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How to Win at Slots?
10 Top Tips for Slot Machines
Slot machines are the most popular online casino games, and the majority of gamblers prefer slots to everything else. This is why it is important to understand how slots work and what slot machine strategy can help you to win more. CasinosHunter experts have researched the issue and prepared this detailed guideline for Canadian players who are interested in slots strategy.
Understanding Slot Machine Basics
Slots might seem easy to play because basically, all you need is to deposit some money to the balance, and then press the “Spin” button to see how the bet plays out. However, the catch is that slot machines are easy to play but also easy to lose if you have no idea how they work. This is why it is important to understand the basic mechanisms behind online slots and be aware of the rules and features that most slot machines offer to pick the best slots strategy.
Reels & Rows
First of all, reels and rows are vertical and horizontal positions in the slot. The reels spin when you press the “Spin” button, and when they stop, the symbols on the reels land on specific places in the rows. Every slot has pre-set combinations of symbols that result in a financial win when hit. Modern slots usually have from three up to five or even seven reels, and from three to five rows.
Paylines & Pay Tables
Paylines can be straight or diagonal, or any other irregular line across the reels and rows that connects specific pre-set combinations of symbols. If the symbols land and hit the combination, the player wins the bet.
Today, slot machines tend to have more than one payline; some have hundreds of them.
The pay table demonstrates all the possible winning combinations and sequences in a specific slot machine. Different paylines do not pay the same; there might be more valuable and less valuable ones. The pay table helps players understand the value of each combination and plan their casino slots strategy.
Wagers
Wagers are very easy to understand; these are bets the player makes every time they spin the reels in a slot game. A wager is the amount of money spent on each spin, or overall in a gambling session.
When the player uses their deposited money or bonus money in online slots, they are wagering the money. The lower the wagering requirements for the bonus, the better. The most advantageous offers can be found at a no wager bonus casino.
Bet as the term is associated more with sports betting, but wager and bet are the same thing.
Bonus Features & Jackpots
Slot machines do not function only through paylines; there are symbols that can trigger extra wins or increase the potential wins. For example, wilds and scatters are extremely widespread in online slots; these are classic symbol-connected bonus features. You can learn more about them here.
Newer and more advanced slot machines have even more complicated bonus features that can be triggered by a symbol or a combination of symbols. For example, Respins, Tumble, Bonus Game, etc. It is important to know what features are there and how they work in a particular game.
Many players hope to hit a jackpot. There are fixed jackpots and progressives. Fixed jackpot slot machine pays when the maximum possible jackpot prize sum is accumulated, and the last person making the contributing bet to the growing jackpot wins it. Progressives accumulate way bigger prize pools and have different triggering mechanisms.
Random Number Generator (RNG)
A Random Number Generator is a program that gives out sequences of numbers without any pattern (that is, they are random). For online slots, the RNG creates thousands of numbers every second for each spin.
Most software providers have their own RNG for their slot games. RNG means that, firstly, neither the provider, nor the casino, nor the player can impact the outcome of the bet or predict it. The outcomes are completely random and there are no patterns, even though the human brain is wired to look for ones and tries to come up with an online slots winning strategy based on that.
Secondly, the RNG gives out the outcome of the bet the second the player presses the “Spin” button. All the visual effects of the reels spinning are there just for entertainment because the result is ready immediately when the bet is placed. Therefore, the feeling that the player was one row away from a winning combination is an illusion.
Strategy on Slot MachineS
Bankroll Management Techniques
Despite the fact that people believe there are some predictable patterns in online slots, slot machines are unpredictable and impossible to manipulate. Therefore, it is impossible to follow any system to make the slot give out a winning combination or a bigger win. However, players can try to minimize their losses by following a simple casino slot machine strategy.
Splitting Your Bankroll
Managing your budget is a crucial strategy for playing slots in casinos to actually enjoy gambling. There are three main rules for bankroll management:
- Set a budget beforehand and only play slots with money you can afford to lose (spend for your entertainment without expecting anything in return but fun).
- Split the budget into portions (can be monthly, weekly, or daily).
- Stop when you reach your limit.
Setting Win and Loss Limits
Some players don’t want to set their budgets. In this case, it is a good idea to set loss limits. This is a good slot machine strategy for beginners. While you are winning, it is okay to continue playing, but if you start losing, it makes sense to stop when you reach the loss limit you set for yourself. Accept it is just a bad day for gambling, and move on with your life.
Setting win limits is a more advanced level of gambling. Many players feel that when they have a winning streak, it is better to stop on a positive note before they start losing again. So when you feel like your win is good enough already, take your money from the table and leave.
Top 10 TipS
How to Win at Slots?
There are some strategies that can help players minimize their losses or increase the chances of winning. However, online slots are games of chance, and the bet outcomes are always random. So there exists no guaranteed slot machine strategy to beat slot machines all the time, or even most of the time. Yet, the tips below can make this gaming experience more enjoyable and less chaotic in the long run.
Play High RTP Online Slots
High RTP online slots are the best for winning in the long run. They might or might not pay big immediately, but if the player invests some time in them, they statistically pay better than online slots with lower RTP rates.
What is Return to Player (RTP)?
RTP means Return to Player rate. It is a percentage of the money the player has spent betting in an online slot game. For example, if the RTP rate is 97%, it is the amount the player can get back, while the rest is the house edge.
RTP does not guarantee the wins, but theoretically and statistically, it pays the slots players back better than other slot machines.
Most modern slot games have around a 93-95% RTP rate. Progressives can have from 87 to 92% RTP rates because their main advantage is jackpots, not higher payouts in the long term. Online slot machines with a 96% RTP rate are considered very wholesome, but it is always possible to look for even higher RTP.
8 Highest RTP Slot Machines
The slot machines listed here are not the newest, but they have the highest available RTP rates across the market, quite above average RTP. There are few of them, and providers do not release such slot games very often.
| Slot | Provider | RTP | Max Win |
|---|---|---|---|
Slot  | Provider  | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x2000 |
Slot  | Provider  | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x5000 |
Slot  | Provider  | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x1000 |
Slot  | Provider | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x6000 |
Slot  | Provider  | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x670 |
Slot  | Provider | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x10000 |
Slot  | Provider  | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x6000 |
Slot  | Provider | RTP | Max Win 🏆 x900 |
How to Find the RTP of a Slot Machine
An RTP rate of a slot machine is literally the characteristic that software providers immediately demonstrate, because it is something many casino sites and players want to know in the first place. A slot RTP rate is usually indicated in the game information directly in the game interface, on the software provider’s page, or in CasinosHunter’s review. It is very easy to find the game’s RTP.
Understand Slot Volatility & Chances of Winning
Slot volatility, also called variance, is a preprogrammed setting that dictates the size and frequency of payouts over a period of time. Low variance online slot machines pay small sums frequently (and this is why they are good for playing with bonuses). High-volatility slots pay bigger, but the hits are less frequent.
How to Check Slot Volatility
Slot volatility is not some kind of mystery; it is a technical feature of the game, so providers indicate it together with the RTP rate. It is impossible to “guess” the slot volatility; just go to the game information or the provider’s website and check the volatility level to understand a particular slot game better.
Popular High Volatility Slots to Play Online
High volatility slots are everywhere. Usually, big and famous providers prefer to release high-volatility slot games. The table here lists some of the most popular slot machines you can check out for bigger wins.
| Slot | Provider | Max Win |
|---|---|---|
Slot | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x5000 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x15000 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x5000 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x2000 |
Slot  | Provider | Max Win 🏆 x21000 |
Popular Low Volatility Slots to Play Online
Low volatility slots are amazing; the fact that they pay out smaller doesn’t make them unpopular. Many beginner players prefer low volatility because more frequent wins are more fun to gamble with. Also, low variance slots are perfect for wagering bonuses because they allow you to win more money faster. The table lists several popular games to begin with, but slots players can find hundreds of amazing low volatility games from many studios.
| Slot | Provider | Max Win |
|---|---|---|
Slot  | Provider | Max Win 🏆 x500 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x500 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x300 |
Slot  | Provider  | Max Win 🏆 x378 |
Slot  | Provider | Max Win 🏆 x1265 |
Play Jackpot Slots & Progressive Jackpots
Jackpot games are also slot games, so the key principles of gambling are basically the same. Jackpots usually have lower RTP rates and higher volatility rates, because the goal of playing those games is to hit a life-changing win, not collect small wins here and there.
Choosing a jackpot slot over a normal slot might be a wise move. There are fixed and progressive jackpots, and depending on the provider and game features, different players might prefer different jackpot types.
The best progressives are made by Microgaming, Games Global, and their supplying partner studios.
Many different providers release fixed jackpots, but at the time of writing this review, the best games are made by Netent, Yggdrasil, and especially Wazdan.
Top-Rated Jackpot Slots
The table here features several progressive jackpot slot machines by studios connected to Games Global and Microgaming, the leader and pioneer of progressives. There are dozens of progressives out there at the moment, so this table is just a hint on where to begin and plan the progressive slots strategy.
| Progressive | Provider | RTP rate | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
Progressive 🎰 Queen of Alexandria WowPot | Provider  | RTP rate | Features Bonus wheel Expanding symbols |
Progressive 🎰 Thunderstruck II Mega Moolah | Provider  | RTP rate | Features Free spins Avalanche |
Progressive 🎰 Mega Moolah Lucky Bells | Provider  | RTP rate | Features Free spins Bonus wheel |
Progressive 🎰 Sisters of OZ WowPot | Provider  | RTP rate | Features Free spins Bonus wheel |
Progressive 🎰 Book of Atem WowPot | Provider  | RTP rate | Features Bonus wheel Expanding symbols |
Choosing the Right Casino for Online Slots
There are many criteria that a quality online casino has to meet. However, speaking of slots, one of the most important criteria for a slot machine strategy casino is the lobby size. Some truly amazing casinos with smaller lobbies offer other advantages. And yet, a bigger lobby means more games to explore. Please check out the list of recommended casinos with the biggest lobbies below!
| Casino Site | Number of games | License |
|---|---|---|
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 7,000 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 4,500 | License Kahnawake |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 10,000 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 7,000 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 5,700 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 4,500 | License Gambling License in Malta |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 10,000 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 8,000 | License Curacao |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 3,000 | License Gambling License in Malta |
Casino Site  | Number of games ➡️ 6,000 | License Gambling License in Malta |
Find the Best Free Spins and Online Slot Bonuses
Online slots are more fun with bonuses, and the best bonus is free spins from the casino site. New players can find no deposit casino bonus Canada, but these bonuses are usually 10-20-30 free spins, and that’s it. However, it is also possible to get a lot of free spins from casinos with big welcome bonuses! Check out the list of our recommended casinos that offer free spins under beneficial conditions, and start playing right away.
| Casino | Free spins bonus | Wagering requirements |
|---|---|---|
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 300 | Wagering requirements x45 |
Casino  | Free spins bonus 🎁 180 | Wagering requirements x40 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 120 | Wagering requirements x50 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 250 | Wagering requirements x30 |
Casino  | Free spins bonus 🎁 200 | Wagering requirements x50 |
Casino  | Free spins bonus 🎁 150 | Wagering requirements x35 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 100 | Wagering requirements x35 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 300 | Wagering requirements x40 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 200 | Wagering requirements x35 |
Casino | Free spins bonus 🎁 250 | Wagering requirements x35 |
If you would like to check out other available special promotions, please follow the link to read about our recommended free spins bonuses!
Try Free Slot Games First as Demo Versions
Most slots are available in demo mode (also called practice mode or free mode). This mode literally exists for practice at free slots without investing the player’s own money at first. The game works as usual and gives the player virtual credit that they spend on bets. They also win virtual credit when hitting the winning combinations.
Anything the player “wins” in practice mode is not real money, and they cannot cash it out. However, free mode enables the player to read the game rules, learn the symbols, and see how the in-game features are triggered.
If you like the game in free mode, you will enjoy playing it with real money. Most casinos do not set any limits for access to slot machines in demo mode.
Read Slot and Casino Reviews from Other Slot Players
It is totally possible to learn to understand slot games, but it takes time and experience. To get this experience faster, and maybe find some valuable insights, it is useful to read other players’ feedback on particular slots (or real money online casinos!).
Super positive or super negative feedback alone does not make a game good or bad, but if a pool of players comments that the game is boring, or chaotic, or that an online casino doesn’t pay the bonus wins, it is better to pay attention.
We also recommend reading slot and casino reviews, for example, reviews by CasinosHunter.
Understand Basic Slot Machine Features
Besides paylines, RTP rate, and volatility level, there are minimum and maximum bet limits, symbol combinations, autoplay mode, some advanced modes, maximum win limits, and so on. Some slot machines can be highly customizable, and players can set them in their own preferred ways.
Bonus features and mechanics are also plenty. There are interactive mechanics, tumble, respins, gamble mode, multipliers, etc. Modern slot machines can be very complicated feature-wise.
The better the player understands the game they want to play, the higher the chance that they will be able to track what’s happening, plan their budget, and enjoy the game.
Try Different Slot Types
There are many slot types these days. The online gambling industry has been around for almost three decades, and the software has evolved a lot since the first online slot was released.
Today, a small indie studio releases a new game once every couple of months, while giants like Microgaming or Pragmatic Play go for 10-12 new slot games per month, all year round. And there are hundreds of online casino software studios.
As a result, there are thousands of online slots, old and new, featuring different mechanics and characteristics in an array of criteria.
- There are classic video slots, usually 3x3, featuring fruit or gem themes, with a smaller number of paylines and classic features - scatters, wilds, free spins, gamble mode, and maybe a jackpot.
- There are video slots with different mechanics (maths) behind the game, for example, stack or tumble mechanics that make the slot symbols on the reels behave like Tetris. Jackpot games have their own patented mechanics.
- There are slot machines with multiple paylines, for example, Megaways games with up to a thousand paylines for smaller and bigger wins.
The bottom line is that players like different games, so it makes sense to try out different slots. It is fun, it gives experience and understanding, and makes it easier to choose a slot game for real money gambling.
Important Notice
Play Slots Responsibly
Responsible gambling is a set of rules to follow and a set of tools to use in order to avoid unplanned financial losses, wasted time, frustration, and potentially gambling addiction.
Gambling can be addictive even despite the fact that most of the time, people lose in games.
Reputable casino sites provide responsible gambling tools to their customers, like deposit limit, wager limit, loss limit, session time limit, and self-exclusion function.
There is also a list of simple rules that will make your gambling experience safer:
- Don’t chase losses. Leave the game when you reach your loss limit.
- Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose painlessly.
- Expect to lose at all times.
- Never play slots with credit money; never borrow money to gamble.
- Feel free to stop playing the game when it starts getting boring. Limit your playing time.
Online gambling is an entertainment activity and should be perceived as such. It must not be pursued as a way of making money.
How to Win at Slots FAQs
⚡ Is there a strategy to slots?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ Best day to win on slots?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ How to choose a winning slot?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ Can I follow a pattern to win at slot machines?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡️ What is the best slot machine strategy?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ Is there a progressive slot machine strategy?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ How to spot high RTP slots?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.
⚡ How to identify low volatility slot machines?
There is no online slots strategy because the bet outcome in slot machines is always random. Many studios today add the “Provably fair” feature to their games to show the outcomes of all bets to the player and prove that there was no cheating. Reputable casino sites try to only get games that are fair and have strong maths behind them. Moreover, if a player tries to use some math-based strategy for playing slots, the casino site will notice and might take action, for example, forfeit the bonus or winnings.