Betting strategies are the golden ticket for any casino goer. Games that would otherwise present a random chance of winning, can have their odds evened by a few simple strategies that any player can employ on each turn. Many casino games have popular strategies that people like to use to level the playing field, whether it’s the martingale system for Roulette or Oscar’s system which is used with Blackjack.
Famously, slot games have few betting strategies and the move to digital slots with randomly generated symbols instead of mechanical reels, have made them even harder to get a grip on. So in this guide, we’re going to break down the basics of how an online slot works and see if there are any strategies to improve your chances of winning, while dispelling a couple of myths along the way.
The Myth Of Hot And Cold Slots
The idea of hot and cold slots wasn’t always incorrect, but it is a belief that is well beyond its sell by date and sadly causes a lot of problems for many players. Also known as the gambler’s fallacy, the basic idea behind this myth is that if something happens more frequently than normal during some period, it will happen less frequently in the future, or vice versa. Effectively it means, if you’re losing a lot playing a slot, then hang in there, because it’ll start winning eventually.
This idea stems from real life slots, which run on mechanical reels and therefore are much more predictable. Because there is a pattern to these slots, the idea is that they will start winning again eventually, so it’s best to either keep playing through the losing streak, or simply play after someone else has lost a lot of money in order to take advantage of the future wins.
The Age of Random Number Generators
Online slots are completely governed by random number generators and because of that, they are completely unpredictable. When you spin the reels of an online slot, there are no actual reels spinning, instead the slot is just randomly generating which symbols should appear. Because of this, the chances of winning or losing on the online slot are the same probability every single time. The length of time you play, or when you play, doesn’t affect the slot’s payout in the slightest.
This is why online slots use a return to player rate or RTP. The slot’s RTP is your only insight into how much a slot will pay out. The higher the RTP, the more you’ll get back. The RTP will always be below 100%, meaning if you play long enough you will always lose overall. A slot with a 98% RTP is high, but on average over a long enough period you would lose £2 of every £100 you wager.
Knowing this information is good, because you can get a grip on how much you’re likely to win from each individual slot as long as you know the RTP. Since the RTP is an average, you know that even if you play for long enough you’ll only win back 98% on average, you won’t always be winning back 98% on every spin. Sometimes you’ll make a profit on a spin and other times you’ll lose money on a spin.
The aim is to hit a point where you have made a profit and then cash out. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that luck will come back around again. If you understand that you will sometimes lose and sometimes win, then you should always aim to get out when you’re ahead, knowing that if you keep playing, eventually you will lose overall. By choosing a slot with a higher RTP, you can make sure that you’re likely to lose less in the long run and keep your eye out for just the short term wins.
Bet High Or Bet Low?
Another popular belief that you may have heard, is that the best way to win at slots is to bet high. The thinking is that you risk a lot, but when that big win does arrive, as long as you can take the hits in the meantime, you’ll be showered in cash. There is an element of truth that betting higher does win you more money. The problem with this thinking is that it doesn’t take into account how slots actually give out winnings.
How much a symbol pays out is entirely dependent on how much you bet in the first place. Symbols don’t pay out set amounts, for instance, three diamond symbols on a slot doesn’t pay out £1 every time it turns up, it will instead pay a multiplier of the initial bet. So if our hypothetical three diamond symbol win pays back a 0.5x multiplier, then it will always return to us half of whatever we bet. Whether we bet 10p or £100, we will always receive half of our cash back.
Whether you’re betting big or low, it doesn’t really matter what you bet, since you either gain or lose money at the same rate. As we pointed out when we were talking about hot and cold slots, there is a logic in aiming for a really big win quickly. By betting big, you make sure your eventual win is as large as possible, so you can get out of the slot and cash your winnings as quickly as possible. But this system is only useful if you win money quickly, something which can’t be predicted and certainly won’t be helped in any way by you betting more.
The amount you bet should be decided by your bankroll and although aiming for big wins is tempting, remember that betting lower will allow you to stay in the game longer and get more spins, therefore making it more likely that you may eventually spin a jackpot. If you bet big, you better hope you win quickly, or else you’ll be out of money before you know what hit you.
Do Less Paylines Mean More Payout?
There is a long standing belief that only selecting the most simple payline layouts will allow for the most frequent and cost effective wins. As we know, every payline you activate is yet another payline to place your bet on. If you are betting 10p per payline on a 10 payline slot, your total bet shoots up to £1.
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he belief stems from the idea that people think the three horizontal paylines along the slot are the most likely to pay out. The central payline which runs right through the centre of the slot, is believed to be the most likely of all to win. The argument is that since you have the choice of betting on only one payline and that single payline has a higher chance of winning than the rest, then it makes sense to lower your losses, while still having a chance of winning. It’s a cost effective strategy.
The problem is, this makes no sense due to our earlier revelation that the symbols on a slot appear completely at random. Since symbols are spun onto the reels randomly, there’s nothing dictating that they should align across any part of the slot. The chances of slots lining up with the central payline are just as likely as them lining up along any other payline on the slot. The randomness of the symbols means that any payline is equally likely.
So in actual fact, the more paylines you select, the more chances you have of winning, since you’re able to catch more winning lines wherever they appear. This system is a complete myth and much like the bet strategy above, it isn’t a strategy at all, but really based on how big your bankroll is and how much you feel like spending. The bigger your budget, the more paylines you should activate in order to increase your chances of winning.
So What Will Actually Help Me Win At Slots?
Now we’ve looked at the myths and what won’t help you when playing slots, let’s take a look at some things which will definitely set you in the right direction. Slots don’t have any specific strategies to use because of how random they are, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still be smart about it and do some basic research before diving into a new game.
The first place to pay attention to are the symbols. Remember that you need to connect together at least 3 symbols in order to win in the majority of slot games. Many slot games will tempt you with tonnes of bonus rounds and other additional features, but bear in mind, that if these features require symbols to activate them, then all they’re doing is lowering your chances of making a line of symbols.
It stands to reason that the more symbol types there are on the slot, then the less likely it is for several symbols of the same kind to be able to appear on the slot during the same turn. If a slot only had one symbol type, then it would win every turn. Add in any additional symbols and your likelihood of winning would drop. Throw in a few more and you have a slot that’s cluttered and unlikely to pay out, since your spins are so diluted, as every symbol is vying for space on the reels.
There is also an argument to be made that more bonus rounds are better for making more money since they pay out more when they do turn up. However, since their appearance is tied to the RTP, more bonus rounds isn’t necessarily a gain. Bonus rounds are usually where you win big jackpots, so if you manage to spin one early, you can make a quick profit and then skip out. But remember their payouts are still based on that RTP and a majority of the time you won’t make back the money you lost while getting to them.
Overall, keep your eyes open for how many features there are in a slot. They may sound good, promising a lot of money, but they will make your wins in the base game less likely. If you can get into a bonus round quickly, then our standing rule that you should leave as soon as you make a profit, will work very well. It’s just a balance between how much you want to risk in order to possibly get to a bonus round. Sometimes it’s better to go bonus free and just aim to win with a lower number of symbols.
The Simple Strategies To Remember When Playing Slots
So in short, here are a few things you should keep in mind to actually help you out while playing the slots:
Learn the rules and RTP of each slot to determine your chances of winning
- Always aim for a high RTP
- Aim for slots that aren’t cluttered with different types of symbols
- Don’t hang in there waiting for you luck to turn – it won’t
- Bet comfortably within your bankroll and get out while you’re ahead
These rules should help you out and keep you more aware of what’s going on in the game. Of course, every now and again, it’s fun to take a risk and see where it takes you, but never forget to pay attention and have faith in the probabilities, not blind luck.
