Are There Advantages to Betting Max in Online Slots?

According to some commentators, betting max in online slots is a sound tactic.  It ostensibly enhances the payout rate, activates bonus features more quicky and increases the probability of hitting a jackpot.  At one time that may have been true… but things have changed.

What is Betting Max in Online Slots?

When you play your favourite games at a slots casino, such as Springbok Casino, there are typically two ways of betting.  You can select the bet per spin from a defined betting range.  Or, you can hit the bet max button.  When you do that, you are playing the game at the highest available stake per spin.

That was not always the case.  Just a few years ago, online slots developed by the likes of Real Time Gaming (RTG) had variable paylines.  You could choose to activate one or more lines – or all available bet lines.

You did this by selecting the number and value of coins you wanted in play.  The number of coins denoted how many paylines were active.  The coin value represented the bet per line.  The two factors multiplied together would determine the total stake per spin.

Betting max in that context had everything to do with the paylines.  When you tapped on the bet max button, you simply triggered all available bet lines at the bet value of your choice – the coin value mentioned above.

According to conventional wisdom, when you bet max the probability of winning money was at its highest.  The reason being all paying permutations would count.  In other words, there was zero chance of hitting a winning combination on an inactive payline.

Betting max did not mean playing at the highest available stake.  It simply meant having the full quotient of paylines rigged and ready to capture line wins, if and when they occurred.

Fixed Payline Slots Change the Meaning of Betting Max

These days, the vast majority of online slots have fixed paylines.  You cannot increase or decrease the number of active bet lines in the game, and in so doing, reduce the stake.  As a result, adjusting the number of coins has effectively become redundant.  What you can still do is select the total bet per spin.  In other words, the stake.

In some games, that still means picking a coin value from the available range.  The stake or total bet is automatically calculated by multiplying your chosen coin value by the fixed number of paylines.

In this scenario, the bet max button has nothing to do with the paylines.  It simply raises the stake to the highest amount possible in currency.  Betting max has no effect on probability.  All it does is increase the posted payout proportionate to the stake.

In days gone by, betting max was advantageous as it maximised the number of paylines in the game.  That is no longer true, as the definition of the term has changed.  Today, it means playing online slots at high stakes.

Betting Max and the Impact on Slots Jackpots

One myth doing the rounds has to do with online slots jackpots.  It has been claimed that betting max increases the chances of winning a mega-money prize.  What we can say is there is no truth to the rumour.

Max bets do not accelerate the payout rate in slots. Nor does it trigger the jackpot more easily, or mor e frequently.

The only thing to keep in mind is to do with player eligibility.  In some online slots you only qualify for the jackpot when you bet at the highest available stake.  This information is readily available on the paytable.

These types of online casino games are not gaining in popularity.  The reason?  The stakes and associated risk are simply too high for the majority of patrons at online slots casinos.

At one time, there was a clear incentive to bet max.  The reason being the disproportionate value of the top prize.   This was and still is typically the case in classic 3-reel and 1 payline slots.

As an example, the payouts on a 2-coin wager, as against a 1-coin wager are usually double in value.  With a maximum 3-coin bet in play, the prize jumps in value to five or even six times the 1-coin payout.

This type of arrangement is also common in video poker games.  The highest possible poker ranking, the royal flush, pays out at hefty odds… but only on the maximum 5-coin bet.  At Springbok Casino, for instance, you can win 4,000 credits.  That is 16 times more than had you bet just 1-coin!

Can you win a random or progressive online slots jackpot more easily when you hit the bet max button?  The answer is an unequivocal ‘no’.

Bigger Bets, More Bonus Features at Slots Casinos?

The exact same sentiment applies to the in-game bonus features.  You cannot trigger free spins or unlock second screen bonus games by adjusting your betting stake upwards.  Everyone has an equal chance of activating the features.

The only impact your wager has, is how much you win for each matching combination.  The payouts are always multiplied by the current value of the payline bet.  The higher you wager at slots casinos, the more money you can win… but you can lose more too.

Are there advantages to betting max in online slots?  Nope, not so much anymore.  Just as how online casino technology continues to make advances, so has the way in which South Africans play.  If you are the kind of player who enjoys high risk, high rewards, the bet max button is all yours!

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