A 5-Minute Guide to Slots

Choosing to Play Online Slots or Land-Based Slots

The first thing you will have to decide if you are interested in slot machines is whether you want to play them online or in a land casino. While the games work in very similar ways, there are differences, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Most people first come across slot machines in a land-based environment, whether at a casino, in an arcade, a bookmaker, or anywhere else. While today many of the same games are available both online and in land-casinos, some of the most popular games have not yet made it online, so you will only be able to play them in a casino.

If you are going to visit a land casino, then you should check to see if they offer a slots club. This is a loyalty scheme that rewards you for playing slots. The rewards come in different forms, but free food and drink are the most common, and while it may not seem like much, it at least guarantees you will eventually get something, even if you hit a very long losing streak.

Online slots are almost the same as land-based slots. There is often a difference in how the betting works, and you will need to examine each game before you play to make sure you understand it. However, the main difference is that of convenience. You can access online slots in seconds without the need to travel anywhere.

There are two big advantages to online slots. The first is that online casinos are able to offer a much larger choice of games, as they are not constrained by physical space. The second advantage is online casino bonuses, which will often help your bankroll go much further.

At the end of the day, the choice between online and land slots comes down to personal preference. You may well find that you enjoy both at different times, and there is no right or wrong answer.

Penny Slots Explained

You may never have heard of penny slots, but if you walk into a casino, you will very likely hear the phrase. Unfortunately, it is highly misleading. Understandably, most people assume that a penny slot machine costs just a penny to play, making them highly attractive to newcomers. However, that is not what it means.

When you set your bet on a slot machine you are asked to choose a coin size, and penny slots offer coins worth a penny. However, you will nearly always be betting far more than one coin per spin. Slot machines have paylines, which is where you need to land matching symbols, and you will always have to bet a minimum number of coins per line and play a minimum number of lines.

Imagine a slot machine has 20 paylines, which is very common. This means that you are already looking at bets of at least $0.20 per spin, but very often, it will be even more. Furthermore, many slots have hundreds or even thousands of paylines, so the cost per spin goes up very quickly.

This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t play penny slots, it just means that you need to make sure you know exactly what it is costing you. A better way of choosing a slot may be to look at the biggest amount you could win betting an amount per spin that you are comfortable with.

Strategies and Superstitions

Many people are drawn to gambling because they think that they can use strategies to improve their chances. Sometimes this is true, such as when playing blackjack. However, when it comes to slots, there are very few strategies that you can use and there are no strategies that will influence the house edge.

However, there are a few tips that you can use that will help you reduce your losses and ensure that you can keep playing. The first thing you should do is look for the machines that offer the biggest jackpots. Occasionally players get lucky and hit the jackpot, and if it happens to you, then you want to be sure that you are playing a slot that offers a large amount of money.

You should also be looking for machines that allow you to bet small amounts per spin, ideally $1 or less. You don’t want to burn through your bankroll too quickly and if you are serious about playing, you should also be looking at guides to managing your money when playing slots as it is an important part of strategy.

Finally, you should forget all superstitions. People talk about games paying out more at certain times of day or having a lucky machine. There is no truth to any of this. At a respectable casino, the games are entirely random.

Choosing Your Bet Size

Despite the impressive graphics, sound effects, and flashing lights, slot machines are very simple. The machines use a piece of software and these are designed to pay back some of the money bet on the game to the player.

This means that every machine is programmed to make a set profit percentage no matter what the player does (it also means that a set percentage is programmed to be paid out). It also means that the more you bet on a slot, the more money the machine will keep. Because of this, the best idea is to bet less. There are two ways of doing this, the first is simply to place smaller bets, and the second is to player at a slower pace.

Control Your Speed

When playing most casino games, the pace of play is dictated by the dealer. However, when playing at a slot machine or online, then you control how fast you play, which is directly linked to how much you lose.

Many countries are introducing regulations that set a minimum average spin speed, but it is still possible to play a huge number of spins in a very short amount of time. Even if you were to play just one spin per minute, it means that you could easily be betting more than $100 per hour.

Therefore, it is best to look for slot machines that allow you to bet small amounts per spin and to play at a slower rate. This way you will lose less money than when you place large bets and play quickly.

To Summarise

Slot machines are a great introduction to gambling; they are easy to get the hang of and are a huge amount of fun. When played carefully, it is possible to play for a long time without risking too much money, and if you are lucky, you could win a huge prize.

Take the time to explore the slots on offer. Look for those that accept small bets, but be careful not to play too fast. Your only strategy is how you control your bankroll, so make the most of it to ensure that you can keep having fun for as long as possible.