How to Beat the Slots

Casino gambling can be a fun and sometimes addictive hobby. Slot machines are the most colorful and loudest attraction in the casino today, and they generate billions of dollars in revenue from patrons looking to hit the jackpot. Winning isn’t necessarily easy, but it is possible. Learning how to beat the slots can be a challenging, but ultimately rewarding experience for gamblers. These slot machine strategies may maximize your chances to play for longer periods of time.

Steps

Know your limit. Set a “lose limit” and a double your money amount before you enter the casino. If you’re winning, stop when you have doubled your beginning amount. If you’re losing, stop when you reach your lose limit. Don’t become greedy or bet more than you can afford to lose.
Determine your spending limit or bank roll. Identify and play slot machines that have coin denominations that allow you to play for the longest time for the maximum benefit. Today, many machines in the casinos have the same game in different monetary denominations.
Learn what types of casino slot machines are available and what are the payout percentages. These percentages can range anywhere from 80% to 98% and spell out your best chances of success. Choose the slot machines with the highest percentage of payout, as this can increase your odds of winning.
Familiarize yourself with the rules for the machine before you sit down. If you don’t understand them, ask an attendant or call customer service if you are playing online. You need to understand what combinations will win you money, especially the jackpot, and what the requirements are to win at slots.
Choose slot machines with bonus features, such as free spins, bonus rounds, or extra features for the right combination on a pay line. These provide more opportunities to win.
Bet the maximum amounts if you choose to play progressive slots. You cannot win the jackpot if you don’t. Look around the casino for the biggest payout in your betting range. There are oftentimes several banks of progressive machines, each with different payout percentages and jackpot amounts. Always choose the combination of highest payout percentage and biggest jackpot amount.
Pocket any winnings you earn. Never reinvest your winnings, as this goes against your beginning strategy.
Join the slot clubs if you are playing at a land-based casino, or take advantage of bonus money offerings that online services offer. These offers are based on how many coins you play in the slot machines or your rate of play. Compare the benefits of different casinos or sites, and choose the casino that offers the best benefits or freebies for your level of play.

Tips

When choosing a machine that claims a high payout percentage, look closely at the advertisement before sitting down. In many cases, the small print will clarify the real odds with terms like “selected machines,” or “up to 98%,” which means that only some of slots in that brand will pay the advertised rate. More than likely, the “looser” machines that actually pay the 98% won’t be identified. To increase your chances of finding them, ask a casino floor attendant for help or find out which machines are local player favorites.
Don’t believe the “Hot and Cold” Machine myth. Gamblers by trade are superstitious, and casinos have targeted machine names and colors to the “hot” theory. All machine spins are predetermined by the computer inside them and not by how much you rub it or how lucky it is. Play the games you like, and enjoy the casino without buying into this myth.

Warnings

Know when to stop. Never try to win money back that you’ve lost, as this can be a way to lose big.
Never play slots just to wrack up freebies or comps. Slot clubs were designed to entice you to play. Taking advantage of the freebies because you are playing anyway is one thing, while playing because you’re trying to wrack up points is another. Don’t get caught up in the marketing ploy.

How to Find a Loose Slot Machine at a Casino

Loose slot machines have higher payouts than tight slot machines. Here’s how to find the looser machines.

Steps

Play higher denomination slot machines if you can afford it. $1 slot machines are usually looser than 25 cent slots.
Avoid the progressive jackpot slot machines. Much of the payback percentage for a progressive jackpot is tied to the huge jackpot, which hits as rarely as the lottery.
Avoid airport slot machines. The slot machines at the airport are aimed specifically at people who are trying to get in that last bit of gambling before going home.
Ignore advice about a slot machine’s location on the casino floor. Contrary to popular belief, the tight machines are not located near the table games, and the loose slot machines aren’t on the end of each row.
Consider learning to play video poker. Video poker play is similar to slot machine play, but it almost always offers a better payout percentage. And many players find the strategic element entertaining.

Tips

Always join the slots club at a casino and use your card while you play. You’ll receive cash back on your play, tickets to events, comp stays at the hotel, and free meals.
Take advantage of the free cocktails. If you enjoy premium beer or liquor, you can receive a great deal of value by having a Heineken while you play instead of a Budweiser.
Try to play online slots too, so you can practice playing at difference denominations, so you can take note of what makes a slot loose. Some online casinos even give you a Free No-Deposit-Required bonus, you you can try their slot machines.

Warnings

Never gamble with money you can’t afford to lose.
Don’t expect to win. Slot machines always give the house an advantage.

How to Win at Video Poker

Video poker is a popular form of gambling that provides an edge to skilled players. If you play a game with acceptable pay tables, use optimum strategy, and receive comps for your play, you can generate a slight return on your money over the long term. If you want to win at video poker, follow these steps.

Steps

Find the kind of game that’s right for you. There are dozens of different video-poker games in casinos. If you crave excitement and can cope with high volatility, wild-card games might be right for you. If you want to grind out comps through extended play, playing games without wild cards might suit you best.
Sign up for a player’s club card and use it every time you play. This is a vital component of extending your gambling dollar. Casinos will want you to come back if you’re racking up rewards points. Many will provide cash back or give you coupons for meals. Some will comp your room for your entire stay.
Familiarize yourself with video-poker machines. Most video-poker machines feature a specific game, but many are multi-game machines. With these machines, simply touch the screen to see what games are offered. If you find your game, touch its icon and the game will open. If you want to play, sit down and scan the machine. You’ll find the following:
- Money insert/return slots: Cash-insert, voucher and club-card slots are positioned around the screen area of the machine. When you finish playing, the machine will return your balance in the form of a voucher. This slot is at the top left. Insert your player’s club card in its slot before you start playing so you can earn reward points. Make sure that the card has been accepted.
- Deal/draw button: On the right side of the keyboard is the deal-draw button. After each hand, hit the button to get the next hand dealt to you. After selecting the cards you want to hold, hit the button again to draw replacement cards. If you have a winning hand, the machine will add the appropriate number of credits to your balance.
- Hold buttons: Directly below the screen are the hold buttons. After each new deal, press the buttons that correspond to the cards you wish to keep in your final hand.
- Cash-out button: Press this button when you’re done playing. The machine will provide a voucher with your balance.

Screen Areas

- Pay table: At the top of the screen area is the pay table for your game. This shows the return for winning hands.
- Display area: Under the pay table is the display area, where you receive cards.
- Credit total: This is under the card area and shows how many credits, based on the denomination of the machine, you have remaining.
Examine the pay table for your game. Accomplished video-poker players require optimal pay tables on the games they play. Pay tables are based on the single-coin return of a full house versus a flush, expressed as a ratio. For some of the most-popular video-poker games, these ratios are:
- Jacks or Better: 9/6
- Bonus Poker: 8/5
- Joker Poker: 7/5
Learn the optimum strategy of the game you like to play. By knowing the proper tactics for a game, you can extend your bankroll, capitalize on prime-play situations, and ultimately win at video poker. Strategy cards for virtually every game are available online. Software programs that warn you when you’re making a strategic error are also available

Tips

When you’re dealt a winning hand, the machine will highlight the hand on the pay table and make a sound to alert you.
Casinos will put games with inferior pay tables in high-traffic areas, hoping to lure players. Such games, even if you play flawlessly, can have a deleterious effect on your bankroll over the long run and you should avoid them.
Scan pay tables closely. A game might offer an acceptable return on the full house/flush ratio, but it might trim paybacks for other hands to give the casino an edge.
Play maximum coins each hand. This helps you build rewards points faster and magnifies the effect of big winning hands.