A Couple Slot Machine Tricks Sure, most folks just waltz on to the casino floor and just start losing money, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you get to know the way that casinos work, then you’ll be at an advantage. It is these stories, coupled with excitement, that make many players exchange pokies secrets and tricks to win on slot machines, and believe that they help to influence the course of the game. In fact, all slots work on the principle of a random number generator, which is simply impossible to deceive.
If you are bored just playing against a slot machine, you might want to consider whether you want to participate in any of the online slot machine tournaments. The best online casinos virtually every day offer the opportunity to participate in one of their tournaments. Expecting interesting prizes, you can compare your slot strategy with other players around the world.
How to Play Slot Tournaments in Las Vegas Casinos?
All slot machine tournaments work very similarly to blackjack or poker tournaments. The online casino will announce the date when it will be held and on which slot (or slot machines) are eligible. Usually, players have to register, but in some cases, all you have to do is open selected slots and play. Sometimes, however, there may be “Sit-and-Go” tournaments that begin when the minimum number of participants is registered.
The second step is entering the tournament. It can either be paid or free of charge. This is also the result of the price of the pool. Free tournaments usually have a prize pool of €50 to €300, but you can also find such tournaments that with free entry you can win up to several thousand euros. However, this is more an exception than a rule. Prizes in the thousands are 90 % only for paid tournaments. The entrance fee is usually in the order of several euros or dollars.
Once you are in the tournament and start playing, it is your goal to play/win more than all other participants. If your bankroll drops to zero and you do not have the option to re-buy, you are just at the end of the road. There are also several types of tournaments here. Firstly, it may be a tournament where it is easy to compare the balances of individual players after the tournament ends and the order will be created accordingly.
Another way to evaluate a tournament is through what is called the “Winbox”, when players only add prizes regardless of the amount of the final bankroll. Tournament winners with the highest Winbox then wins.
For example – entry to a 3 000-coin tournament, 6 spins
Spin | Bet | Win | Bankroll | Win Box |
0. | 0 | 0 | 3 000 | 0 |
1. | 75 | 0 | 2 925 | 0 |
2. | 75 | 250 | 3 100 | 250 |
3. | 75 | 25 | 3050 | 275 |
4. | 75 | 100 | 3 075 | 375 |
5. | 75 | 0 | 3 000 | 375 |
6. | 75 | 0 | 2 925 | 375 |
Tips and Trick How to Win a Slot Tournament
Since the online slot machines have not yet introduced elements to allow the player to influence the house edge, the results of the game rounds depend only on the player’s luck. However, there are at least some basic pieces of advice that can significantly increase your chance of winning on slots.⭐
- Play as fast as you can
Play as fast as you can. In most slot tournaments, players will get e.g. 1 000 credits and only 10 minutes to play them through. If one spin costs you 3 credits, you have less than 2 seconds for one spin to clear your credit completely. You have to be really fast to do that.
- Always play for the max bet
Higher-stake games, especially those with a higher denomination, give you better payouts. In particular, thanks to the maximum bet, you can qualify for the jackpot.
- Do not bother too much about how much you have already won
Especially in Winbox games, do not worry about scoring on it. Individual winnings are not so significant. You have to play as fast as possible.
- Click through the Bonus Wheels as quickly as possible
In a tournament, you are mainly pushing for time; bonus spins with free spins can cause a significant delay if you do not speed them up.
- Check your time
It is not worth starting a 5-minute slot tournament 2 minutes before it’s over. There is no way you can make it in time.
- Possibility to continue the game
Some of the tournaments give you the chance to continue playing, even if the lap time has elapsed. It will almost certainly cost you real money, including in free tournaments. If you want to win, it will sometimes be necessary to continue playing for money. Be sure that others will be willing to as well.
However, here too, use this option only if you are sure it is worth it. If you are already at the prize position after the base round, it can happen that by continuing with the game for the money, you only get to increase the lead over the player below you.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Slot Tournaments
Slot tournaments have a number of advantages and a few drawbacks. It is advisable to have all this information before entering the tournament. In our case, these are only general benefits or negatives. Specific situations, of course, will depend on a number of variables, such as what type of player you are, what slots you are allowed to play, if you can switch between slots, and finally but most importantly, one should not forget the VIP status players.
Advantages
- You have a higher chance of winning. *
- You know exactly how much you can lose.
- You have the chance to win high prizes for a small entry fee or free of charge.
- VIP status (if you have it) can guarantee free entry to the tournament.
Disadvantages
- You have to play fast.
- You may not be able to play on your favorite slot.
- If you win a jackpot, you will not be able to keep it. **
- You can only play in a tournament at a certain time.
* By having a higher chance of winning, of course, we are not thinking of tournament-adjusted payouts. RTP remains constant at all times. But, some prize pools are in thousands of euros, which may be equivalent to some local jackpots. The chances of winning such a jackpot are a few tens of thousands to 1. When in a tournament where there are 1 000 other players, you have a 1:1000 chance of winning.
** Your winnings during the tournament are only to determine the placement of the other players. This means that even if you hit a progressive jackpot, you are likely to win the tournament, but you will only win the main prize. All winnings on the online slot are dropped after the end of the casino tournament.
Slot tournament in online casinos
Online casino tournaments are slightly different from those you encounter in the big casinos in Las Vegas. If it is not a VIP event for regular players; any registered player can enter the tournament. There are always one or several slots selected for the tournament, and the date and duration of the tournament are also announced. Most online casinos have a calendar on their website for the months ahead, so there is no problem finding the best one for you.
Tournaments in online casinos are generally free to enter and have slightly different rules from tournaments in brick-and-mortar casinos. When playing in Las Vegas tournaments, players compete in a very short period of time. In online casinos, tournaments often last for several days or weeks.
One thing, however, is common to both casinos. Not all casinos have slot tournaments. Before you sign up in an online casino, make sure they offer it. And, of course, always read the General Terms and Conditions.
Top 5 Slot Tournament Casinos
Casino | Welcome Bonus | ||
Vera John | Up to €100 | Read Review | Visit |
Energy Casino | Up to €200 | Read Review | Visit |
OrientXpress | Up to €500 | Read Review | Visit |
LVBet | €10 No Deposit | Read Review | Visit |
Campeon Casino | Up to €300 | Read Review | Visit |
Billy King | Up to €200 | Read Review | Visit |
Tips and Tricks How to Win Slot Tournament in Online Casinos
You will most likely encounter two types of online slot tournaments. Depending on the type, you should choose the appropriate strategy. In both cases, even if you do not pay a fee, you will not play at the machines free of charge, but for real money instead. However, you can keep your winnings.
Tournament type: Get the most points
In this type of tournament, you get points for every bet you make. It is very simple. The more you play, the more points you get. You will also get more points for higher bets. But remember: only bets for real money are eligible for the tournament.
- Sign up for the slot tournament as soon as possible and play from the very beginning
Those who bet the most, win these tournaments. Therefore, it is best to play from the start and play as you would normally play. And invest more money at the end of the tournament, when you see that you have a chance of winning a prize. But if you do not want the first prize too badly, there is no point in pushing thousands to win the tournament when the maximum prize is several hundred € / $.
- Choose the best bet size
Maximize the number of points earned per bet. Some point distribution may look like this:
- Bet €0.20 up to €0.99 = 1 point
- Bet €1.00 up to €1.99 = 5 points
- Bet €2.00 up to €2.99 = 15 points
- Bet €3.00 up to €3.99 = 25 points
- Bet €4.00 up to €4.99 = 35 points
- Bet €5.00 + = 50 points
If you have a €500 bankroll, it does not make sense to bet for €2 and get 3750 points, if you can bet for €5 and get 5000 points. And of course, it makes no sense to bet over €5.
- Choose the slot with the highest return to player percentage (RTP)
Before the tournament starts, check out the RTP for all slot machines in the tournament. And choose the one with the highest. You will thus play the most favorable slot machine.
Tournament type: Biggest win on a single spin
In this type of tournament, win the highest value single spin amount relative to your bet amount. It is a little fairer, due to the condition that you do not have to have an astronomical bankroll to win. In addition, bet size does not matter either, because it is the ratio that counts. For example:
- Win €1 / bet €0.20 – your score is 5 (1 / 0.20)
- Win €100 / bet €20 – your score is 5 (100/20)
- Play with the minimum bet
As has been said, size does not matter. It only depends on the ratio. The more bets you make, the higher the chances of the big win. Do not play through your whole bankroll with high bets if you can make more little ones.
- Play on slot machines with higher payouts
Before you start the tournament, check out all the available slot machines and their payout tables. Does one slot offer a 2000-unit pay for three cherries and a €5 bet and another one 2200? Play with the machine with the higher payout ratio. Winnings will not strike as often, but they will be higher and you will get higher points. That is what counts.
What to be careful about when playing online slot tournaments
Just like with every other casino promotion, you should thoroughly review the Terms and Conditions. Especially focus on:
Registration Deadline and Tournament Duration
Although it may seem like a sure thing, players are wrong in this too. And it’s pretty upsetting not to participate in a tournament just due to late registration.
Which slot machines are eligible for the tournament?
Also, pay extra attention to this. There is no reason to play slots that are not in the tournament.
Winning criteria
In this article, we have described the strategies for the types of online slot tournaments that are the most common. You can also meet with exceptions and the winner can be evaluated according to other criteria. Keep in mind that different rules require a different strategy.
What is a prize pool and how will it be divided?
€5000 is pretty awesome, but if it is divided among 50 players, even the winner barely receives a few hundred. It makes no sense to spend €1000 in a tournament if the prize money is only €500.
What can you do with the tournament prize?
What will actually happen when you win? Some online casinos pay tournament rewards as bonus money and are subject to wagering requirements, which further reduces their value.
Slot machines don’t seem to involve much strategy. All you do is push the spin button over and over and let the reels do the rest.
Looking to play slots online? Check out one of the sites above!
But there are some things you can do to greatly improve your chances of beating slot machines. And what’s nice is that anybody can quickly use these slots hacks to win more.
The 7 hacks that I’m going to discuss in this post can be used right now. Others can be used within a few minutes after doing simple research on your smartphone.
Keep reading as I cover 7 ways in which you can hack into more slots winnings.
1 – Look up Online Slot Machine Providers to Find Best Payback
You need to play online slots if your main focus is winning the most money. The reason why is because internet slots offer higher payback on average than land-based games.
A bonus is that you don’t have to bet as much to earn this high payback. Instead, you’ll only have to risk a penny per line to achieve top pay back on many online slots.
Of course, you must know which slots pay the most first. The best way to do this is by googling online slots providers to find their highest-paying games.
Online slots makers offer their games across a broad range of internet casinos. And the return to player (RTP) is the same at each casino site.
This is why you search for slots payback by game designers, rather than individual casinos. Here’s an example of how I find the highest-paying slots from Rival Gaming:
- I google “Rival Gaming slots RTP.”
- This brings up different websites with info on Rival’s RTP.
- I can see that the following slots offer high payback:
- Cosmic Quest: Mystery Planets = 98.95% RTP
- Doo-Wop Daddy-O = 97.89%
- Gold Rush = 97.46%
- Bust A Vault = 97.45%
- As the Reels Turn: The Gamble = 97.0%
You can use this method to find RTP for many online slot machines. Another way to accomplish this goal is by looking at a game’s help screen.
Some slots list their payback on the help screen. Thunderkick and Quickspin are two companies that feature RTP on their games’ help screens.
Unfortunately, there are providers that don’t list RTP on the help screen or publish it online. Therefore, you’re left in the dark regarding how much these games pay back.
But most online slot machines offer this information somewhere. And you won’t have to look more than 5 minutes to find them in many cases.
2 – Look at State Gaming Reports to Find Best Land Based Slots Payback
Slot Machine Tricks And Cheats
Finding RTP for land-based slot machines is a more-difficult matter. The main reason why is because each casino can order different payback for the same slot machine.
MGM Grand might order a game with 90% payback, while Circus Circus may want it with 89% RTP.
This is nice for casinos because they can customize slots RTP to their liking. But this makes it tougher for players to figure out what kind of payback they can look forward to.
Note:The best way to find RTP for slot machines in brick-and-mortar casinos is by looking at state gaming reports.
Each state with casino gambling has an agency that governs the industry. These organizations provide regular reports that list slots payback.
The only catch is that these reports only offer generic numbers on games within the specific coin denominations. Here’s an example from the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s 2017 report:
- Penny slot machines = 90.17% payback
- Nickel slot machines = 94.54% payback
- Quarter slot machines = 93.06% payback
- Dollar slot machines = 93.94% payback
- $5 slot machines = 94.16% payback
- $25 slot machines = 95.03% payback
- $100 slot machines = 93.21% payback
You can see that most Nevada slot machines offer between 93.06% and 95.03% payback. The outlier is penny slot machines, which only offer 90.17% RTP on average.
Here’s another example froma 2017 report on Connecticut’s Foxwoods Casino:
- Penny slot machines = 89.88% payback
- Nickel slot machines = 90.58% payback
- Quarter slot machines = 91.95% payback
- Dollar slot machines = 93.45% payback
- $5 slot machines = 94.08% payback
- $25 slot machines = 96.16% payback
- $100 slot machines = 96.76% payback
This report shows that payback increases as you move up coin denominations. And this is more reflective of what you see acrossthe brick-and-mortar casino industry.
The UNLV Center for Gaming Research offers all the state casino gaming reports in one convenient place.
Note:Your best chance to achieve better payback in a land-based casino is by playing games with higher coin denominations. This is different from online casinos, where you can often achieve the same payback no matter what coin size you’re playing.
The downside to playing large coin denomination slots is that your theoretical losses will be higher. Here’s a comparison between playing Foxwoods’ $0.25 and $1 denomination slots:
- You perform 1,000 spins on a quarter slot machine ($250 total).
- Quarter slots offer 91.55% RTP on average (8.45% house edge).
- 250 x 0.0845 = $21.13 in theoretical losses
- You perform 1,000 spins on a dollar slot machine ($1,000 total).
- $1 slots offer 93.45% RTP on average (6.55% house edge).
- 1,000 x 0.0655 = $65.50 in theoretical losses
Even thoughquarter slot machines offer lower payback, your theoretical losses will be smaller. But if you like betting more per spin anyways, then you should take advantage of higher payback with larger coin denominations.
3 – Use Hit Frequency to Find Hot Slot Machines
One of the the biggest slots myths is that you can find “hot” slot machines by going around and playing different games. The logic behind this is that you’ll eventually find a machine that’s paying immediately.
The reason why this is a myth is that slots results are determined by random number generators (RNG), which cycle through countless number combinations. These number combos are determined so fast that results are completely unpredictable.
Therefore, anybody who’s going around to different slot machines to find the hot games is wasting their time. But this isn’t to say that you can’t use certain means to figure out which slots will pay frequently.
Hit frequency refers to how often a slot machine pays per line. Here’s an example of how this works:
- Game A is a 50-line slot machine that offers 4 payouts per line on average.
- Game B is a 50-line slot that offers 3 payouts per line on average.
- Game A has higher hit frequency.
The only problem with hit frequency is that games don’t list this information. The closest I’ve seen is Pragmatic Play online slots, which offer a volatility rating based on lightning bolts.
But the average slot machine forces you to figure out hit frequency based on pay table info. And the key factors that you want to look at include jackpot size, number of large payouts, and the number of small prizes.
You can use common sense from here to figure out which games will pay more frequently than others.
Important:A slot machine with a huge progressive jackpot and few small payouts won’t deliver prizes as often. But a game with a small jackpot and more small payouts should have higher hit frequency.
Playing games in the latter category gives you a better chance to win on each spin. This means that you’ll earn money on a more consistent basis and have a better chance of sustaining your bankroll.
These are essentially the hot slot machines because they offer more prizes. If winning frequently is important to you, then it should look for slots with small jackpots and a larger number of small payouts.
4 – Use Certain Variables to Manage Your Slots Bankroll
Bankroll management doesn’t theoretically improve your chances of winning. But it does help you better manage your risk and play slots longer.
The only problem is that slots are one of the toughest games in terms of bankroll management. It’s hard to calculate how many bets (a.k.a. units) the average player loses.
This can be affected based on how quickly you’re spinning the reels and how fast the slot machine moves. A game with multiple bonus features and animations moves slower than a game without the same features.
But generally, the average slots player loses anywhere between 250 and 350 units per hour. You can use these variables to begin calculating your bankroll management
Here’s an example:
- You have a $200 bankroll.
- Your average bet is $0.25 per spin (25 lines at $0.01).
- You lose 250 units per hour.
- 300 x 0.25 = $62.50
- 200 x 62.50 = 3.2
- Your bankroll will theoretically last for 3.2 hours.
The keyword with all this is theoretical, because you can never perfectly predict your short-term losses or winnings.
Slot machines are the most-volatile game in the casino. This means that your short-term results will vary wildly in comparison to the statistical average (payback in this case).
You can lower the volatility, though, by playing games with high hit frequency. Games with smaller payouts deliver more prizes in the short run, which leads to lower volatility.
5 – Don’t Fall for Slot Machine Psychology Tricks
Many players are unaware of the psychology at play with slot machines. Game makers use everything from enticing graphics to triumphant soundeffects to keep people playing longer.
A study from the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that many players fall into a “slot machine zone,” where they become completely immersed in the game and ignore everything else around them.
Slot Machine Tricks To Win
This study featured small white circles on each side of a slot machine’s screen. Players were asked to push a button when these circles turned red.
The study concluded that problem gamblers had more difficulty spotting the red circles on the sides because they were so involved in the game.
2011 research from Ontario’s University of Waterloo examined the effect that losses disguised as wins (LDWs) have on players. LDWs are payouts where players only win back a portion of their original bet.
Here’s an example:
- You play a 100-line slot machine.
- You bet $0.05 per line ($5 total).
- You win a $1 payout.
- Your net loss is $4.
Anybody can see that this is an overall loss.But slot machines use encouraging sound effects and flashing lights to make it feel like you’re a winner in these cases.
University of Waterloo researchers measured skin conductance response (SCR) amplitudes and heart-rate changes to measure how players felt after LDWs. They then compared these results to how players reacted after true wins and complete losses.
The researchers discovered that LDWs offered a significantly higher pleasure rate than complete losses. In fact, players’ arousal rates were on the same level for LDWs as they were for actual wins.
Being aware of these factors will better help you avoid becoming completely immersed in games and spending more money than you plan for.
6 – Look the Best Slots Comps (*Hint* Online Deposits Bonuses Are the Best)
Casinos offer slots players comps to retain their loyalty. This can also encourage more play because some gamblers wrongly assume that comps are more valuable than they are.
Land-based and online casinos typically comp players at around a 0.1% rate. This means that you’re going to earn $1 in rewards for every $1,000 you wager.
This doesn’t seem like much, but it adds up when considering how fast people play slots. Here’s an example:
- You perform 600 spins per hour on a dollar slot machine.
- You play 3 hours per day.
- 600 x 3 = $1,800
- You play 5 days during the month.
- 1,800 x 5 = $9,000
- $9,000 x 0.001 = $9 in slots comps.
Online casinos almost always stick to the 0.1% rate. They do this by awarding one comp point for every $10 wagered.
Players can then exchange 100 points for $1 cash back. This means that you’re betting $1,000 (100 points) to get $1 in rewards.
Some land-based casinos offer a 0.2% comp rate for slots players. This doubles your rewards with the same amount of betting.
Warning:The catch, though, it’s that it’s hard to find land-based casinos that offer higher slots comps. Unlike online casinos, which freely offer their points-for-exchange rate on their loyalty program page, land-based casinos aren’t great at explaining their VIP programs.
You can still find information on some brick-and-mortar casinos by visiting their websites. Another good practice is to research casinos that have a reputation for offering good slots comps.
Examples of Las Vegas casinos that are known for offering good slots rewards include The Palms, The Cosmopolitan, and The Venetian. Playing at these casinos gives you a better opportunity to earn higher loyalty rewards than at online casinos.
But the absolute-best slots rewards, are deposit bonuses that you receive when depositing at internet casinos.
These bonuses are expressed in a match percentage based on how much you deposit. Here’s an example:
- A bonus is worth a 100% match up to $500.
- You deposit $200.
- This means that you’re eligible for a $200 bonus.
Players obviously can’t just cash out bonuses right away, because the casino would lose a fortune. Therefore, you need to meet wagering requirements before the money is officially yours.
Standard wagering requirements for an online slots deposit bonus is 40 times the reward. Here’s an example of how this plays out:
- The bonus offer is a 100% match up to $200.
- You deposit $50.
- This makes you eligible for a $50 bonus.
- 40 x 50 = $2,000.
- You must wager $2k to unlock your deposit reward.
$2,000 may seem like a lot of money to earn a $50 bonus. But this is a much-better rate than you’ll receive through either a land-based or online casino comp program.
Here’s the math on why:
- You wager $2,000 at a casino with a 0.1% comp rate.
- This earns you $2 in rewards.
- You wager $2,000 to get the $50 bonus mentioned above.
- You get $50 in rewards.
Keep in mind that you can get a better comp rate by moving up in an internet or land-based casino loyalty program. But low rollers will find that deposit bonuses offer the best chance to earn free cash.
7 – Get More Expected Value from Progressive Jackpots That Have Increased
Expected value (EV) is a common gambling term used to describe how much money you can expect to win back from your bets.
Looking at the house edge is a good way to determine your EV because this shows how much you’ll win back in the long term. For example, a slot machine with 96% payback is offering -4% EV since you’re losing 4% on each wager.
Most casino games offer negative expected value (-EV), and slots are no exception. But you can improve your EV by playing progressive slots when the jackpot has increased by a significant amount.
Casino seed progressive jackpots with a certain amount of money.
For ExampleMicrogaming’s Mega Moolah slot is seeded with $1 million.
Players contribute the rest of the money into a progressive jackpot. Each bet that players make contributes a small amount to make the jackpot grow.
The standard contribution amount is 2% of every wager. This means that a $1 bet would contribute $0.02 to the jackpot.
A single player isn’t going to make a progressive jackpot grow very quickly. But these prizes increase rapidly when thousands of players are making bets.
You can use the starting jackpot amount compared to growth to estimate your EV. Given that Mega Moolah is seeded with $1 million, you know that your EV is much higher when the jackpot reaches $10 million.
Again, this is all theoretical and based on the idea that you can actually win the jackpot. Chances are that you’ll never win a huge payout like this in your lifetime.
But the goal is to continue playing progressive slots that offer more EV based on the growing jackpot. A more practical method of doing this is by playing smaller mystery jackpots, which must pay a specific value.
For ExampleArrow’s Edge offers a mystery jackpot that pays at exactly $10,000. You may be getting positive expected value (+EV) by jumping in when the jackpot is worth $9k.
What’s more is that you at least have a shot at winning this payout, versus the giant jackpot in Mega Moolah.
I’m not advocating that you dump your entire bankroll into progressive slots. After all, the base payback on most of these games isn’t as good as a normal slot.
If you’re going to play these games, figure out where a starting jackpot begins and compare it to the value that now. This will improve your EV and give you a higher theoretical chance of winning money.
Conclusion
Casinos have the edge in slot machines. But you can at least reduce this edge, or even gain one (progressive slots) by following the hacks in this post.
The biggest thing that you want to do is to find payback for the slot machines you play. This is easier in online casinos, where you can search by game provider or look at the help screen to find RTP.
Land-based casinos make it more difficult to figure out how much you win back. But you can use the coin denominations to make a rough estimation.
Hit frequency is another important hack to remember, especially if you’re dealing with a small bankroll. The more payouts you can win back in the short term, the better chance you have of maintaining your bankroll.
You also want to avoid falling for the psychological tricks that surround slot machines. This means realizing that LDWs are actually losses, and the graphics, theme, and music are designed to keep you playing longer.
Other important hacks you can use include getting the best rewards possible, maximizing your EV on growing progressive jackpots, and properly managing your bankroll.
I can’t guarantee that you’ll win profits by following these tips. But it’s definitely worth doing so if you enjoy slots because these hacks will give you a greater chance to win.