Slots: 12 Simple Strategies to Increase Your Bankroll

As those of us who love playing slot machines know, these games can very easily suck your bank roll within a few minutes, ending you playing session way too early. It is therefore important to have a process in place so you can get the most out of your casino experience. We have 13 online slots tips that will help you do just that.

We know it, slots do not have the best odds when it comes to casino games, yet, we still keep playing them, for various reasons, least of which is the possibility of hitting it big on one of the many multi-million progressive jackpot slots available.

You can easily find progressive slots on most online casinos.

Vera&John probably has the biggest collection of all the highest paying Progressive Jackpot Slots. However, we’re not going into the merits of these slots in this post. If you’re interested to know more about online Progressive Jackpot Slots please check out this post.

This post is all about online slots tips we can offer which will help you extend your playing session as much as possible, and consequently increase your chances of a big win. I’m going to show you the tactics that I use to stretch my bankroll and increase my playing time, both at online slots and on my nights out at the local casino.

This is the closest thing you will find to a useful strategy for playing slots. All, and I mean ‘ALL’ slot machine or online slots tips and strategies you find on the web that promise consistent wins are total garbage (believe me, I’ve tried most of them!!).

With many casino games, and especially slots, there is no strategy that can beat the casino’s favorable odds. It all boils down to luck at the end of the day.

The Most Important Limit You Need to Set

Before we get into the juicy part however, the very first decision you need to make, even before you start playing is to determine what is the maximum bankroll amount you will be spending.

Make sure you are comfortable with the possibility of losing this total amount, without it effecting your life in any way.

So, you’ve decided on the amount you are ready to gamble away. That was easy!!

Yes, it’s all good and dandy to identify the amount you want to spend beforehand. The hardest part is sticking to your set limit once you start playing. Yet, if you don’t want this to end badly, stick to it you must.

Self-control is key here. You must be disciplined enough to ensure that once your maximum playing funds are depleted (in other words, your player account is down to zero) you stop playing and do not deposit more money.

Now that we got that very important ‘warning’ out of the way we can get to the tips I promised.

Online Slots Tips to Extend Your Bank Roll

So, you established the amount you are willing to spend on a healthy session of slots play, and, more importantly, you’re committed to stick to it. Very good, now with these funds you want to extend your play time as much as possible.

To help you with this, I’ve set up a list of 13 online slots tips which I found most effective in helping my bankroll last a little longer. Hopefully you will find these slots playing tactics useful too.

So let’s dive right into it.

Tip No. 1: Don’t Always Bet With Maximum Coins

Many people tend to automatically bet at the maximum coin denomination per spin. However, the only time you should necessarily bet with maximum coins on a slot machine is when you are going to get an additional benefit for risking that extra money.

So; when should you bet at maximum coins?

Basically, playing at maximum coins on online slots or regular slot machines only gives you an added advantage when you’re playing on a Jackpot slot.

Then again, this is not necessarily true for all jackpot slots and therefore if you really want to verify whether it ‘pays’ to play at max coins, then you will have to check each slot on a case by case basis.

Let’s see when you should play at Max. coins and what you should be looking out for.

Jackpot Eligibility

If you are playing on a progressive Jackpot slot machine with the hope of winning the big prize, then you want to make sure you are actually meeting the minimum wagering requirements to even enter with a chance of winning the jackpot.

This is because on some Progressive slots you are only eligible to win the grand jackpot if you are playing at maximum coin value. So, if you play anything lower than that you will never enter into the jackpot bonus round, even if you keep playing non stop for a week.

Then there are those online jackpot slots which do not have bonus game, like jackpot giant by Playtech, for example. The jackpot in this case is paid in the old fashioned way, that is, by aligning a row of jackpot winning symbols on a payline.

Once again, however, it may be necessary to play at Max coins on these slots to be in with a chance of winning the jackpot. In contrast to the jackpot bonus round, however, this time you may still hit the winning payline, but if you’re not playing at Max Coins, instead of winning the actual jackpot, you will only win a multiple of your bet amount.

You would probably still get a very decent win for your buck, however it’s usually nothing compared to the massive, life changing jackpot prize that can be won on the most prestigious progressive slots out there.

So always make sure you check the rules when playing progressive jackpot slots. Imagine hitting the jackpot pay line only to find out that you are not eligible for it. Wouldn’t that be a Slap in the face?!

Increased Chances Of Winning The Jackpot

There are then other types of progressive jackpot slots where you can still win the mega jackpot prize even if you don’t play at the maximum coin value. This has happened in the past on various occasions and in fact in the top 10 list of highest paying online jackpots won to date, we find quite a few which have been hit with only a 25 or 50 cents spin.

Having said this, however, on most progressive jackpot slots, playing with maximum coin value increases your chances of hitting the jackpot round.

Ypu’re probably asking yourselves …Why?

I’m not going to go into the technical details of it, so as not to bore you. Instead, I’ll explain it by way of an example.

Imagine that each coin you bet represents a lottery ticket for a lottery draw which takes place every few minutes. (The prize of the lottery in this case would be either the jackpot amount or a chance to play in the jackpot bonus round). Now, if you are playing with one coin for each spin, and at the same time another player is playing at maximum coins per spin, then the player who is wagering maximum coins has much more tickets than you, and is therefore in with a better chance of having one of his ‘tickets’ picked up for the jackpot at a given point in time.

That’s it basically. So the only advantage of playing at max coins is when vying for the jackpot prize on one of the many jackpot slots. Otherwise, in most other normal slots, playing at maximum coin value does not give you any particular benefit.

In fact most Non-Jackpot slots are just straight multipliers where the amount you win will increase proportionally to the number of coins you bet and therefore you don’t get any extra bonus for making a maximum coins bet.

So, before pressing the max button, make sure you have checked the game information sheet and verified if there is any added advantage to playing at maximum coins.

Tip No. 2: Play Less Volatile Games

For those of you who are not familiar with this concept; let’s start by explaining what Slots volatility is.

In simple terms, slots volatility refers to how often the machine pays out in wins, compared to the win multiplier.

Slot machines are usually categorised in 3 varieties of pay-out volatility. At one end of the scale you have the low volatility games, where you get frequent winning spins but these tend to be of low amounts. At the other end you will find those slots which give out fewer winning spins, however on the rare occasion that you do get a winning spin, these tend to give out a much larger pay-off.

Now that you know the difference you’ve probably already figured out why it’s better to play the less volatile slot machines in order to extend your game session, but let’s just explain it anyway!

If you play on the higher volatility slots that offer the less frequent payouts you will deplete your bankroll faster, unless you hit a winning combination early on. On the other hand, with the low volatility slots you tend to win so often that your bank-roll goes down at very slow gradual pace.

You can usually tell which machines are high volatility by looking at their pay-table.

If there are a lot of high-paying combinations or multipliers such as five times pay or ten times pay then you should know that those types of slots will be more volatile and they will offer fewer winning spins.

Tip No. 3: Should You be Playing the Progressive Jackpot Slots?

Progressives jackpot slots are slot machines that are linked among many different casinos and offer major jackpots usually running into millions of dollars/Euros. These are found both online and in brick and mortar casinos. Online Progressive Jackpot Slots are very popular with online casino players because these jackpots regularly run into millions.

The problem with these types of slots is that their return to player % is usually much lower than other slots. While the average slot machine returns around 95% to 98%, a progressive slot my return only around 85 to 90 %.

Why? Because the jackpot amount is funded by a % of the bet from each spin. The concept behind progressive jackpots is that the jackpot rises progressively with every bet a player makes on the slot, therefore if you bet 50 cents per spin, you are actually contributing 5 cents, for example, to the jackpot and only 45 cents goes as a bet towards the actual spin.

So it stands to reason that, unless you actually win the jackpot, your return would be lower than regular slots, where all your bet amount goes towards the spin outcome.

If you’re playing on progressive jackpot slots, like I like to do, you should know that your chances of turning a winning streak are usually lower than when you play on other normal slots. Having said this, the thrill you get of being in with a chance to win a multi-million jackpot is worth the lower RTP offered by progressive slots, in my opinion.

Tip No. 4: Slow Down

Ok; so this might be a pretty obvious tip, but I know for a fact that all slots players tend to get sucked into speeding up their rate of play at some point or another, especially when we’re getting frustrated with the game results!

You know how they say, ‘Speed kills’. Well this is true on the highways and it’s also true in the casinos.

Slots are a negative expectation game, where the casino always has an advantage over you. Therefore, it stands to reason, that the faster you play the faster you are expected to lose your money. On the other hand, if you can slow down your rate of play your expected loss per playing session will be less.

Try and enjoy your slots playing session at a relaxing pace. After all, playing slots is a source of entertainment and not a race against time, and spinning faster, in most cases, does not get you to that mage-big win any faster.

So stop pounding relentlessly at that spin button and add a little break time between spins.

Now, when playing online slots we can do more than just slow down our own pace. We can actually slow down the game’s speed from its settings.

With online slots, therefore, you should ensure the game settings are set to your likings. The settings function can usually be found on one of the bottom corners of any online casino game. Here, amongs other things, like sound and graphics quality, you can also adjust the speed at which the reels spin and also whether you want the animation parts of the game to be on or off.

To increase the game time and enjoy it to the full, make sure that the reels are not set at fast speed and also that the game animation option is on.

In my opinion, having the game at the fast speed settings will reduce considerably the attraction of slots. The anticipation of waiting for those reel symbols to align and give you the win you were waiting for is essentially the main thrill of playing slot machines.

So, slowing down will give you more appreciation for the game and allow you to play for a longer period with the same bankroll. At the end, if you still lose all your money, at least you would have enjoyed a longer and more pleasurable experience.

Tip No. 5: Take Breaks

If, like me, you’re an avid gambler and have the stamina to go on for hours, then it would be ideal if you could allocate time for breaks in between playing sessions.

First off, playing continuously on the same game can tend to get boring, and you lose your enjoyment of the game.

Secondly, by taking small breaks you are keeping your mind fresh which means there is less risk of spontaneous decisions or errors that will deplete your bank roll in one instant, like for example pressing the Bet max button!!

Obviously taking breaks will also extend your gaming session and keep that bankroll lasting longer.

Tip No. 6: Play Slots With a High RTP

Duh!! But, just in case you are not familiar with the RTP% on slot machines, this refers to the Return to Player percentage (the pay-back percentages) for slots and these can usually be found on the gaming provider websites.

RTP% of slot machines is as an extremely important indicator to take into consideration. This percentage gives you an indication of the average win you can expect for every $100 you bet.

So, if the RTP is 97%, then the machine, on average, is paying out $97 on every $100 wagered by a player. Looking at it the other way round, the casino is making around $3 in profit from this slots game on every $100 bet by the players.

The following graph which we borrowed from the OCR blog (and if you want to understand in more detail what RTP is check out this post)shows in a simplified manner how the lower RTP games will reduce your casino account balance more quickly as you play more game rounds.

If you want to increase your chances of playing longer and stretching your bankroll then you should play on the machines which have the highest RTP. Look for those which offer at least 98% or even higher.

Tip No. 7: Take Part in Slots Tournaments

Many online casinos offer slots tournaments which are free to enter or have a nominal charge of a few dollars as an entrance fee. This means while playing slots during the tournament you are not wagering your own money on each spin.

Obviously you will not be entitled to the winnings from the game itself, but the wins are instead translated into tournament points which could entitle you to a share of the tournament prize pool if you mange to get at the top of the table.

SlotoCash Casino​, for example, has daily tournaments of these kind. Most of them are free to enter or have a small nominal buy-in charge of 5 cents. The below table is an extract I got from their website which shows the slots tournaments daily schedule for 2017.

The Add-on cost or the Rebuy cost shown in the table above are optional charges you can spend in order to get more rounds in the tournament and therefore increase your chances of winning a prize.

The Pot is the value of the prize pool which is shared among the players which rank in the top spots for that particular tournament​. Obviously the higher up your rank, the bigger would be your share of the prize pot.

Then once every month or so, the casino will offer one high prize tournament with a much larger prize pool, and which is usually free to enter, like the one shown in the promotional poster below.​

As you can see, participating in online slots tournaments is another way to obtain free casino cash. These tournaments are set up by casinos as an alternative to bonus money or free spins and they are a marketing strategy used to entice players. So, why not take advantage of them!

Tip No. 8: Don’t Drink and Play

You need to keep your mind alert at all times when gambling as it is very easy to lose all your money and more than you can afford. So stay sharp and make sure you are in a right frame of mind to make decisions on how much to bet, when to stop playing or switch games and when is the right time to cash out your winnings.

This does not necessarily limit itself to drunk gambling. Even being angry or frustrated is not an ideal state of mind to play in.

If you find yourself getting upset or annoyed then just walk away and keep your bankroll for another day (rhyme not intended!).

Tip No. 9: Get a Team Together

Forming a slots team with a friend or group of friends may sound complicated but it’s really simple.

Form a partnership with a friend or group of friends where you each put the same amount into a pool and use it as a shared bankroll.

For example, let’s say you and a friend each put one hundred dollars into a pool. You now have a two hundred dollar bankroll for gambling and you can then take turns playing rather than both playing at the same time. You’ll find that you can have just as much fun watching and rooting for your friend to win knowing that you will share in the winnings.

This is often done in land based casinos. In fact there are various groups who film their slots sessions and post them on YouTube, like the one below.

One thing that you need to be careful of though is to make sure that you can trust the other person. If you can’t trust that person to be honest with you then this would not be a good method to use.

Tip No. 10: Take Advantage of Casino Bonuses and Promotions

One of the greatest benefits of playing at an online casino is the fantastic bonus and free spins promotions that are given away as part of their marketing efforts.

I always suggest taking advantage of these bonuses, however try and find online casinos that offer reasonable wagering requirements. The lower the wagering requirements, the better because this will give you more chances of meeting the required wagering multiplier and cashing out your winnings.

For slots players, the good news is that wagering on the different slots games usually contributes towards 100% of your wagering requirements. This means that every $1 you spend on your slots bet will go in full towards your wagering requirements.

This is not the case on most other casino games where only a % portion of each dollar bet would usually contribute towards your wagering requirements. Check out the table below to get a better understanding of a typical wagering contribution % for each casino game.

One of the best online casinos for promotional bonus offers, in my opinion, is William Hill. It’s a name you can trust and it also gives out regular awesome bonuses. Therefore, unlike most other casinos where bonuses are given only on your first deposit, at William Hill you can expect to receive bonus offers every week of some type or other.

Even if you don’t win however, bonuses will greatly boost your playing bankroll and consequently extend your game play session.

Promotions are also offered at land based casinos.

Usually a land based casino will have club cards available for players. Some players don’t like to use a player’s club card because they think that somehow the card will be used by the casino to prevent them from winning.

This could not be further from the truth.

The use of a player’s club card does not affect the outcome of any electronic gaming machines as this would be against gaming regulations.

By using your player’s club card the casino will be able to verify how much business you have given them and the more you play, the more benefits you will be entitled to. So you can earn cash-back, for example, or casino comps that can be exchanged for free rooms, free food, free shows and so on.

Tip No. 11: Mix Your Game Play

There’s nothing wrong with playing just slots, however other games such as video poker or blackjack can be quite entertaining also and actually offer a higher return to player.

If you’ve never tried video poker or blackjack before than try them out in practice mode first, that is, without wagering real money. See if you get the hang of it.

Unlike slots, the outcome of these games can be considerably influenced by your level of knowledge of the game.

If you want to find out more about video poker than check out this comprehensive Video Poker Guide for beginners. There’s even a step by step strategy which will get you started on the right foot.

Tip No. 12: Once You’re Ahead, Swicth to a Different Slot Machine

If you’re going to stick to slots, then one strategy I like using is to switch between different slot games, especially once I’ve had a big win.

Given that the return on slots are always in the casino’s advantage, it stands to reason that if you are winning on a particular slot machine, then if you keep playing the same game, there is a very good chance that you will eventually lose your winnings.

So, if you get a good winning spin which pays out a handsome amount then you are better off if you stop playing that game and switch to another type of slot or terminate your game session altogether.

I’ve had this happen to me plenty of times in the past. My bankroll rises early on because of a big win, only to diminish to zero after a few minutes of playing the same game.

So the way I’m playing lately, every time I get the ‘Big Win’ or better yet the ‘Mega Big Win’ during a game, I will cash out and move to another slots game.

Now, it’s not guaranteed that by switching to another game you will win again however from my experience there’s a better chance of staying ahead when you switch to another slots game then sticking to the same one.

Bonus Tip (and Most Important one) – Never Chase Your Losses

I can honestly tell you that all the tips mentioned in this post are ones I learned along the way in my years of playing slots and they have helped me ensure I make the most of my casino gambling sessions.

Having said this, there were many instances where I have not followed my own suggestions and most of the times I end up regretting it, but to err is human and maybe the most important tip I can give you is never chase your losses. This is where gambling can get ugly.

So, set a budget, stick to it and learn to accept the results from each slots playing session. You’ll win some and you’ll lose some. That’s the nature of the game.

Chasing your losses by depositing more money into your player account or withdrawing more funds from the cash machine at the casino, is the worst thing you can do. This is were players tend to lose control of their playing habits and eventually lose serious money which they cannot afford to lose.

Even the casino provider themselves wants you to enjoy your gaming experience responsibly. Take a look at William Hill’s advert, for example, with the very appropriate and clever logo, which reads ‘When the Fun Stops …STOP’.

So, no matter how close you think you are to a big win. If your bankroll finishes, or your online casino player account drops to zero; Stop playing. The game is set to produce various near wins on purposes to entice you to keep playing. You have to be aware of this, and play intelligently so that you don’t let the slot machine beat you.

This is why in our online casino guide for beginners we recommend you open an account with one of the many e-wallet providers available on the market. This way you keep your gambling funds separate from your savings. Always make your casino deposits from your E-wallet.

E-Wallets are obviously useless at a brick and mortar casino. In this case if you’re going out for a night of gambling fun at the casino, I suggest you leave your debit card or credit card at home. Take only enough cash for your gambling bankroll, and maybe something extra for the cab ride home. If you gamble that too, get ready to walk!

That should teach you a nice lesson in self-control.

That’s all I have for now. If you would like to share any of your own tips for playing slot machines then please leave a comment below.