Readers ask if quick reflexes are the key to winning

1. Good slot machine strategy focuses on two things – increasing your chances of winning and helping you save money you might otherwise lose. This page was conceived as the ultimate online resource for no-nonsense slot machine strategy tips. Included here are: Common-sense responses to common misconceptions about slots.
2. Choose the slot machine according to your bankroll and betting limits. Remember, slots is a gambling game, therefore make sure you treat it wisely and choose a machine according to the amount of money you can afford to wager. Otherwise you risk to reach the 'quit point' very fast.
3. The average slot machine payout is around eighty-nine cents to the dollar in the US. In short, for every dollar that you gamble you will win eighty-nine cents back. While this does not guarantee you will win anything, it can help you judge whether or not you’re on a hot streak or just plain ice cold.

By John Grochowski

However, before we reveal more tips and tricks on how to beat a slot machine, we should make it clear that you can win or lose on any slot game regardless of its RTP. Even a game with a 98% RTP doesn’t guarantee that you are going to win, and these percentages are based over a long period of time rather than just one playing session.

Slot Machine Betting Strategy

I keep a list of questions that I’m most often asked about slot machines. You could probably tick off some of them: “Are games programmed to go cold after a big win?” “Do you get less payback when you use your rewards card?” And the big one, “Can you tell me how to win?”

Those have been standards ever since I started writing about casinos and casino games 20 years ago. But recently, another question has been shooting up the charts. I have it all the way up at No. 2 on the readers’ hit parade:

“I’ve noticed on a lot of video slot games that if I hit the button a second time while the reels are spinning, they stop right away. I was wondering if I could use this to my advantage. If I see the bonus triggers or the jackpot symbols at the top, should I quickly hit the button again and try to stop the reels?”

I had that thought myself the first time I accidentally double-hit a button and saw the reels click to an immediate halt. Could this be an answer to the chart-topping question, “how to win on the slots?”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. In nearly all slot games that allow you to stop the reels, there is no skill or timing involved on your part. The random number generator has already determined your outcome when you hit the button to spin the reels, and you’re going to get the same result regardless of whether you stop the reels early, or let them halt in their own time.

When you play a slot machine, the game isn’t actually being played out on the reels, whether it uses “real” reels or video reels. It’s being played internally, on the game’s random number generator. The reels are just a player-friendly interface, and are told where to stop by the RNG. If there’s a malfunction and the reel display doesn’t match the numbers generated, it’s the RNG that counts. Large jackpots can be denied—and have been denied—if a check shows the random numbers on the internal computer chip don’t match the winning symbols on the reels.

But this is extremely rare. The engineering is good enough that almost all the time, the RNG and reel display are going to match up. This doesn’t change if you double-hit the bet button. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a single bar, then you’re going to get a single bar—regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a “quick stop,” or just let them take their own sweet time.

There are rare exceptions. When I’ve answered similar questions in the past, I’ve mentioned IGT’s Reel Edge games. In their original incarnation, Reel Edge games enabled players to touch and stop the reels one at a time. There was actual skill involved. Your timing in stopping the reels determined the outcome. The reels spun very, very fast, so it was going take a keen eye and sharp reflexes to get better than random results, but it was possible.

I gave it a try, and found my reflexes just weren’t fast enough to generate more than my normal share of winners. In the original three-reel Blood Life game, I identified a green 7 as the easiest symbol to pick out as it whizzed by. I touched each reel individually as I saw a green 7 reach the top of the slot window, and managed to stop 7s on all three reels. Alas, I failed to land them all on the same payline. Some younger folks with quicker reactions may have been able to do better.

I don’t know if any of the first generation of Reel Edge games remain on casino floors. They were never widespread, and I don’t get lists from casinos or manufacturers telling me what games are available in any given casino. The new generation of Reel Edge puts the skill-based portions of the games in the bonus events.

Blood Life’s updated video incarnation, Blood Life Legends, allows you to test your skill with a joystick to guide a bat through the ups, downs, twists and turns of a cave as you try to collect gems for bonuses. There is actual skill involved, but it’s not the reel-stopping experience readers have been asking about.

On most slot games, even in the bonus events you’re getting an illusion of skill rather than actual skill. And when it comes to stopping the reels, it’s the random number generator, not your reflexes, that determines the results.

What about my readers’ other top questions?

To answer another—no, games are not programmed to go cold after big wins. Results remain as random as humans can program a computer to be. As long as the RNG keeps doing its thing, any big jackpot, any hot streak, and any cold streak eventually fade away into statistical insignificance, and the machine comes very close to its expected payback percentage.

No, you don’t get less payback when you use your rewards card. The player rewards system doesn’t interact with the RNG.

And no, with rare exceptions, there is no way to beat the slots except by being in the right place at the right time. There have been opportunities for small profit on games with banked bonuses such as the old WMS game Piggy Bankin’, where the sharpies would start to play only when there were enough coins in the bank to give the player an edge.

Such games are not common. Just as with stopping the reels early, your results are up to chance and the RNG.

Players who prefer slot machines to other casino games do not gamble simply for profit, but they also want to have a good time playing. So in order to play the game for longer and benefit from your favorite slot games we recommend you to follow some slots tips that have been developed by experienced players. They will help not to lose at slot machines or online slots of different types and become a real long-term winner regardless the size of the bankroll.

Quick Slot Tips

If you are going to visit a land or online casino to get the rush and thrill of slot machines do not forget to follow some basic slot recommendations. Even if you do not use any special slot machine strategies you can still end up a winner every time you gamble. So, below we explain some do's and don'ts when you play slots.

Advanced Slot Tips

Now let's consider all the slots tips in more detail. The following advanced recommendations from the real pros are not obligatory but are considered to be the most effective methods of winning when playing online and offline.

1. Manage your bankroll.
To built up a gaming strategy, the slot player must first of all decide on the bankroll and the size of bets. The smartest tips are to stretch the betting amount, pocket all the winnings, know when to stop and never try to win money back, because you can lose even more.

Slot Machine Betting Tips 1x2

2. Set up betting limits.
Choose the slot machine according to your bankroll and betting limits. Remember, slots is a gambling game, therefore make sure you treat it wisely and choose a machine according to the amount of money you can afford to wager. Otherwise you risk to reach the 'quit point' very fast.

3. Bet Max at progressive slots.
When playing at the progressive slot machines, bet the maximum amount of coins and bet on all the paylines. It will be a pity if you have the best combination but don't win the jackpot because you haven't Bet Max.

4. Look for extra slot bonuses.
Choose a machine with extra bonuses and special offers such as bonus free spins or bonus rounds. Such games are not only fun but also provide more chances of winning cash.

Slot Machine Betting Tips Horse Racing

5. Play only loose machines.
Not all slot machines are based on the same RNG, therefore always look for loose slot machines with the highest payback. Most casinos advertise the slots payback percentages. However, if you cannot figure out the payback statistics remember that as a rule $5 (or higher) slot machines provide the highest paybacks of up to 99%.

6. Practice slots for free.
Before playing for real money, practice a lot in order to know all the game options and learn how to win at slots. You can try our free slots or play slot games in fun mode at online casinos.

Slot Machine Betting System

7. Check the paytable before the game.
Carefully study the slots paytable before you play to make sure that you know which combinations will win you money and to have an idea of what you are paid out for. Don't rush to play at the first machine you see but look for the slots with the highest payouts.

Slot Machine Betting Tips Against

8. Don't believe in slots myths.
Do not believe in the widespread slots myths. Don't forget that there is no such thing as a hot or cold machine, therefore pick the one you like and enjoy the game. Remember also that there is no 100% effective system of beating slots and any strategies offered you for buying are useless.

Casino Slot Machine Winning Tips

9. Benefit from slots comps.
Most casinos provide casino comps for slot players in the form of free lunches and dinners, hotel rooms, tickets, bonuses, etc. In such way you can save money for playing rather than spend big sums on accommodation and meals.

10. Ask the professionals.
In case you have any questions about the rules, payouts, bonuses or other options, feel free to ask the casino support as they are there for you 24/7.