Can You Win On Slot Machines?

YES, of course, you can win on slot machines.

You don’t even have to walk to your local casino to do that. There’s a much easier way – gambling online. Online and mobile casinos are full of slot games where you can win real money.

In this guide you will:

• Discover how to win money on slot machines
• Choose which slots to play
• Find where to play them

So, without further ado, let’s learn everything you’ll need to know to win on slots with assurance.

Winning on Slot Machines

We know, sometimes it may look like winning on slot machines is impossible. No matter how often you play or which games you try, you can’t always win.

If this is your case, chances are you’ve just run into a streak of bad luck. But don’t worry, things will probably change soon.

Winning money on slots is almost as easy as losing them. While the outcome of the gameplay on slots is random, your odds aren’t as bad as they seem.

Winning Odds by RTP

To prove it, you just need to take a look at the slot’s RTP percentage.

RTP means ‘Return to Player’ and indicates a theoretical average of money returned to the player. Most slots have RTP rate between 94% and 98%.

Hence, for each £1 that you bet, up to 98p will theoretically return to you. This means that you just need a tiny bit of luck to succeed. This will tip the scale to your side and you’ll claim back more than £1, resulting in some winnings.

Of course, this percentage is always below 100%. Therefore, your odds to lose are always slightly higher than your odds to win. But this difference is barely perceptible in a game with randomized outcomes.

This proves that very long periods of bad luck are statistically unlikely on slots.

Gameplay Strategies to Win

There’s no strategy to end a streak of bad luck on slots where the outcome is totally random.

However, there are strategies to minimise your losses during these dry spells. Similarly, there are certain ways to play to increase your winning chances.

When playing slots, you should:

1. Avoid chasing losses
2. Play until the bonus
3. Quit after you win
4. Learn all the rules
5. Choose the right slot

1. Don’t Chase Losses

The worst thing you can do after losing for a while is to continue gambling. This is called ‘loss chasing’ and that’s when most people throw caution to the wind.

It’s no wonder that people believe it’s impossible to win on slots if they act like that.

When you’re playing carelessly, it’s much easier to lose even if you become lucky. Instead, walk away and get back another time with a clear mind and fresh determination.

2. Don’t Quit Before the Bonus

Many slots have free bonus rounds of various kinds. More often than not, these features offer greater wins than the paid spins do.

For this reason, it makes sense to gamble until you hit one of such bonuses. Only after you win a large amount of money is it sensible to end your session. Otherwise, you might just miss a big win that’s waiting around the corner.

The exception would be slots which don’t have very lucrative bonus rounds.

3. Quit While You’re Winning

This is the biggest ‘secret' of the successful online gambler. If you’re winning and are satisfied with what you already have, quit right now.

Otherwise, you might lose all that you have just won rather than increasing your winnings further. Losing is a slightly more probable scenario, after all (see the RTP section).

4. Learn all the Rules

No matter how you play, it’s crucial to learn all the rules of the slot game. Even if it’s 100% luck-based and no skill is involved, this knowledge will be useful.

For one thing, you’ll know exactly what gameplay options you have. Be it changing the bet size or choosing which bonus to play, these options might make a difference. And if not, at least you’ll know what’s going on at all times.

5. Choose Your Type of Slots

Play slots that work in a way which suits your playing style. Consider regular and jackpot slot, low and high variance slots, different bonuses available.

Each slot type has a different optimal gameplay strategy, so what works for one may not work for another. We’ll talk about the different kinds of slots below.

Which Slot Games to Play?

Here you’ll find all about the different slot features and gameplay mechanisms. We will also add specific tips and tricks for you as a player to use for each separate feature.

We’ll begin with the basic gameplay features and move towards specific slot gameplay types:

• In-game bonuses
• Free bonus rounds
• Paid bonuses & boosts
• Low variance slots
• High variance slots

Feel free to jump to any section that you’re interested in.

In-Game Bonuses

Many slots have bonuses that slightly increase your chances to win or boost your winnings. This includes features like wild symbols which substitute any other symbol or multipliers which boost the payouts.

The list is much longer and may include different things on different slots, for example:

• Stacked wilds
• Random multipliers
• Symbol swaps or removal
• Scatter symbols
• Sticky symbols and free re-spins

There are unlimited ways in which these features may appear in a game. Symbol overlays, wandering wilds and exploding symbols are just a few modern examples.

Tip for the Player

You must learn how these features work. Depending on their profitability, you’ll be able to decide many things. That is, which features to aim for, their frequencies and when to stop according to their occurrence.

Game Example

Most new video slot and slot machines have such features. Some have more than the others, though. One example that has plenty of in-game bonuses is Ted.

On top of the exciting theme, this game includes six random in-game features. These vary from wilds and sticky re-spins to extra valuable symbols and guaranteed wins.

Free Bonus Rounds

Aside from the in-game features, many slots have full bonus rounds. You usually have to trigger them with a paid spin somehow. They also vary in type, for example:

• Free Spins
• Fortune Wheel
• Special Game
• Click-Me Bonus

From simple free spins to cinematic bonuses and completely different games, bonus rounds are usually where players win the largest payouts.

Tip for the Player

Bonus rounds are always a welcome break from the main game. If you manage to win a decent amount of cash from them, you can consider stopping right there. That is unless the bonus is easy to trigger on the game you’re playing.

Game Example:

Avalon II slot by Microgaming has not one, not two but eight free bonus rounds. They feature all bonuses that you can think of, including everything we mentioned above and then some.

Paid Bonuses & Boosts

While most slots have free features which you can trigger by luck, others offer paid bonuses. In other words, you increase your total wager for an active bonus in the game.

The logic behind this is that while it costs more, it increases your chances to win big as well.

Tip for the Player

If you have an option to pay for an extra boost or bonus, check out what it does. It is lucrative enough to pay extra for it? Is this price worth it?

More often than not, you’ll have to try it a few times to come to a conclusion. Demo mode helps a lot in this case. Generally, however, players who risk more money get better returns in the long run.

Game Example

NextGen is well-known for its Super Bet feature which is used in many of their slots. The most popular example is Foxin’ Wins slot where betting more increases chances of random wilds appearing during any spin.

Low & High Variance Slots

Finally, the way that slots pay money depends on more than just RTP. There are different variances of payouts and all slots have either low, medium or high variance.

Low variance means that the payouts don’t fluctuate much. This results in lower, more predictable and frequent payouts.

High variance means that the fluctuation of winnings is much more pronounced. This means that there are fewer successful spins but more of them result in really big wins.

Tip for the Player

In games where winnings are moderate but frequent, it’s easy to manage your bankroll. Just keep in mind that neither winning nor losing huge amounts of money will happen instantly.

In high variance games, you might have to bet hundreds of times without a big win. So, it often pays to wait out the bad spins and not quit too early.

Game Examples

A good example of low variance gameplay can be found in NetEnt’s Copy Cat slot. Meanwhile, a classic example of high variance is Elk’s slot called Hong Kong Tower. Try out both of these games and you’ll quickly see how variance affects the gameplay.