Today you can play slot machines at bricks and mortar locations as well via the fast-growing online casino ecosystem, so if you are a fan of this kind of entertainment activity then you have plenty of options at your disposal.
You will almost certainly have heard urban legends and other rumours about the options available to boost your odds of winning when you play slots.
Perhaps you are trying to find out how to cheat a slot machine with a magnet or investigate the other cheats and hacks that are purported by certain players?
While there are plenty of unhelpful myths around slot machine strategy, there are also some pointers which can give you a better chance of enjoying your slot playing experience and also walking away with a bit more cash at the end. Here are just a few hints to take onboard.
Tampering with slots is illegal
Whether you try to manipulate online slots with software tools or interfere with physical machines, you will be breaking the law. The gambling industry is also heavily regulated and perpetually monitored to prevent foul play.
This means that even if you did manage to pull off some kind of fundamental manipulation trick, you would have a stratospherically high chance of being caught and held accountable by the authorities. Even the most skilled scammers have been uncovered in the past, so the success rate for eager amateurs will be even lower.
Because of the stringent safeguards that are put in place to prevent slot tampering and fraud, it is simply better to play like any normal punter. Of course this does not mean you can completely abandon any thought of adopting strategies that will boost your opportunities to win big; quite the opposite!
RTP matters
Online and offline slots alike are required to display their RTP (return to player) percentages, indicating exactly what proportion of the cash they take in from gamblers will be paid out in the form of prize money.
RTP can vary wildly, but you will generally find that the slots which have a higher minimum bet amount will also have a higher RTP in order to coax people to play.
It is worth remembering that RTP does have anything to do with the odds you will have of winning on any given spin; you could still play for hours on end without seeing a penny paid out for your efforts. All this means is that when the winning symbols are matched, the payout will probably be greater than on a slot with lower wager values.
Jackpot eligibility is not guaranteed
If you are playing a slot machine with the hopes of walking away with the top jackpot, you should make certain that you meet the wagering requirements that may be in place if you want to be eligible for the top prize.
Minimum wager requirements are often put in place on slots with progressive jackpots, for example. So even if you get a winning symbol combo across the right lines on the reels, you will not take home any of the central prize pool unless you have adhered to the rules laid out by the machine’s operator.
Set a budget and stick to it
Gambling responsibly is the only way to truly enjoy slot machines, because if you have laid out a budget before you start spinning the reels and you do not exceed it, then you are sure to have a good time win or lose.
On the other hand if you are more relaxed about your spending you could find that you enter something of a spiral, ploughing cash into slot machines without realising just how much you are committing in pursuit of that elusive payout.
Odds never change
A given slot machine will have a predetermined set of odds for winning across the various symbol combinations and jackpot payouts, with the number of reels and the variety of the icons setting this in stone. This means that whether you are spinning the reels for the fifth time or the fiftieth, you have exactly the same chances of winning, and of losing.
Hopefully this will dispel the idea that machines are built with some timer mechanism which means that they will only pay out after earning a certain amount of cash for the operator; this is simply not the case, and goes against industry regulations.
Ultimately the most important slot machine strategy to adopt is one which gives you the maximum fun for the minimum outlay, so stick within your limits and choose machines that appeal to you to get the most out of this experience.
