Beat the Casino Slots

How to Beat the Slots

Slots are the best game in the casino. Winning isn't easy luck plays a huge role in slot success--but these slot machine strategies may maximize your chances to play longer and win more.

Pick a video slot. Video slots may have up to seven reels, each representing three rows of five symbols. Video slots have 32 to hundreds of virtual stops on their reels.

Choose a machine with a fixed or a progressive jackpot. Other machines are called progressive machines; they feature a meter that indicates a jackpot that gets progressively higher. These machines are linked together and the amount of the jackpot is determined by how much they're being used. The more people play them, the higher the jackpot amount.

    Among flat-top machines, the overall odds are generally similar no matter how high the jackpot is.
    Sometimes a bank of progressive machines in a single casino are linked together. In other cases, the machines are linked throughout the entire state, which explains why they feature such a high jackpot amount.
    Because of the number of people all vying for that jackpot, your odds of winning at a progressive machines are lower. That goes not only for the jackpot amount, but the odds of winning smaller amounts are lower as well.

Place your bet. To play a slot machine, you must first insert bills or coins. When you insert your money, the equivalent amount of credits is displayed. Your next move depends on the type of machine you've chosen.

    On reel-spinning slots, push a button marked "play one credit" until you've reached the number of coins you wish to play. Then hit the "spin reels" button or pull the handle. If you want to bet big, you can hit a button marked "play max credits," which will play the maximum coins allowed on that machine.
    On video slots, you must push two buttons to complete your bet. First, push one button for the number of paylines you want to activate and then push a second button to chose how many credits you want to bet per line. Video slots generally have five reels spinning on the screen.

Pick your paylines. Your payout is determined by a winning combination of symbols that appear on what's called the payline. On classic reel spin machines, only one payline is displayed on the face of the machine, but video machines offer more paylines.

    Modern multi-line slots may offer 9, 15, 25, 50 and even more paylines.
    Paylines can be represented horizontally, vertically, diagonally and even in zigzags. Look closely to see what lines you have bet and check carefully as it can be difficult to tell if you have a winning payline.

Familiarize yourself with the rules for the machine before you sit down. If you don't understand them, ask an attendant or call customer service if you are playing online. You need to understand what combinations will win you money, especially the jackpot.