How to Win at Slots: Tips for Playing Slot Machines

Over the last twenty years, we’ve reviewed more than 300 slots. Our expert team has compiled this knowledge into tips to help you maximize your chances to win at slots anytime you spin.

Choose a Slot Suitable for Your Playing Style

You need to know two concepts when it comes to choosing slots for your playing style:

• Return To Player (RTP) = a slot’s theoretical return rate expressed as a percentage
• Volatility = the frequency of how often (on average) prizes hit

You should choose high-RTP slot machines because they offer the best payout potential. When it comes to slot volatility, your preferences matter. Low volatility slots offer smaller but more frequent wins than high volatility slots. If you prefer waiting in the hope of hitting bigger wins, more volatile slots are better.

Choose Higher Denomination Slots

Higher denomination slot machines typically have higher minimum betting limits than standard spinners. It's advantageous if you have a larger bankroll and want to play for bigger prizes. Theoretically, it's better to wager C$4 per spin than four C$1 spins because the potential payout is more prominent. We'll caveat this tip by saying you should always play responsibly and never wager more than you can afford to lose.

Look for High Payout Slots

Selecting higher payout percentage (RTP) slots will boost long-term profits. We recommend choosing slots with an RTP of at least 95% or higher. Choosing the right casino games is the most proven strategy to enhance your winning potential. The payout percentage is usually disclosed on the slot's paytable or in an information section at the online casino.

Practice With Free Slot Games

Another top tip to win at online slots is practicing with demo games. Every spin is free, and you don’t need to register to use the demo slots our recommended online casinos offer. You can’t win cash prizes, but that’s not the point. Free slots allow you to practice different betting strategies. They also allow you to find out if you like a casino game before risking real money. From there, move on to penny slot machines before trying higher-limit games.

Take Advantage of Casino Bonuses

Leveraging casino bonuses should be part of your gambling arsenal because they offer guaranteed rewards. As long as you comply with the casino terms and conditions, you’ll receive extra money or free spins that you can use to play the top online slots. Better than that, free spins allow you to win cash prizes. Bonus funds might have playthrough conditions, yet they provide an opportunity to turn free spins into cash prizes.

Learn How Wins Are Triggered From the Paytable

Before you start playing online slots, take the time to review the paytable. It provides crucial information about the game mechanics and helps you understand how wins are triggered. The paytable outlines all the winning combinations, the value of each symbol, and the corresponding payouts the slot pays. Familiarizing yourself with this information gives you a better chance to strategize your bets and make more informed decisions.

Set a Budget

The uncertain nature of gambling means you need a strict budget for how much you bet. A general rule is that you shouldn’t risk more than 2% of your bankroll any time you play a slot at a casino. Adopting a conservative slot machine strategy gives you more chances to ride online slot's natural ups and downs. Put simply, the longer you’re in the game, the better your chances of hitting an upswing are.

Bet the Maximum

Setting a bet to the maximum in casino games offers a few advantages. Since big slot wins depend on multipliers, placing higher wagers leads to larger payouts. Besides, although many modern casino games have scrapped this rule, some progressive slot machines (such as Mega Moolah) only allow you to win the jackpot with a maximum wager. Nevertheless, be careful and adjust the bet size accordingly if you can’t afford the maximum.

Theoretically, you can improve the odds of winning progressive jackpot prizes. However, remember that wins aren't guaranteed because all video slots are games of chance. The following four tips tap into how progressive jackpot slot machines work and, therefore, aid you in making more successful playing choices.

• Wait for the jackpot to reach a significant size: Progressive jackpots increase until someone wins. Therefore, to maximize your payout potential, you should track when the jackpot was last won and its current size. The longer it’s been since someone won, and the more valuable the jackpot is, the better it is.
• Check the game info for progressive jackpot eligibility: You’ll have the best shot at winning if you understand the specific slot rules. Make sure you know which bets make you eligible to win a progressive jackpot. For example, you can only win 100% of the progressive jackpot’s value in Mega Moolah if you make a maximum bet.
• Be ready to play long sessions: Progressive jackpots at online casinos can hit anytime. Although it's impossible to predict when that will happen, playing longer sessions gives you a better chance of not missing out when a jackpot strikes.
• Make the minimum eligible bet: Building on our previous point, bet sizing, you can bet the smallest amount possible that qualifies you for a jackpot. Slot gaming strategy is a balancing act between risk and reward. The aim is to minimize your risk and maximize your reward. Therefore, if you can bet a small amount and still win a progressive jackpot, do it.

Taking these points into account, along with our casino expert insights, we’ve compiled a list of the best slots with progressive jackpots.

Slot name	Provider	Return to Player (RTP) rate
Mega Moolah	Games Global	88.12%
Mega Fortune	NetEnt	96.6%
Hall of Gods	NetEnt	95.3%
Divine Fortune	NetEnt	96.59%
Cleopatra	IGT	95.02%

Land-based casino slots are similar to their online counterparts. Therefore, the same online casino slot strategies can be applied at land-based casinos. We’re making this point because there are some outdated myths.

One misconception is that casino operators manipulate slot payout rates (RTP). As a result, some people don’t play slot machines at casino peak times because the odds are allegedly worse.

Another misguided concept is hot and cold slots. It assumes slot machines are more likely to pay if it’s been a while since someone won. People watch other slot players at casinos for hours to find a so-called hot slot.

In reality, slot machine payouts are random and unpredictable. Therefore, our final tip is not to waste time looking for patterns. Instead, stick to the practical tips in this guide to maximize your chances each time you play slots at online casino sites or in a land casino setting.