How to Beat Slot Machine Games

Winning at slots is the dream of any player who has sat down at a machine – online or at the casino. However, most players don't take the time to develop a strategy to win at slot machines.

Truthfully, there's nothing you can do to guarantee success at slots. But there are things you can do to help you play longer, gain some of the house edge back, and have more fun.

To accomplish these goals it's important to understand how slots work, practice money management, and take advantage of casino comps.

How Slot Machines Work

Nowadays, most slot machines on the floor are video slots. Once mastered, these are much more fun than traditional 3-reel machines, but they can intimidate brand new players. With as many as 100 paylines and the ability to bet several coins per line, these so-called "penny slots" can put a big dent in your bankroll – fast.

If you want to win at video slots, the first step is to understand them.  

Random Number Generators
Slot machines in both physical and virtual venues use the same kind of random number generators, or RNGs, to determine the playing outcomes. The RNG never stops working, even when no one is playing. This means that the outcome of every spin is entirely random, making it all but impossible for either the house or a player to cheat. Ethically that's not the way to win at slots anyway.

Pay Tables
In order to win at slots, it's important that players learn the chart known as the Pay Table. This chart tells players what the winning combinations are, how much each combination pays, and whether players get better payoffs betting multiple coins.

For example, winning on a three reel slot machine typically calls for betting the maximum in order to win a payout worth playing for. At the same time, a player's chance of winning at slot machines improves if betting maximum lines, but not maximum bets, when playing multi-reel or multi-line slot machines.

Free Spins, Multipliers, Scatters, and Progressives 
Another thing to learn is what special enhancements a game might have, such as free spins, bonus games or progressive jackpots. A game with free spins can help preserve your bankroll. Bonus games provide opportunities to win even more money.

Progressive jackpots are an innovation that has produced some truly spectacular wins, but most of the time you have to bet the max in order to qualify. Players with small bankrolls should avoid progressives that require a max bet.

Video Slots Strategy
An easy strategy for multi-line video slots is the always bet the maximum paylines for the machine you're playing and adjust how much you bet per line according to your bankroll. For example, if you're playing a 20-line machine and have a $20 bankroll, bet all 20 lines at $0.01 per line ($0.20 per spin).

Betting all lines gives you a higher hit rate and a better shot at hitting a bonus round or some free spins.

Bonus Game Slots Strategy
Slot machines with bonus games may help players win at slots more than big-money progressive jackpots. That's because free spins and bonus rounds for certain combinations add to a player's gaming time, as well as providing the opportunity for winning at slotsmore often.

Many bonus-game slots offer wild symbols that work just like wild cards in poker. Since the wild symbol can stand in for any other symbol, it increases the changes of winning at slot machines offering both cash and bonuses. Another common icon on bonus games is the scatter symbol. This symbol will create a winning combination without having to be on the same line. Often as few as two scatter symbols will result in some kind of small payout that will lengthen the game play.

To win at slots with bonus games, the player's strategy should be to try and stay in the game as long as possible in order to reach the bonus levels, which is where the big payoffs are.

Bankroll Management for Winning on Slots

Another thing that's important for winning at slots is money management. It's reckless to bring $100 for the weekend and play $5 slots. So how should you manage your $100 bankroll?

Here's an example of how you can use money management to win more at slots:
You have $100 to use for an evening at the casino. You make it your goal to win $50 during the session.

After a couple of hours you hit a decent win during a bonus round and you are up to $150. Now you must decide how much of your winnings you're willing to risk for a chance to win more. Let's say you want to keep playing and are willing to risk 50% to win $50 more.

In other words, you'll quit if you go down to $125 or up to $200. You play for a while and go on a hot streak and get up to $200. You want to keep playing so you decide to quit if you go down to $150 or get up to $300. Since you're on a hot streak and playing with money you've won, you increase your per line bet to try and hit some larger wins.

After an hour you lose the $50 and decide to grab a free meal and go home +$50. Not a bad day's work!

Using Slot Clubs

You might not be able to learn how to win at slots but you can certainly take advantage of slot promotions and comps. Slots are the biggest money-maker for the casino, so they make sure to take care of their best customers by offering free giveaways, rooms, meals, and entertainment.

Make sure to become a member of the casino's players club and always use your card when you're playing. One of the biggest slot machine myths around is that using playing with your card will limit how much you win, which is completely untrue.

Make sure to take advantage of free slot tournaments and cash giveaways whenever possible. Every time you participate in these events or get comped you gain back some of the edge the house has.

Conclusion on How to Win at Slot Games

All a player needs to do to win at slots is to understand the machines, save up a bankroll and play within preset limits, and take advantage of casino giveaways and comps. This objective approach may not always result in a financial payoff, but it's certain to result in lots of gaming entertainment satisfaction. Hopefully this article helped you learn how to win at slots.