As a result, the house edge for slot machines is often higher than the house edge for other games. Blackjack has a low house edge of between 0.5% and 1% (assuming you play well). Even if you play badly, the house edge at blackjack probably maxes out at 4% or so. But the house edge for most slot machines is 5% or more. This is the first part in a new series we are running on how you can get the most from your online slots play. It is true to say that the odds are set against you when you play a slot machine, but at the same time, you can improve your chance of winning. Play at a gas station, bus terminal or any other place that has slot machine, and it pays out even less. However, there are ways that you can increase your odds. Convert your bankroll to coins or tokens and play only one round, then quit. Presumably, you have won some money along the way.
When you read the seemingly endless stream of slot machine jackpot stories churned out by the media, it can be easy to trick yourself into thinking the old one-armed bandits can be beaten.
Average Slot Machine Odds
After all, if an anonymous player with only $40 deposited in a Megabucks machine can walk away with a $13.1 million jackpot, why can’t the next multimillionaire to beat the odds be you?
Well, it certainly could be, but making that happen is almost entirely reliant on random chance. Slots just aren’t like their skill-based casino counterparts like blackjack and video poker. You can’t play better than other gamblers or use skill and savvy to even the score versus the house.
You don’t get to make decisions that influence where the reels will come to rest, and lacking those essential elements of a skill game, the slots become pure games of chance.
With that said, some slot players out there definitely play worse than others. By failing to recognize the crucial connection between payback percentage rates and expected value or by believing in B.S. systems that claim to make every slot session a sure thing, millions of poor slot players combine to dump billions of dollars into the casino industry’s coffers every year.
You don’t have to be one of them, though, thanks to the six ways to become a better slot machine player listed below.
By adding these tools to your arsenal of slot strategies, you’ll always bet against the best possible odds while avoiding the sucker machines that gobble up bankrolls before less informed players even know what happened.
1 – Don’t Fall for Myths, Misconceptions, Superstition, or Straight-Up Snake-Oil
Spend enough time around the slot machine parlor, and you’ll invariably hear fellow players discussing their preferred systems and strategies.
If they’re talking about payback percentage comparisons, game selection, and bankroll management, by all means, let their wisdom wash over you. Those are thinking players who use common sense and logic — but they’re also a rare breed.
More often than not, when you hear a slot spinner start talking about the “secrets” to winning consistently, they’re referring to completely nonsensical myths and misconceptions.
Some players just refuse to believe that a gambling game can be based on chance alone, so they resort to illogical ideas like “hot” and “cold” machines, casino supervisors controlling when and where jackpots are paid, and even codes appearing on the reels that are indecipherable unless you know what to look for.
The most commonly used slot systems tend to be based on erroneous beliefs, so don’t be surprised to see regulars getting up every few minutes or so to try a new machine.
According to these superstitious players, if a slot isn’t landing on certain symbols right out of the gate, it’s a “cold” game that won’t produce a jackpot for days or months.
Other players walk the floor like scavengers, lying in wait before snagging a machine after it’s been “primed” by an unlucky tourist. These slot vultures believe that a machine is more likely to land a jackpot combination only after it has claimed a certain number of coins.
You’ll even see some players staring closely at the reel screens after every spin, searching for inscrutable patterns like “zig-zags” and “Vs” linking special symbols. For these players, the appearance of a pattern on the reel screen signals that a slot is ready to dispense its most lucrative topline payouts.
Of course, none of these “foolproof” systems for beating the slots will actually work.
Previous spins can’t affect the future, so a machine is just as likely to trigger a jackpot on weekdays as opposed to weekends or when it’s situated in high-traffic areas or off in the corner.
The probabilities have been preprogrammed into the machine’s random number generator (RNG), so there’s no amount of pattern-tracking that can help predict when jackpots will be awarded.
You wouldn’t know that from researching slot strategies online, though — not with so many snake-oil salesmen out there trying to trick hopeful gamblers into spending big bucks on utterly useless products.
Best Odds Slot Machine
You don’t want to be the sucker these hucksters count on to line their pockets, so head here to read up on game selection, payback shopping, and other slot machine strategies that really work.
2 – Only Bring Your Bankroll to the Best Slot Locations Around
By now, most players know that the corporate-owned casinos on the Strip offer the worst slot odds in Sin City.
But until you see the data spelled out clearly, it can be difficult to gauge just how awful Strip slots really are. Fortunately, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) performs annual surveys to compare win rates (for the casino) to player payouts. This data allows the NGCB to calculate average payback percentage rates for all slots in the Silver State — rates which can be broken down based on region and coin denomination.
- The Strip – 88.38%
- Downtown – 89.15%
- Boulder Strip – 90.38%
- Las Vegas – 90.88%
- The Strip – 91.64%
- Downtown – 93.40%
- Las Vegas – 95.29%
- Boulder Strip – 96.21%
- The Strip – 89.35%
- Downtown – 94.25%
- Las Vegas – 96.41%
- Boulder Strip – 96.13%
- The Strip – 92.43%
- Downtown – 94.63%
- Las Vegas – 95.39%
- Boulder Strip – 96.13%
- The Strip – 87.83%
- Las Vegas – 88.52%
- Downtown – 89.07%
- Boulder Strip – 91.35%
- The Strip – 91.96%
- Downtown – 92.67%
- Las Vegas – 93.53%
- Boulder Strip – 94.34%
As you can clearly see, warnings about the Strip are far from superstitious — they’re entirely accurate. Across the board, you’ll always face the worst odds when spinning on the Strip, so take your bankroll to Boulder City, Downtown, or North Las Vegas instead.
3 – Choose a Higher Coin Denomination to Increase Your Payback Percentage
Take a second look at the data shown above, but focus on the coin denominations rather than the region.
When you do, you’ll notice a close correlation between bigger bets and a better payback percentage for players. When you grind the penny slots, your average payback rate stands right around 90% — giving the house a huge edge of 10%.
But when you bump the stakes up only slightly to a nickel per spin, the payback rate climbs to over 94% on average. That figure inches even higher on the $1 machines, so whenever possible, ditch the penny slots for a much better play.
4 – Don’t Play Drunk, High, or Tired to Avoid Making Mistakes
This one sounds simple enough, but when the complimentary cocktails start flowing, even a normally reasonable gambler can start betting with reckless abandon.
The casinos count on that too, so don’t cooperate with their attempts to further separate slot players from their money. Staying sober and alert at the machines is the best way to prevent poor decisions, and poor decisions by players represent the casino industry’s lifeblood.
5 – Take a Visual Tour of How Slot Machines Really Work
You can’t slay a dragon without studying its tendencies first, and that holds especially true for slot enthusiasts.
Unless you know exactly how the modern video slots and RNGs really work, it can be far too easy to succumb to superstition.
That’s why I recommend using this extremely cool 3-D, 360-degree visual tour of a slot machine’s inner workings.
6 – Study a Slot Machine Glossary to Learn the Latest Lingo
If you’re still wondering about the difference between paylines and payback percentage, or progressive vs. fixed jackpots, we can help.
How To Pick A Winning Slot Machine
Consider this detailed slot machine glossary to be required reading.
Slot machines are fun, easy to learn, and wildly entertaining when the reels are cooperating. On the other hand, most slot games are designed to put players in an almost inescapable hole, with payback percentages hovering around 90% to create the ultimate longshot.
Knowing how to avoid the worst machines while bringing your money to the most player-friendly slots is half the battle, so keep these six tips in mind the next time you embark on that jackpot journey.
One final tip is for those of you how play slot machines online. Make sure that you stick to safe and trusted online casinos, as you’ll get a much better experience overall.