How to Win at Slots – A Basic Strategy

The Layout of a Slot Machine

To understand slots better, we must first dissect the layout of a slot machine. Slots consist of vertical reels, horizontal rows and paylines. The reels spin round and round. The rows determine the number of symbols that are visible on each reel. Paylines are paths that can be formed through the reels, touching on one row per reel. Winning combinations need to land along paylines and in most slot machines, they must start from the leftmost reel and typically, players must match at least three symbols along a payline to secure a payout.

Types of Slots

The three main categories of slots are classic slots, video slots and arcade slots. Classic and video slots are the most common types. They use the basic structure described above in which players must try and land winning combinations along a payline. Arcade slots, on the other hand, may have slightly different rules. For instance, they may require players to land clusters (groups) of a specific symbol, anywhere on the reels, provided the symbols are connected either vertically or horizontally to one another.

Classic Slots

The most common layout for a classic slot machine is a game that has 3-reels, 3-rows and 5-paylines. In these games, the 5 paylines will include a horizontal pattern across the first, second and third row. The fourth and fifth paylines will be diagonal from the top row to the bottom row and vice versa. To win, players must land enough matching symbols along the paylines.

Video Slots

Video slots are the most popular type of slot machines. Most casinos offer a wide range of video slots. The most standard set-up for video slots is to use 5-reels, 3-rows and between 10 and 25 paylines. Of course, there may also be video slots that have 100 or more paylines. Video slots are also far more likely to include at least one bonus feature.

Arcade Slots

As mentioned before, arcade slots are different to classic and video slots. These games may require players to land groups of symbols on the reels. However, these groups do not need to start from the first reel. These games tend to be played on square grids, such as 5x5, 7x7 or even 10x10.

How to Increase your Winnings

Slot machines are games of pure luck. There is no method to influence or change the outcome of a spin. However, that does not mean you cannot play strategically. Here are a few things you should know that can help you.

Play with the Maximum Number of Paylines and Coins

Many slot machines will require players to set a coin size and choose how many paylines they wish to activate. In these games, players will have to choose how many coins to bet per payline.

If you play with the maximum number of coins/credits and activate all of the paylines, you will give yourself the best chance of winning. Many slots will only pay out the biggest prizes if the maximum number of coins are bet and all paylines are active. Furthermore, often progressive jackpot prizes will only be winnable when betting the max.

If you have to reduce the size of a single coin to play with the maximum number, that is not an issue. Simply reduce the coin size and activate all of the paylines to increase your chances of winning the biggest payouts. For example, instead of betting five coins worth $1 on a payline, you may bet five coins of $0.10 each on a payline.

Understand the Slot Before Playing

Every slot has an appealing theme and one or more attractive features. Nevertheless, it is recommended to look at the slot’s statistics in addition to its presentation.

One of the most important aspects of a slot machine is the RTP (Return to Player). The RTP is a percentage value that refers to the money bet on a machine that will be returned to players over time. It is an average that has been calculated over an enormous number of spins. If a slot has an RTP of 96% then on average, it will return $96 for every $100 bet on it. This also means that the house edge of the slot is 4%. The average RTP percentage for online slot machines is around 96%.

Another thing to look at in slot machines is the volatility. The volatility refers to the way in which a slot pays. For instance, if a slot has low volatility, it will pay smaller amounts on a regular basis. If it is a high volatility slot, it will pay out larger amounts but less frequently.

The reason why it is important to know the volatility of a slot is that it will help you plan your budget. If you want to play for a longer period of time, you are better off with a low volatility slot. High volatility slots are a lot more rewarding, but they can burn through your bankroll quickly.

Be Cautious of Progressive Jackpots

Perhaps the most exciting slot machines are the ones that are linked to progressive jackpots. However, they are not always as beneficial as things may first seem.

When playing progressive jackpots, you should have a look at the RTP of the slot. Often, you will see that it is considerably lower than other slots. This is because a portion of every bet goes to the jackpot fund. Furthermore, you may have to place a higher minimum bet in order to qualify for the jackpot. Therefore, you should ensure that you plan your budget accordingly when playing progressive jackpot slots.

Use Bankroll Management Techniques

Bankroll management is one of the best ways of increasing your chances of winning. While it will not directly influence the game, it will allow you to play for longer, which means you have more opportunities to win. There are a number of different bankroll management techniques you can use to improve your chances.

The first thing you need to do is set a budget and stick to it. The budget that you choose should be an amount that you can afford to lose. After setting a budget, you should decide how long you want to play with and divide your budget accordingly. Keep in mind that a round takes about 5 seconds.

If you have a budget of $100 and want to play for 30 minutes, then you will play roughly 360 spins. This means that you should be betting in the region of $0.25 per spin. This way, you can be sure that you will not run out of funds before your gaming session ends.

One of the alternative methods you can use is to set win and loss limits. That way, you will know when you should stop playing, whether you have reached a certain amount of winnings or burned through your entire bankroll.

For instance, if you have a budget of $100 and set that as your loss limit, you should stop playing after burning through your entire bankroll. The trick here is to not deposit any more into your account to chase losses.

Playing with a win limit is slightly more challenging. If you set a win limit of 50% of your bankroll, you will know exactly when to stop. Thus, when playing slots with $100, you should stop playing as soon as you reach $150. The aim of this bankroll management technique is knowing when to stop playing. Many times, players will turn a big win into a loss by playing for too long.

Ultimately, using bankroll management techniques are a good method of playing slots. It will help you determine your budget, how long you wish to play for, and when to stop playing if you have reached a certain profit.

Put Theory into Practice

Now that you know a few techniques to help you win at slots, you can use these tips right here at Spin Rio. We recommend you do your research first, so that you know more about the RTP, volatility, bonus features and payouts of a slot machine before you start spinning its reels. You can also gain a lot of useful information about the game by playing a demo version of it before you decide to play for real money or not. Once you have discovered exactly what is on offer, you can decide whether you want to risk your hard-earned cash on it or try a different game.