Symbols
Scatter symbols are special icons that can pay out regardless of their position on the reels, often triggering bonus features.
Multipliers
Multipliers are special features of symbols that increase the value of a winning combination and lead to a higher payout. These usually occur during the game’s special features.
Bonus Rounds
Bonus rounds are side features of slot games that give you the chance to win higher payouts. Most online slots come with a free spins bonus, while many come with additional features as well.
Autoplay
The autoplay feature in slots allows players to spin the reels automatically for a set number of times without manually pressing the spin button each time. This feature means that you can spin a slot game without needing to interact with the game, but you should take care to ensure you're not spending too much per spin.
How to Play Slots: The PokerNews Guide
There are plenty of different ways to approach playing slot games when learning how to play slots, but as most games follow more or less the same mechanic, our step-by-step guide will cover the basics of starting to play online slots.
Follow the steps below with your favorite online slot game, and see where you end up!
- Choose a Slot Game:
Pick a slot based on theme, RTP, volatility, and features. Read slot reviews to get a better idea of the types of games you might prefer to play. - Set Your Bet:
Adjust your wager according to your bankroll, ensuring you are playing in accordance with the minimum and maximum bet amounts. - Check the Paytable:
Understand winning combinations, the value of specific symbols, and any special features that form part of the slot game. - Spin the Reels:
Press the spin button to start playing, or use autoplay for multiple spins. - Trigger Bonuses:
Land scatters, wilds and multipliers or other features for the chance of extra wins. - Cash Out or Continue Playing:
If you get lucky, choose to withdraw your winnings or keep playing responsibly and within your limits.
Never chase losses
Always set limits
Take regular breaks
Slot Machine Payouts and RTP
Every slot game has a Return to Player (RTP) percentage, which indicates how much money a slot returns to players over time. A higher RTP means better chances of winning, although you should bear in mind that this figure is an average that is calculated across thousands and thousands of spins. This means that although a higher RTP technically means a game has a better chance of providing a win, this is not guaranteed. A good knowledge of RTP rates and how they affect slot games is a key component in learning how to play slots.
Additionally, slots have different volatility levels, which can be used to gauge the likelihood of a win occurring. Voltatility is usually measured as:
| Low Volatility | Medium Volatillity | High Volatility |
|---|---|---|
| Frequent but smaller wins. | A balance between frequency and payout size. | Less frequent but larger payouts. |
Slot Machine Payouts
The objective of slot games is to land a specific combination of symbols on the paylines to win a payout. Payouts are determined by the slot machine's paytable, which lists the winning combinations and their corresponding rewards.
The paytable also shows the value of each symbol, indicating how much you win for matching different symbols on a payline. In our experience, it's a good idea to check out the paytable of a slot before you start playing. Then, you know which symbols are higher in value and can watch out for them when they drop.
Paylines are the lines across the reels where winning combinations must land to receive a payout. Traditional slot machines usually have a single payline running horizontally across the center of the reels, but modern ones can have multiple paylines in various patterns.
Some slots have fixed paylines, meaning you must bet on all of them, while others allow you to choose how many paylines to activate.
Did you know?
Some Megaways games can have more than 100,000 paylines!
Calculating a Payout
The payout amount depends on the type and number of symbols you land on the active paylines. Some symbols may act as wilds, substituting for other symbols to form winning combinations and potentially increasing payouts.
Some slots feature progressive jackpots, where a small portion of each bet contributes to a growing jackpot that can be won by landing a specific combination or at random.
Basic Slots Strategy
While slots are based on luck, when you learn how to play slots, you can also teach yourself certain strategies to improve your gaming experience:
- Manage Your Bankroll: Set a budget and stick to it (we've explained more about this below).
- Choose High RTP Slots: Look for slots with an RTP of 96% or higher.
- Take Advantage of Free Play: Practice with free slots before wagering real money.
- Use Bonuses and Free Spins: Many online casinos offer promotions with free spins to extend your gameplay.
- Understand Slot Volatility: Pick games that match your risk tolerance.
Bankroll Management Strategies
One of the most important strategies for playing slot machines is to manage your finances and make sure you don’t overspend. Here are our top tips for bankroll management:
- Set a Budget: Determine the amount of money you are comfortable spending on slots and consider it as your bankroll. Only use disposable income, and never gamble with money meant for essentials like bills or savings.
- Divide Your Bankroll: Split your bankroll into sessions or sessions within sessions if you plan to play for an extended period. This helps you avoid spending your entire bankroll too quickly.
- Bet Wisely: Decide on a reasonable bet size that allows you to play for a decent amount of time without depleting your bankroll too fast. A common rule of thumb is to bet no more than 1-2% of your total bankroll per spin.
- Set Win and Loss Limits: Decide on a winning threshold at which you'll stop playing and cash out your profits. Additionally, set a loss limit to determine when you'll quit playing to avoid significant losses.
- Take Breaks: Don't play for extended periods without breaks. Taking breaks can help you refresh your mind and prevent impulsive decisions when you're on a losing streak.
- Utilize Bonuses and Promotions: Some online casinos offer bonuses and promotions. Just make sure you read and understand the terms and conditions before using them. Use these offers to your advantage, but don't let them start reckless gambling behavior.
Advanced Slot Machine Strategies
The best strategy for maximizing your chances of returns on online slots is to search for bonus offers at a range of online casinos and use them to your advantage.
Many sites now offer free spins on selected slot games for new players. By playing these titles at maximum stakes, you could win without having to invest any of your own money.
But what else is there to try when you're spinning the reels? Here are some more advanced slots strategies to consider:
Note that these online slot strategies work best with games that have a low volatility since you will have to adjust the size of the bet as you go.
Levels Betting
The most popular slots strategy uses steps to determine the size of the bet. You start by setting the size of a bet unit. This should be around 1% of your available bankroll for the session. You start by betting one unit and you increase the level after five consecutive losses. Each level should be worth five units.
For example, if we are betting $1 per spin and we lose five in a row, we increase the level and start betting $5. If we lose another five rounds in a row, the next level will be at 10 units, so we are now betting $10 per spin. After a win, we reset to the initial betting level and start the process all over again.
The goal with this strategy for winning at slots is to win back our losses. By increasing the bet, we can receive a larger payout when landing a winning combination. Plus, if we trigger the free spins mode on a higher level, the profits will be significant. The risk is that a dry run will result in a large bet that is difficult to sustain.
Fixed Percentage Betting
This strategy requires players to be more involved with every win, so having a calculator close by is recommended. Instead of changing the size of the bet based on won or lost rounds, the system has a fixed bet determined as a percentage of the available balance. Using 5% can be convenient, but we prefer staying safe and only betting 3%.
So, let’s say that we start with $100, which means our first bet is 3%. We spin the reels and we win $13. Now that we have $110 available, we increase the bet to $3.30, or which betting option is available. Not all slot machines allow for very precise bets. We continue with the strategy until we end the session.
When learning how to win at slots, this optimizer strategy is great for taking advantage of hot games that are paying well above average. You get to increase the bet size and thus take advantage of the streak. Moreover, the system can even be beneficial during losing streaks since you reduce the bet to limit the amount of money lost. The drawback is that it can be difficult to apply and can take some of the fun out of the session.
Martingale Betting System (with a limit)
The Martingale betting system is one of the best strategies for games with even money payouts. However, since slots don’t exactly fit in this category, we suggest using a slightly modified Martingale system by adding a maximum limit. As a result, learning how to win at slots with Martingale remains simple and straightforward.
With this betting strategy, you are doubling the bet after each loss and then resetting the stake after a win. We only recommend going up to 16 times the original bet in order to avoid reaching an unaffordable stake. After a winning round, you should reset the bet to the starting amount.
Progressive Jackpot Strategy
When playing progressive jackpot slots, it is wise to adopt a different strategy. Most casino jackpot slots have a low RTP if we take the rare prizes out of the equation. Despite the fact that jackpot slots generally have a low RTP (once you remove the rare prizes), the size of the prizes on offer means that they are appealing to all slot players.
First things first, with a jackpot slot, is checking what you need to do to be eligible to spin:
- Typically, these games come with a slightly higher minimum bet level than other slots, or you may need to bet a certain amount before you have the chance to win the biggest prizes.
- Sometimes, the jackpot can only be won from the bonus round, and these can only be triggered at certain points in the game.
- Another eligibility factor is an opt-in for the jackpot itself, and this may require making additional bets of a certain size.
With these eligibility factors and any others you might find, your best option is always to game details or information before you commit to playing.
Another key aspect of playing progressive jackpot slot games is playing for a long time. Winning. a jackpot is a rare event, so you may find you need to commit to spinning for longer than usual. In these scenarios, it is critical to ensure you have the necessary bankroll to make your bets, but never spend more than you intend to, and take regular breaks.
Our last word on jackpot slots is to start small. Make the smallest bets you can initially and build up over time. The jackpot is growing all the time on these games, and you are more likely to win with a larger bet, so you might need to wait until the prize has already reached an impressive level.
Practice Slots for Free Online
If you want to get the hang of slot games and how they work, we highly recommend playing some free games first. There are numerous social casinos and sweepstakes casino sites that offer free slot games that you can play with Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins. Our top-rated option is LuckyLand Slots.
Play Online Slots for Real Money
Once you’ve got a feel for playing online slots for free, you may be ready to move on to playing for real money. There are loads of online casinos that offer free spins to new players, and we highly recommend that you take advantage of these. Here's a couple of the best:
The Best Real Money Casino for Slots - US
For real money slots in the US (only available in licensed states) look no further than FanDuel Casino. Their slots library includes progressive jackpot games, as well as a huge selection of all the classic slots you'd expect to find.
As an extra sweetener, FanDuel Casino also typically provides a highly rewarding new player bonus, which can include some form of casino bonus cash or free play, depending on your location.
The Best Real Money Casino for Slots - UK & Elsewhere
Our top-rated site outside the US is currently 888casino, who typically offer deposit bonuses and free spins for new players when signing up. These types of bonuses are useful when trying out different slot games at a new casino, so you can work out which ones you prefer to play.
How to Play Slots FAQs
What is an online slot strategy?
There are various approaches to casino slot strategy that you can use to improve your chances of winning. These include picking games with high RTP, bankroll management, and taking advantage of bonuses and promotions.
Can online slot strategies guarantee winning outcomes?
No, there are no guarantees even if you use the best slot strategy. Online slots are random and unpredictable, and you need to be aware that you could end up losing.
Are there specific strategies for different types of online slots?
Yes, depending on the slot you are playing you may need to adapt your strategy. For example, certain progressive jackpot games require a set stake for you to be eligible for the jackpot.
How do I choose the right online slot machine for my strategy?
It’s important that you know what type of slot machine suits your slot strategy. Before you start spinning the reels, read up on the rules and functions of the game, such as the RTP.
Should I play maximum bets when using an online slots strategy?
It depends on the slot game you are playing and the scenario. For example, slots tournament strategy may require you to place maximum bets to win as much as possible in the given timeframe.
Are there any strategies for managing my bankroll while playing online slots?
Yes, bankroll management is one of the most important parts of slot machine strategy. You need to set a budget and stick to it, otherwise, you can end up in the red.
Can I use online slots strategies on mobile devices?
Yes, online slots strategies apply to the same games regardless of the platform on which you are playing them.
Are there any strategies for winning progressive jackpots on online slots?
Progressive jackpots are awarded at random, but there are strategies that give you a chance of winning them. The games may require a certain stake or a side bet for you to have the chance to win them.
