I don’t usually recommend slots for new gamblers, but I also know that many amateur gamblers love to play these one-armed bandits. Slot machines are usually some of the worst games for gamblers in the casino. And if you’re not careful, these fun distractions are going to take all of your money.

I’ve put together a list of 11 tips and tactics for new slots players. These 11 quick tips aren’t going to help you win in the long run, but they are going to help you have more fun when playing slots for real money.

It was true when three-reel games ruled slot floors, and it’s true now when the large majority of games are video slots: Dollar slots yield a higher payback percentage than quarter slots, which may more than nickel slots, which pay more than penny games.That doesn’t mean everyone should rush out and play dollar slots. There are factors beyond payback percentage, including entertainment. ELK Studios slots introduce a new way of playing casino games with the launch of Betting Strategies. A betting strategy is a predefined betting pattern that automatically changes the bet level depending on a set of rules. A player can change or turn off the betting strategy after any bet. Betting Strategies work well in combination with Auto Play. The next time you’re in a live casino, take a walk around some of the slot machine areas. The odds are good that you’re going to see many slots players in what looks like a trance. They sit staring blankly at the screen and automatically hit the spin button every few seconds. This is exactly how every casino wants slots players to act. The fifth strategy for slot machine success pertains only to brick and mortar casinos. The design of the casino floor and often the table game and slot machine placement are very purposeful. Never play the slot machines that are the closest to the restrooms or directly near the exits for a couple of reasons.

1 – Avoid the Slot Machine Trance

The next time you’re in a live casino, take a walk around some of the slot machine areas. The odds are good that you’re going to see many slots players in what looks like a trance. They sit staring blankly at the screen and automatically hit the spin button every few seconds.

The slot machine trance is costly, and amateur slots players need to be aware of it so they can avoid it. Take a break from the machines frequently so you don’t fall into this trap.

2 – Understand Return to Player

Every slot machine has a software program that runs the machine. This isn’t how old-fashioned slot machines worked, but it’s how all slot machines work today. And this is true whether you play live slots or on your computer or mobile device.

This software program has instructions that dictate how much the slot machine keeps and how much it gives back to gamblers. The amount the machine is programmed to give back is called return to player.

The easiest way to understand return to player is to consider it as a percentage. A slot machine with a 93% return to player pays out 93% of all the wagers it takes back to players.

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Return to player is a long range or overall percentage, so in the short run, it goes up and down. But over thousands of spins, the return to player percentage is always realized. This is important to know as a slots player because if you bet $100 on a machine with a 93% return to player you’re only going to get back $93 on average.

It’s not easy to find return to player percentages for slot machines, but you should try to find it for as many machines as possible. And then you should only play on the machines with the highest returns.

3 – Understand How Casino Bonuses Work

One of the few good things about playing slots is that you can get some nice casino bonuses if you’re willing to play mobile or online slots. If you can double your bankroll, or triple it, you can play a lot longer before you run out of money.

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The next thing you need to know is what you have to do to meet the requirements of the bonus. This is usually a minimum amount you must risk based on the amount of your deposit and bonus. This is usually a multiple.

A 30x requirement on the deposit and bonus amount means you have to make wagers totaling at least 30 times the total amount of your deposit and bonus.

4 – Investigate the Casino Slots Club

Many casinos have a slots club available. It might be called something else, but they all work basically the same. You sign up for the club and earn some type of compensation when you play.

This is usually a small percentage of what you risk, but it’s better to get something back when you play slots than not getting anything.

Find out if the casino where you play has a VIP program and sign up.

5 – Coin Size Considerations

If you bet $3 on a spin playing slots you’re going to lose more than if you risk $1 on a spin. Remember how the return to player percentage works. The higher your coin or bet amount, the more you lose on average.

This means that one of the best ways to be able to play longer on your bankroll is to play on machines that let you risk less on every spin. Find a slot machine that has a small bet size and you can save money in the long run.

6 – Playing Speed Implications

Another thing that directly influences how much you lose playing slots is how many spins you play. If you play 600 spins every hour you’re going to lose more than when you take 300 or 400 spins every hour.

The nice thing about slot machines is you control how many spins you take every hour. You don’t get kicked off the machine for not taking enough spins. Train yourself to play slots slower to extend your playing time and limit your losses.

7 – Why Games Within Games Exist

Many newer slot machines have games inside of the main game or bonus rounds that you can unlock. These all seem like good things when you’re playing slot machines, but the truth is that these features are in the games to get you to play longer.

And anything that keeps you playing slots longer is good for the casino. Remember, the longer you play slots, the more you lose.

You can enjoy the games within the game and bonus rounds and story slots, but always remember that these things are there to make you play slots longer.

8 – The Difference Between a Jackpot and a Progressive

Some slot machines have jackpots. And some machines have progressive jackpots. These are both jackpots, but progressive jackpots are slightly different than regular jackpots.

A regular jackpot always stays the same amount. A progressive jackpot grows as more gamblers play the machine until a lucky gambler wins it. Then, the progressive jackpot resets to a lower amount and starts growing again.

9 – Limiting Your Slots Gambling Losses

You can use some of the strategies that I’ve already covered to limit your slots losses, but there’s another simple step you can take that works perfectly.

Decide exactly how much you’re willing to lose before you start playing and only use this amount to play. If you run out of money you have to stop playing.

10 – The Best Slot Machine to Play

This is just my opinion, but over the years, I’ve come to realize that the best slot machines for me to play have two things in common.

I know I’m not going to win in the long run playing slots, so I want the chance to win a big jackpot while keeping my cost per spin as low as possible.

11 – There’s an Even Better Option

Instead of playing slot machines there’s a better option in most casinos. You can usually find real money video poker machines that have a much higher return to player than slot machines. And the return to player percentage is much easier to find for video poker machines.

If you’re losing too much playing slots, take a look at video poker. You need to learn a little bit about pay tables and strategy, but this is easy to do.

Conclusion

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If you’re still convinced you want to play slots after reading this article, make sure you use the information you just learned to limit your losses. You can even try out the free online slot machines to see if you can have the same level of fun without losing money.

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The best slots option is usually a progressive machine with a low cost per spin, but an even better choice is a different type of machine. No matter what you do, make sure you know exactly how much you’re willing to lose playing slots, and never go over this amount.