If you’ve ever played games at an online casino, you know that slots are the most popular game type. They come in all kinds of forms, from old-school slot machines with a few reels and paylines to contemporary slot games with thousands of winning ways. Love them or not, slots are here to stay. They’re also easy to play and can be rewarding if you manage to hit it off with a good strategy.
Many of you are now probably thinking: strategies don’t work in chance-based games. And you’re right, they rarely do, especially on slots. But, there are a few strategies – or rather tips – that you can follow in order to get the most out of your slot sessions.
Slot Strategies and Tips
Despite the fact they’ve largely gone digital, slots are still as easy to play as one-armed bandits. The difference between them is that you must fund your account with trusted payment methods online before you can play for real money. Another key difference is that online slots can be tried for free, so you get to check out a game and see if you like it without spending any money.
Most players simply start spinning the reels as soon as they find a good slot. That’s the wrong approach. While you can’t play slots with a strategy like you may do with blackjack, there are a few tips that will help you get the most out of slot games. We’ll cover the most important things you need to know below.
Learn Basic Slot Strategy
When you spin online slots, the outcome of each spin is based on luck. But, you can learn a basic slot strategy to improve your chances of winning more. This means that you need to learn a few basic things, such as a slot’s specs and rules and how coin values and lines work.
The first thing you should do is check the RTP and volatility. The volatility shows you how often the slot in question pays out per spin. If it’s a highly volatile slot, you might hit bigger wins less frequently. Low to medium-volatile slot pay smaller wins more often.
The RTP is the amount of wagers a slot game keeps on average. So, if you choose a slot with an RTP of 96%, it means that you can expect 96% of your bets back for every $100 you wager. This is just a theoretical percentage and it works over a higher number of bets. If you only play the slot for 10 spins, the outcome might be different.
By checking the stats, you should be able to devise a basic strategy. Always play at the maximum number of paylines and take things slow with highly volatile slots. If you max out each bet, you will most likely lose a lot of money fast.
Manage Your Bankroll
The first thing you should do before playing slot games online – or any casino games at all – is to manage your bankroll. By managing your bankroll, we mean setting limits for your gaming escapades and bets. Set a betting unit for yourself – something like $1 per unit – and you will be able to track progress on how much you spend easily.
Why is this important? Just like with any form of financial management, spending money without any limits will get you in trouble faster than you know. Managing your bankroll is a crucial strategy, especially with fast-paced games such as slots which can chip away at your bankroll faster than any other game.
Try Slots for Free
One of the things that makes slots such a popular game is the availability of game demos. In short, you can play all online slots for free, which allows you to take a game for a test ride and see if you like it. That’s not something you can do on Las Vegas floors. There are no demos there – you can try any game as long as you slide a coin in it.
Things work differently online, and you have more flexibility to test games and see if you like them. Check out this list of casinos in the USA, and you’ll find many that allow you to play slots for free even without creating an account.
Play Slots with Recent Wins
Many casino sites post the most recent wins on slots on either the homepage or built-in within the slot. This can help you spot if there’s a pattern on a specific game. For example, if the last 5 wins are on a slot game such as Book of Ra, you might have better chances there. Not that it’s a guarantee, but slots with recent wins are more certainly winners.
That might be true for low and medium-volatile slot games which pay more frequently. Of course, you’ll need to adjust your strategy in terms of betting and bankroll management in these cases. Some online casinos usually feature slots with many winners as their game of the week. You can’t go wrong in this case, so always stick to the most popular games at each casino site.
Use Bonuses
Another good and simple slot strategy is to use bonuses whenever you can find one. If it allows you to play slots, a bonus is a great way of playing a slot and hopefully winning without spending a lot of money.
There’s a catch, though – no bonus ever comes for free. You’ll likely need to wager it a certain number of times before withdrawal, but either way, it’s better than reaching into your wallet.
Stick to a Few Slots
Instead of scattering your money across many titles – no longer how appealing it may seem – it’s better to stick to one or a few slots at most. That’s because you’ll learn more about them in particular after trying game demos, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. Focus on a slot with balanced specs and keep going at it. With a good betting strategy and by playing responsibly, you will be getting out the most out of your sessions.