6 Things to Avoid when Playing Slots

Slot machines are one of the most popular online gambling for real money options at land-based and the online casino. Slot machines can be played on a PC or a mobile device so you can compete for real money prizes at your leisure while you’re standing in line, traveling on a train, waiting for an appointment or just relaxing at home.

Most players enjoy the interaction of playing slots but ultimately, everyone wants to win. You can increase your chances of winning at slots by avoiding risky, unnecessary or extraneous actions or behaviors.

Some of the things that players should avoid include:

Don’t Focus on the Near Misses

Some players think that they can strategize by finding near misses. Looking for near misses refers to focusing on games in which the jackpot symbols appear on the screen or reels in a sequence that’s just short of a winning combination.

Looking for the near misses adds a bit of intrigue to the game but if you start to plan future outcomes based on near misses, you’ll be making a mistake. Near misses won’t change a game’s outcome. Additionally, it doesn’t make any sense to choose a machine based on near misses in a previous game because the spins won’t replicate.

Keep Away from Small Denominations

You might be tempted to play low denomination games because you may figure that you’ll lose less if you bet less. That’s a bit of a fallacy. It’s suggested that you aim for the bets that have higher denominations when possible. Higher denomination bets pay better so when your spin does succeed, you’ll make more of an impact, even when the overall bets are more or less the same.

For example, if you have a choice between placing a $1 bet 2x or betting $2 once, choose the $2.

Stay Away from Complicated Games

A general rule of thumb is that the more complicated the game, the lower your odds. The more complex the rules, the worse your odds. This rule doesn’t hold true for many table games including poker, blackjack and baccarat but it is true for slots. The simpler the game, the higher your chances are to win.

For example, games with fewer paylines give you better odds than multi-line bets while three-reel slot machines make it easier to create winning combinations than five-reel slot machines. Those machines, however, usually focus on higher bets so you may want to vary your play with a selection of more complicated games that have lower odds but more exciting gameplay.

Don’t Ignore the Free Mode

Too many players ignore the Free Mode, based on the feeling that they’ll be “wasting their time” when testing new games or reviewing the rules and regulations of games that they’ve played in the past. That’s a mistake.

The free mode is one of the most valuable tools that the casino offers to slots players. When you play in the free mode you have the chance to review the games’ elements and features, decide on which parts of the game you want to focus and prepare your bets based on your assessment of where you have the best opportunity to maximize your deposits.

You don’t have to play every single game in the free mode every single time that you sign into the casino to start playing. But definitely try out new games in the Free Mode before you start playing for real money prizes. Take old games out for a test run whenever possible before you play for real.

Avoid the Impulse to Ignore the Bottom Line

Some players feel that they shouldn’t stop playing when they’re on a “lucky streak.” Problem is, their “lucky streak” is often “just around the corner.” Meaning that it hasn’t really started yet and, in the meantime, they’re going deeper and deeper into debt.

Your gambling budget is part of your entertainment budget. Set that budget before you start to play and then stick to it. If you are, indeed, on a winning streak, you’ll be adding money to your gaming budget.  You can certainly keep playing.

If, however, the amount of money that you have in your account is dwindling, don’t keep adding more on the assumption that “things will turn around very soon.” Each and every spin of the reels on the slot machine has the exact same chance of bringing you a win as the last spin. When your pre-determined gaming budget ends, it’s time to end your gaming session so you don’t use non-entertainment funds for your gaming entertainment.  

Don’t Miss Opportunities With Progressive Jackpot Slots

Every casino offers progressive jackpot slots but many players ignore those games because of the extra deposit required. However, the extra deposit is pretty minimal when you balance it against the chance to win a massive jackpot prize. It may be worth the extra excitement to go for the jackpot.

If you’re playing a progressive jackpot, make sure that you have enabled your play to compete for that jackpot. If you’re playing a three-reel slot machine you will usually see a single progressive jackpot on the top payoff. On such a machine you must bet maximum coins to be eligible.

For example, on a three-coin dollar slot machines, you won’t be able to win the progressive if you bet only one or two coins. If you land the top jackpot combination on the payline you’ll only get a reduced payoff at a fixed amount.
If, however, you bet all 3 coins you will collect the entire jackpot if your spin hits the jackpot combination.

On a five-reel slot, the progressive jackpot is generally multi-tiered and offers anywhere from two to 12 progressive levels. On a four-tier progressive, you’ll typically see levels labeled bronze, silver, gold and platinum or mini, minor, major and grand or something similar.

On some video slots, you must make a separate bet to be jackpot eligible while on other machines all players are eligible for the jackpots regardless of bet size.

Since the jackpots are the main focus of progressives the games usually pay less than other games for other wins. So, if you are going to play a progressive, be sure that you place the necessary deposit so that you’re jackpot-eligible.

If you don’t want to make the extra deposit, find a different game.