Method 4. Know your limit. Set a "lose limit" and a "double my money" amount before you enter the casino. If you're winning , stop when you have doubled your initial amount. If you're losing, stop when you reach your lose limit.

National Institutes of Health Go to source This will keep you from spending more than you can afford at the casino. Plus, setting a win limit will help you come out ahead. If you keep betting, you could lose everything you've won. That's your "lose limit.

Make a long-term plan. If you'll be vacationing in a gambling town or spending several days to play, it's best to figure out how you'll budget your funds to cover the length of your visit.

Here's what you can do: [11] X Research source Decide how many days you'll make it to the casino and how long you'll gamble during each session. Divide your total bankroll by the number of days and then divide that daily allowance by the number of hours you plan to play each day.

This will tell you how much you can afford to lose per hour. You decide that you want to play a total of four hours per day. Have back-up plans in place to keep your spending in check. You may be surprised at how quickly you can go through your bankroll by playing the slots.

With ATMs conveniently located throughout the casino floor, you may find yourself spending more than you intended on your quest to strike it rich. Buddy up. Make a pact with a friend that you'll stop each other from spending more than an agreed-upon amount.

Playing with coins rather than feeding bills into the machine will extend the time of your play. Pocket any winnings you earn. Play only with the money from your initial bankroll; that way, you won't walk away empty-handed.

You don't lose what you're winning, which is counterproductive. This is harder to do if the casino has a card system; however, you can try cashing out big winnings when they happen.

Join the casino's club to earn benefits. Join the slot clubs if you are playing at a land-based casino or take advantage of bonus money offerings that online services give to their loyal customers. These clubs often offer bonus cash for playing the slots, while others may give you discounts on things like buffets or hotel stays.

These offers are based on how many coins you play in the slot machines or your rate of play. Compare the benefits of different casinos or sites and choose the casino that offers the best benefits or freebies for your level of play.

Some casinos even give some of these points back as cash, making your gambling dollar stretch even further. Be sure you always have your club card inserted in your slot machine before you spin. You want to get credit for every bit of your play time. mark cesley. There is no "way" to win in caveman keno.

But you will get the best RTP return to player , meaning the best winning odds, if you pick 6 or 7 numbers. We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback.

If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Support wikiHow Yes No. Not Helpful 60 Helpful I always play the machine for a few spins just to see if the winning cycle continues.

But it's safest not to spend too much time playing after you've won, as you're likely to lose money. Not Helpful Helpful Does playing the machine on the end as opposed to the middle make a difference? Higher traffic visual. More payouts.

Machines that pay more will always be where the majority of customers can see others win, as that urges them to play as well.

Not Helpful 49 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Don't believe the "Hot and Cold" machine myth. Gamblers by trade are superstitious, and casinos have targeted machine names and colors to the "hot" theory. All machine spins are predetermined by the computer inside them and not by how much you rub it or how lucky it is.

Play the games you like, and enjoy the casino without buying into this myth. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0. When choosing a machine that claims a high payout percentage, look closely at the advertisement before sitting down.

To increase your chances of finding them, ask a casino floor attendant for help to find out which machines are local player favorites. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Tips from our Readers The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you.

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Never play slots just to rack up freebies or comps. Slot clubs were designed to entice you to play. Taking advantage of the freebies because you are playing anyway is one thing, while playing because you're trying to earn more points is another.

Don't get caught up in the marketing ploy. Thanks Helpful 53 Not Helpful Know when to stop. Never try to win money back that you've lost, as this can be a way to lose big.

Thanks Helpful 55 Not Helpful You Might Also Like. How to. How to Play Rock, Paper, Scissors: A Simple Guide. How to Play Left-Center-Right LCR at Your Next Game Night.

A Basic Introduction to Card Counting. More References 3. About This Article. Co-authored by:. Co-authors: Updated: October 4, Categories: Games of Chance. Article Summary X If you want the best odds when you play the slots, choose the slot machines in high-traffic, visible areas, since those machines have more frequent payouts.

In other languages Español: ganar en las máquinas tragamonedas. Français: gagner aux machines à sous. Italiano: Battere le Slot Machine.

Русский: обыграть игровой автомат. Čeština: Jak vyhrát na hracích automatech. Bahasa Indonesia: Mengalahkan Mesin Slot. Deutsch: An Spielautomaten gewinnen. 日本語: カジノのスロットで勝つ. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,, times. Reader Success Stories.

Karen Mutarelli Nov 28, I tend to go to the wheel that gives you free spins. I have been a gambler my whole life, this might help! More reader stories Hide reader stories.

Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Oct 9, Good to know that I was thinking along the same lines, especially the one about small maximums paid.

Hot and cold machines ideas were new. Anonymous Sep 18, Hit occasionally, enjoy the temporary high, and go home. Anonymous Jan 23, It is luck, not necessarily strategy. What I learned here is how to manage your luck, i. knowing when to play and when to say enough.

Anonymous Mar 21, Reminded me that it's always in the casinos' favor to win. Going to play for fun as always, but of course winning would be nice. Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories. You Might Also Like How to. Featured Articles How to. Trending Articles. Featured Articles.

Watch Articles How to. If this symbol shows up in your combination it can take the place of any other symbol in a winning combination. So, having a wild symbol will drastically improve your odds of winning. Scatter symbols are often associated with bonus spins that offer a great advantage to the player.

They are usually rather rare to land on and have some terms and conditions that need a meeting before you can benefit from them. Another rare symbol is the multiplier symbol, and it multiplies your winnings should you find it. The amount they increase your winnings is up to the individual game, but it can be 2x, 4x, or even 6x.

Unfortunately not as many slot machines have them. If you land on a sticky symbol, the reel remains in place for several spins. This means that you only need to match two symbols together to get a win. Similar to a scatter symbol, a bonus symbol takes you away from your next spin and allows you to play a bonus game.

Finally, stacked symbols allow normal symbols to take up more than one space on a reel. There is sometimes also the opportunity to land on a stacked wild symbol which increases your chance of winning impressively. Like with any activity, there is a certain etiquette that you should follow to ensure that you enjoy your time as much as possible without upsetting any other players.

To prevent having a public argument with another gambler in the middle of a casino, make sure that you stick to the below rules. There are plenty of other seats in a casino — go find one.

Find another machine until that one is free. You can save your machine if you need a break from gambling, but try not to make this longer than 15 minutes. There will often be slot attendants walking around the area so you can ask them for the policy on saving machines.

If you are allowed to save your machine and you walk away from it for a few minutes, always take your valuables with you. Likewise, never leave credits unplayed on a machine. As it is possible to save your machine, always make sure that a machine is available before sitting down.

Again, make sure that the machine you choose is free and available. People who like to use more than one at a time will be back and forth, so an empty seat does not always mean that the machine is available for you to use.

No one likes a sore loser. Doing so might get you banned from the house. Head up to your hotel room or venture out and see the sights. Make sure to explore our guide of the best hotels in Las Vegas so that you have the best place to unwind and relax after a string of losses.

The best experiences come from you being content and excited to play the slots. Las Vegas is full of restaurants and buffets, so why not treat yourself before your gambling session? Research the best buffets in Las Vegas to avoid being disappointed.

The obvious main goal to achieve by playing slot machines is getting a nice payout at the end of it, right? The payout percentage is the average amount of money that will be returned to you through winnings. Bear in mind that we say average as there is no guarantee that you will get the payout in a number of spins.

So, you are always looking for a machine with a higher payout percentage so that you have a chance of winning your money back. You could hit the jackpot and win big, or you could lose every spin and leave with nothing.

Finding a machine with the best odds will increase your chances of winning big and losing little. While some people prefer to play only for entertainment purposes, we think that winning would improve the enjoyment factor drastically! But how do you find the payout percentage? You need to look at how each machine has been programmed.

Not every manufacturer publishes these numbers, so you might not be able to find the payout percentage for every machine.

However, you might get lucky and find the answer online. A quick Google search could lead you to forums of past players who have done all the hard work for you. Bear in mind that it is also true that the more you set as your wager, the higher the payout percentage is.

Some people prefer to play the slots without any strategy, while others enjoy the structure of having a clear strategy. We have tested both of these methods, and we would always recommend trying out one of the below strategies.

The progressive slot machine takes a portion of your wager and places it in a bank that adds to a maximum jackpot. There is a maximum jackpot for the prize pot to hit, so when it hits this number the jackpot can be won by a player.

The player whose bet was the one to increase the prize pot to the maximum jackpot will win all of the winnings, so timing is crucial when it comes to progressive slots.

You can choose from two strategies when it comes to progressive machines — ignore the maximum jackpot altogether or wait until the prize pot is nearing the final jackpot number. Playing on a progressive machine as you would a non-progressive machine gives you much better odds on winning the smaller amounts up for grabs.

This is because the payout percentage for progressive machines is better than many of the non-progressive machines. If this is still your goal, you need to time your plays and hold off until the prize pot is close to the maximum jackpot number.

Unfortunately, there is sometimes no way of knowing the exact number that the jackpot has been generated to. Otherwise, it would be carnage around the machines once the price pot got close to the final number.

However, you can make an educated guess by seeing how many players are by the machines. You will have to stay close and hope that the current player runs out of money before they hit the maximum jackpot. A buy-a-pay slot is a machine that requires you to unlock pieces of the potential pays with each coin that you wager.

For example, wagering one coin would allow you to benefit from the middle line of the reels only. Betting two coins can allow you to benefit from the higher line as well as the centerline, and three coins give you the maximum benefit of being able to play with all three lines.

Another example of buy-a-pay machines allows you to unlock more symbols which offer better chances for you to win big. For instance, wagering three coins might unlock the 7s symbol. Buy-a-pay machines are ruthless and many people have lost out on big winnings because of them.

The strategy? Bet maximum and play. Take advantage of all of the symbols and the extra lines for potential winning combinations. Trust us, you will regret it if you bet low. Either bet the maximum amount or move onto a new machine.

This is a very obvious advantage to the player, which is why the multiplier symbol is not on every machine. You will have to do your research to know which machines to look out for if you wanted to use this strategy.

Some multipliers have been seen on the spinning reels while others are only shown in bonus games and free spins. If you match three symbols together you might get the opportunity to play a bonus which allows you to play for by how much your winnings will multiply.

Multipliers might range from X2 all the way to X There are other variations to the multiplier symbol such as wild multipliers, which can act as a serious advantage to you and your game. Wild symbols take the place of another so that you can win with two matching symbols and a wild symbol. The disadvantage of multiplier symbols is that they are random and you cannot do anything to increase your chances of landing on one.

However, if you wanted to use the multiplier symbols or variations of it to your advantage, you should research the machines that house them as well as the payout percentage for these machines. Doing so will allow you to see which machines you can use this strategy with as well as the ones with the best odds of you receiving a portion of your bets back.

Just before we leave you to go try your luck on the slots, we have a final few beginner slot machine gambling tips to get you ready. Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the slots is that they are random — the symbols are randomly generated, bonus games and free spins too.

Keep in mind that gambling should be fun, so as soon as you start feeling anything other than the enjoyment you should stop playing. There are plenty of articles on the internet speculating about how slot machines might not be randomized, but this is not true.

The machines use random generators to determine the numbers and symbols. The only slot machines that are not random are progressive slots, and even the only thing not random about them is when the jackpot is going to be released.

Even the jackpot amount is selected at random! We may have been able to work out the odds of winning with early machines, but it is almost impossible now with the modern-day versions. Every machine will have different paylines and varying quantities of them.

A payline is a combination of winning symbols , such as CROSS — NOUGHT — CROSS or JACKPOT — JACKPOT — JACKPOT. Picture this: you move to a new machine without looking at the paylines, place your wager, and press spin.

The spinning reels stop on BELL — GOLD BAR — BELL and you start celebrating your win, jumping up and down and screaming. That is until you realize that there are no flashing lights or music and no one else is celebrating with you.

Only now do you realize that the paylines on this machine are completely different from the last machine you were playing on. Trust us, it does happen! This will only draw a crowd to watch as you play, putting more pressure on you to perform.

Convincing yourself that you have a lucky game also might force you to bet more money than you were planning to.

This is because the big prizes are much harder to win, but we hold onto the fact that someone has to win them! Similar to the point above, accepting that you will never win at the slots will make it much easier to leave a machine once your bet allowance has been used up.

Instead of rushing your spins, you can work intricately and precisely. Slot machines are placed in casinos to be fun and offer guests somewhere that they can still bet without as much of the pressure as there is on table games. Instead of having a crowd around you while you bet big wagers, you can play on the slots by yourself betting as little as one cent.

Payback percentages of slot games are relative to the denomination of the bet, or the price of a spin. Bet the maximum to get all the lines in action during your spin. Slots with multiple lines require specific bets to be activated, and betting the max is just as good.

The more complex the game, the lower your odds of hitting that payout. Keep it simple! The odds for all these complicated slots stink, so just avoid them.

Check out the 11 most popular online slot games and find one to play right now. Find a new game fast. You can play free demo versions of nearly every slot game available at each online casino. Often these free demos are playable before you even have an account set up.

Controlled by the random number generator RNG , all the slot combinations are randomly assorted and chosen once you spin the slot. Anyone telling you otherwise is wrong.

These machines will have you spinning far too long without a single hit, making you spend more than you probably should just trying to hit on a single slot game. Tight machines are more common than you might think, especially once you include all the slot machines with a terrible payback percentage.

Tight machines are terrible , but at least you can also find loose slots that will hit more often and give frequent payouts too. RELATED: Slots one of 10 casino games with the lowest house edge. Check them all out here. When playing slot machines in person, we suggest you stick to playing with cash instead of with credit or debit cards.

There are almost no more coin-based slot machines at casinos, but you can still select smaller denominations after inserting money. If you play two coins, you get a much bigger amount of money.

And if you play three coins, well, you'd be practically robbing the bank if you won. This kind is fairly straightforward in that if you bet a small amount, you'll win a small amount; bet a large amount, you'll win a large amount -- but it doesn't effect the number of times you win.

Look for machines that don't have much of a discrepancy between the coins if you're looking to save your money. If one coin gets you on the jackpot, and 2 coins gets you , but three coins gets you , you may want to walk away.

Imagine what would happen if you bet one coin and hit it big! You'd be sulking all the way to the buffet. Bet a bunch on buy-a-pays. Not only is that alliteration, but it's true. If you're on a buy-a-pay, always bet the max. One coin may buy you the center line, two coins will buy you a diagonal, and three coins get you the whole 9 yards.

This also works with symbols. Again, imagine yourself betting one coin and seeing come up in a diagonal! If you do choose this machine, it's best to go big or go home. You're literally buying what will pay you. Buy-a-pay slots are recognizable by the layout of their pay tables.

Notice, for example, that a Double Diamond slot has the same symbols shown for one coin or two coin play. All symbols are active regardless of coins played.

But look at Bally's Flaming 7s machine, and you will see the bars listed for one coin and the 7s listed for two coins. For the sevens to be active, you must play both coins per play. If the 7s come up with only 1 coin in, you do not win. As we have mentioned before, learn so you can earn! Some video machines work like this, but those get their separate section.

Plug into the progressive slots. If you see a whole bunch of people at a row of machines with a giant display board above them that's turning into quite the spectacle, that's a community progressive game.

These types of slots have a jackpot total that grows each time the machines are played. All their machines are linked up to each other's and the first person to hit the jackpot gets a percentage of all the play, not just their own.

If you don't bet the max, you won't be winning the jackpot. You can get smaller cash prizes, but the jackpot won't have your name on it. So if you do spend your time at this machine -- which, in its defense, can have ridiculously large jackpots -- be ready to turn out your pockets.

Venture into the video games. These are otherwise referred to as "multi-line" games and they work similarly to buy-a-pays. You get to choose how many lines you'd like to buy and how many credits you'd like to spend on each line. At a penny slot, you could spend 1¢ on the center line and take a spin.

It probably won't pay you anything, but you could do it. Some machines have up to lines that you can bet on, and you can usually bet somewhere between a penny and a dollar per line depending.

For greater payback percentage, increased ratings as a player and more personalized attention, you may wish to move over to the high-limit machines. You do not need to bet max on this game, but you should bet all the lines. That way, not a turn will go by where you see a winner but don't get it reflected in your winnings because you didn't bet the line.

The machine doesn't care which lines you're betting and won't adjust its payout rates accordingly, so bet 'em all to catch 'em all. Video games are far and away the most popular slot as of late. That's because they offer bonus rounds, scatter pays and special events fairly regularly.

In addition to the fun and varied animation, it gives you the sense that you're actually playing a game and may have a chance at winning.

Okay, so video poker may be more popular, but that's another beast entirely. If you'd like to take a stab at this world, wikiHow has resources for that , too. Winning combinations will criss-cross, use diagonals, Ms, Ws, squigglies, curly-cues, and other directions, depending on the game.

Even if you think you're not winning, you might be and when you think you're winning, you may not be. Just take in the pretty pictures and try to keep your head above water. And then saddle up for a bonus round and put those free spins to work.

Settle on a game. Now that you know the different variations of play, the casino is your oyster. Find a machine that's open and settle down for what will hopefully be a long spell. Insert your player's card even if you're not using it to access cash -- you'll get points this way and then either insert cash or a previous payout ticket.

Then it's all shiny lights and buzzes from there! Follow the prompts on the screen or read the directions above it. If you get confused or the machine doesn't seem to be working, call an attendant there's a button on the dash that will do this for you -- the machine will light up, notifying them to help you.

When you're ready to leave, hit the "Cash Out" button. This will print you a receipt that you can then take to a Casino ATM or to the cashier's box. Once obtained, remove your player's card and hit the patterned carpeting.

What time is it, anyway? Mind your manners. Though casinos are hot spots for hedonism, that doesn't mean they're not subject to maintaining a certain amount of class. In general, the etiquette rules of any given casino are fairly logical: [9] X Research source If you see a jacket on a chair or a chair is pushed up against a machine, it's taken.

Don't use it. You'll just end up in the middle of a confrontation when the person gets back from the bathroom. Don't play more than one or two machines at a time. And if the casino is even remotely crowded, only play the one. Don't ruin someone else's good time with your insatiable appetite for handle-pulling.

If you see someone get a jackpot that should've been yours, don't fuss: There's no such thing. Each computer is going through thousands of combinations every minute and the likelihood that you would've pressed the button at that exact one-hundredth of a second are incredibly minute.

Worse than the odds of you walking away with a padded wallet! Method 3. Know your limits. Alright, it's time for the disclaimer: You must know your limits and you must stop playing when you reach them. Before you begin gambling, determine a dollar amount you can afford to lose as well as an amount you will walk away with should you win.

Both are equally important, as they can help you know when to stop gambling. What can be a fun, relaxing experience can turn into something that'll make you pull your hair out. Proceed with caution.

Walk into the casino with only the money you will be playing with. Leave credit or debit cards and access to additional funds at home or in your hotel room safe, where you won't be tempted to overspend.

If at all possible, section out your money for the night. Tell yourself you'll only spend a certain amount every half hour. If you're up at the end of that 30 minutes, you get to bank what you profited and keep going with the original amount!

And if you run out of money, you wait until the next half hour mark rolls around and proceed again. The night will last much, much longer. Choose the lowest denomination possible for the slot machine you want to play.

This will allow you to play the slot machine for longer periods of time and can maximize your gaming experience.

If you're going with a budget in mind, buy-a-pays and progressive machines aren't your best bet, literally. Stick to multi-line games or multiplier machines.

Select slot machines with the highest payback percentages. This number indicates how frequently the machines pay out, and the higher the percentage the more likely your chances of winning.

You may need to watch other players gamble for a bit to determine which slots are better options. That is, if you were to spend the greater part of this decade there.

Machines in Vegas are purported to payout more. But remember, this is over the long-term. Machines have the same number of combinations each time you take a turn.

If you win or don't win on one spin, you have the same chances of winning or not winning next time. Pocket any winnings you earn. Never play with money you've won, because it goes against your beginning strategy of only playing what you predetermined you would spend while gambling.

And even though instant gratification is a wonderful thing, you'll feel a lot better walking home with money in your pocket than you would if you simply got to spend an extra 20 minutes at the casino.

When you get home, put your winnings into a jar. The next time you go to the casino, take your bankroll out of that. If there's nothing in the jar after a few times, either cut down what you're spending or cut down on the number of times you go in any given period of time.

Or wait until the casino sends you free play in the mail! Can the casino change the payout with out going into the machine, like from a control room or something? They can change it remotely, but Gaming Commission rules prohibit them from doing so while the machine is in use.

We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you.

Support wikiHow Yes No. Not Helpful 5 Helpful The odds are programmed into the machine as it's introduced to the casino floor and may be changed at periodic intervals, but not during play. Not Helpful 7 Helpful Speed will not have an effect on your results, as slot machines depend on luck. Not Helpful 11 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

If you have a player's card, use it! That's the only way the machine knows it's you and will give you comp points accordingly.

It also notifies the casino that you are on the property and makes you eligible for contests, give-aways and promotions. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Research winning strategies before visiting a casino.

There are a number of books or online tutorials available to help you get the most from your gambling experience. However, know that some if not most or all are scams. Casinos do not conduct classes in slot play, so the onus is on you. Learn how to earn! Most machines display the rules on the outside of the machine or have a help section you can click on to read if you're playing online.

If you don't see these, ask a slot attendant at the casino or call the customer service number if you are playing online.

Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. If you join clubs or incentive programs, make sure you are not playing just to accumulate rewards. This is a dangerous practice, and you may end up spending much more to get a perk that isn't worth it.

Players are rated at multiple steps, from novice to whale, and players' clubs also have multiple levels. Read about them and learn where you stand; your level can change in a few hours of play. Representatives are always available to help.

Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 3. You Might Also Like. How to. How to Gamble Online. How to Play Rock, Paper, Scissors: A Simple Guide. How to Play Left-Center-Right LCR at Your Next Game Night.