ULTIMATE GUIDE TO BEATING A SLOT MACHINE
Wondering how to win at slots? Play them for fun and you won’t need rules to follow. Play them for real money and shit gets real. Online slots are designed to favor the house and you’d wish you knew all the tricks in the world. It’s difficult to beat the odds. But, let’s not forget the game is only as random as humans program it to be. Let’s talk about how to play slot machines online and win hands down. This is going to be one hell of a ride, we promise.
the author
Shruti J.
date post
Mar 08, 2020
How to Win at Slots in Indian Casinos
Is it even possible to beat a slot machine in the first place?
YES!
Note of caution: In order to make it happen, you need to utilize every trick in the book. Also, you need to know that some of these ‘tricks’ are would not be approved by the casinos Terms and Conditions and might get your account banned for violation of terms and bonus abuse. We hate to break it to you, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
Slots online are run by random number generator (RNG) software, which makes them a game of chance. RNG ensures every spin is 100% random and unaffected by tempering. Despite that, it is possible to increase your chances at beating a slot machine. To answer your query about how to win big money on slot machines every time, we’d first show you how to choose one.
How to Choose a Winning Slot Machine?
Decisions, decisions!
For sure, slots are games of pure chance. But, there are some smart strategies we could apply. Before we hand out our closely guarded secrets and you go eureka, it’s important to choose slot machines with a greater chance of you beating the house. Assuming you already know how a slot machine works, we’ll tell you how to pick a winning slot machine.
Go for Slots with the Highest RTP
Slot machines with the best odds of winning are the ones that fetch massive payouts compared to their peers. A confusing statement, we know. Bigger the reward, greater should be the risk, you might think. But, this is exactly where a novice player falters. In search of hot slots, punters often fall for the ones that offer lesser payout percentages. How to find slot machines with the best payouts? – Figure out the RTP!
What is RTP?
Return to Player or RTP is the percentage of the entire wagered money a slot machine would pay you back over time. In other words, it is the percentage of total wins divided by the total stakes. Mathematically, an RTP of 98% would give you back 98 credits for every 100 credits you wager. Don’t confuse it with the amount of money you’re supposed to get back after every spin.
RTP is calculated over a period of time to even out high and low variances. It doesn’t necessarily resonate with the value displayed after each time a player spins. Higher the percentage, lower is the house edge and greater the win potential in the long run. If someday you’re wining huge cash at a slot, someone somewhere is having their downs and vice versa. Here’s our special RTP-o-meter for you to know which is a potential winning slot and which isn’t:
Slot RTP | To play or not to play? |
---|---|
Below 90 | Don’t even try! |
90 – 92.9 | Disappointment! |
93 – 95.9 | Passable |
96 – 97.9 | Yeah, now we’re talking! |
98 and up | Go, go, go! |
Where to find the RTP of a Slot?
Register with a casino that offers the slot game and check it out. The RTP is usually mentioned somewhere in the game, mostly in the ‘help’ section. Or else, just Google. Read game reviews. There’s plenty out there. But, be careful. Most gambling establishments usually offer a predefined RTP uniformly for the same slot game. However, there are some casinos that could lower it to their chosen payout percentage.
This is rare, given that all casinos must report to the gambling jurisdiction when they alter a slot’s RTP. But, we’d say better safe than sorry. If you’re the lazy punter who doesn’t want to waste time Googling slot RTPs, below is a mini list prepared by us, just for you.
Slots with RTP 98% and up
Blood Suckers
Packed with ghouls and gothic gore, this 5-reel, 25-payline slot from NetEnt Casino is your game when you want to wager high stakes. Plenty of free spins with juicy multipliers await you!
Dr. Jekyll Goes Wild
Enter the dark world of Dr. Jekyll and take home mega wins. Spin the reels and win up to 75 free spins. This 5-reel, 10-payline slot from Barcrest builds on the classic thriller and delivers greater fun
Jackpot 6000
With audio-visuals that are reminiscent of classic Vegas-style slot machines, Jackpot 6000 is a 3-reel, 5-payline wonder that is beyond stunning. Highly recommend for veteran punters.
Mega Joker
Mega Joker is an old school, fruit-themed slot from NetEnt. But, it’s RTP steals the show. This 3-reel, 5-payline slot game is the perfect example when they say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover.’
Tropic Reels
Tropic Reels is one of the loosest video slots ever. The gameplay is pretty basic. There are no Free Spins and Multipliers. But, there’s surely a higher chance of winning at the slot machine.
Ooh Aah Dracula
A 5-reel, 10-payline slot, Ooh Aah Dracula is set in a Dracula’s dark castle and packed with bonus features. Horror and humor combined, this slot game has an RTP that could lift your gambling spirits.
Check the Slot Volatility
Volatility is also one of the best kept secrets to winning on slot machines. Also known as variance or dispersion, this one is a direct reflection of the amount of risk a player would be taking when playing the slot game. It is also an indication of how much and how frequently the player would win during a gaming session. Higher the volatility, greater the risk.
How to Determine the Volatility of a Slot Machine?
You wouldn’t be able to determine the volatility right away because most casino game providers aren’t willing to give out that bit of information readily. However, if you spend enough time on playing the slots, the volatility becomes obvious eventually. We’d strongly suggest you try out slot games for free before putting in real money so you know the volatility first and risk your bankroll later.
Another way to find out the volatility of slot games is to study the paytable. Look at the rewards offered. Are they huge? If yes, then this could be a sign of a medium-high volatility slot because the rewards are not going to be frequent. Low volatility slot games, on the other hand, let you score winning paylines often. But, the payouts are almost always low. So, if you across someone who’s won a ‘life changing amount’ at an online casino, he probably won at a high volatility slot machine.
If you want to chuck the details, here’s a volatility ready reckoner for you.
Ready Reckoner for Slot Volatility
Volatility | Risk | Hit Frequency | Payout Size | Max Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|
Low | Low | High | Small | Up to 500x |
Medium | Medium | Medium | Large | 501x – 2000x |
High | High | Low | Insane | 2001x and up |
This would work in most cases. However, we’d suggest you not to take this as an absolute graph. Slot machines meeting all the above criteria are usually hard to find.
For instance, most MegaWays slots come with a high Hit Frequency and offer small payout percentages. But, the sheer number of paylines they have can translate into insane wins, thus making them highly volatile.
So, the best way to determine the volatility of a slot machine is by PLAYING IT!
When to Play Medium or High Volatility Slot Machines?
When to Play Low Volatility Slot Machines?
Best Slots With High Volatility
Danger High Voltage
Danger High Voltage from BTG gives out electrifying wins. Land anywhere between 15 and 19 Free Spins with x66 Multiplier. A 6-reel, 4096-payline slot, this one is worth your bankroll.
Hot Chilli
A 3-reel, 9-payline slot, Hot Chilli offers a sizzling gameplay and fiery rewards. It has an amusing reel setting, exciting wild multipliers, and interesting game mechanics – fit for high rollers.
Best Slots With Medium Volatility
Starburst
Starburst is your slot machine of choice when you are in mood for cosmic casino adventures with decent payouts. A simple to play game, this one entices seasoned and new players alike.
Gonzo’s Quest
Join Gonzalo Pizzaro on his quest for El Dorado. Gonzo’s Quest is the first ever Platinum Game from NetEnt. As you land up to 10 Free Spins and 15X multipliers, watch the conquistador do a moon walk.
Best Slots With Low Volatility
The Goonies
A 5-reel, 20 paylines slot game, The Goonies from Blueprint Gaming is reminiscent of everything that’s Steven Speilberg-esque. This one comes with strikingly good graphics and animations.
Esqueleto Explosivo
Esqueleto Explosivo by Thunderkick is a unique slot with Mexican vibes. It offers amazing features such as exploding wilds and dropping symbols, which add to its exquisiteness. No reason to not play it.
Make Good Use of Free Spins
Free stuff is always a good thing and so are free spins in slot machines! But, online casinos have their own Wager Requirements along with strict terms and conditions when it comes to withdrawing bonus money and spin-earned cash. So, if you’re wondering how to win at slot machines with free spins, you better check out the predefined criteria first.
Our personal favorite is Casumo. The casino has a massive collection of some of the best slot machines to play. Additionally, it offers free spins for just showing up! Prepare to get floored by a swarm of free spins when you log in. Casumo is also popular with Indian players because it doesn’t charge any deposit or withdrawal fee on casino money.
Best Slots With Free Spins
Game of Thrones
Winnings are coming! Pledge your allegiances to the noble houses in this epic slot by Microgaming. Land increasing amounts of free spins that only keep amplifying with multipliers.
Bonanza MegaWays
Hot the goldmine in this amazing slot machine game that offers 117, 649 ways to win. You can trigger the free spins round when you land 4 gold scatter symbols in Bonanza MegaWays by BTG.
Bet the Max Wager
Even the loosest slot machines with the best odds of winning wouldn’t give two hoots if you were to bet 0.1 credits and dream about hitting the jackpot. And, even if you were to end up hitting the jackpot, there’d surely be Wagering Requirements in place so you can’t cash out the winnings. Betting the max wager usually increases your chances at the jackpot.
This is one of the most worthwhile casino tricks to winning on slot machines no one tells you. In fact, some slots would offer payout that’s proportional to the bet amount. Additionally, most winning slot machines would pay bonuses and jackpots only when the max bet is wagered.
A typical example is a progressive casino jackpot, where you must wager the max bet to get lucky with the jackpot. So, the next time you’re brooding over how to win jackpots on slot machines, this should be your plan of action.
Best Slots to Wager Max Bet
Mega Moolah
Mega Moolah is one of the best slot machines to play online. It is also one of the slot machines with the best payouts. The name isn’t for nothing. You could just rake in all that big moolah for real.
Hall of Gods
This one is a double blast of quality and excitement. With a ginormous pool prize, Hall of Gods by NetEnt is one of those badass slot machines you want to play if want to live millionaire dreams.
Look for Hidden Gems
The best things are often hidden in plain sight, looking average. If you pick the obvious, you could miss out on the gems. Yes, branding plays a greater role in attracting punters. But, there are some silent achievers with cult following that offer slot with better odds. If you really want to learn how to pick a winning slot machine at the casino you just joined, you need to look for the game providers that are the dark horses of the industry.
We would like to take this opportunity to vouch for Merkur Gaming – a lesser known player that offers ordinary-looking slots with extraordinary payout percentages. The game provider doesn’t enjoy the limelight as much as its peers, but deserves a mention, nevertheless. This one is a hidden gem only true casino lovers would know about.
Merkur Gaming Slots with Crazy Payout Potential
Knight’s Life
Journey back to the medieval times where knights used to protect kingdoms. This high volatility five reel slot from Merkur Gaming is fairly basic. However, it does hand out some decent payouts.
Eye of Horus
The mysterious enigma of Egypt is here to captivate you. Eye of Horus from Merkur Gaming is a five reel slot with high win potential. When you’re preparing to beat a slot machine, don’t forget to try this one.
Trust Those Who’ve Been There, Done That
To keep your bankroll safe, you need to learn from other player’s mistakes. If a player says a certain slot is crap, it usually is. Check out reviews and ratings before playing one. Read comments from fellow players and figure out the pros and cons. If needed, seek advice to know how to beat slot machines. The Internet is a huge world, you know.
When to Play Slot Machines at Online Casinos?
What is the best time to play slot machines, you might ask. If we were a make a survey, we’d surely have the entire gambling community split into two halves – arguing over whether an optimal time exists. Online casinos operate 24/7. The RTP of the slots they provide, remain constant 24/7. So, it is rather difficult to determine the best time to win on slot machines.
Know When a Slot Machine is About to Hit
Some machines will telegraph whether it is going to be a win or not before the reels stop. This information is relayed over to you right before the win gets registered, provided you’ve spun. Therefore, you can’t unfortunately use this to your advantage.
You can’t tell for sure when it will hit. However, you can make educational guesses and prediction when it will hit based on known factors. Around what range do usually the jackpot goes. Some jackpots will hit before a certain time or value is reached, you can optimize your play by playing as close as possible to the end timer.
The Curious Case of Must Drop Jackpots from Red Tiger Gaming
Some slot machines, especially the ones with a progressive jackpot or a daily jackpot, have a trigger that says when it can go. For instance, if you are a fan of Red Tiger Gaming, you’d know their 1 out of their 3 progressive Must Drop Jackpots tend to drop one or more times in a single day. The value is, however, random and difficult to predict. Players should remember…
Holidays Bring Better Payouts
Expect a lot of casino bonuses and juicy prize pools to come up during holidays and festive seasons. Online casinos run a lot of promotional offers during Halloween, Christmas, New Year, and other similar occasions. This is usually because holidays are the times when the online attendance of punters is at its peak and as a result, casinos are raking in the big bucks. So, the next time you wonder ‘when is the best time to play slot machines at a casino,’ it is usually during the winters.
Play when the Jackpot is High
A thing about jackpots is they are dependent on time and numbers. As the money builds, more spins drop in to lead to a snowball effect. So, when you see the figures swelling to unbelievable levels, know the jackpot is probably going to drop. This is especially true when you want to hit the jackpot with progressive slot machines. However, time is a random factor. It’s all about lady luck. But, if the jackpot hasn’t be won for a very long time, you better have your eyes on it.
Slot Tournaments Could be a Blast Time to Win Big
Increase the excitement and also the payout! Easy to play without special skills, slot tournaments are the times when the chances at beating slot machines seem high. The entry fee is the only form of payment, thus leveling the credits for each participant. Also, the tournaments run for a specific time so you know when the mega reward is going to be announced. The prizes are not very huge. However, as more players join in, the buy-in for the tournament increases and so does the prize pool. Spin as much and as quickly as possible. That’s the only thing you need to do here.
Stalk Yggdrasil’s Prize Drop Gameplay!
Yggdrasil’s Prize Drop is a campaign period run by operators where players can play at select slots and receive a randomly dropped cash reward chest. Any spin can trigger a cash reward from a predefined prize pool randomly. This chest appears after every spin. Throughout the gameplay, you will notice little info boxes telling giving out details about the cash pool and rewards. All prizes in this campaign are in cash without wagering requirements.
Is it Possible to Win at Slot Machines using Math?
Calculating the Probability of Winning at Slot Machines using Layout and Symbols
There are two factors playing their roles – the number of reels and the number of symbols on each of these reels in a slot machine. Suppose we have a 3-reel slot with 6 symbols (Fruit Basket, apple, orange, lemon, cherries, and banana) in each. Let’s assume the slot machine has a single line and takes a single coin per spin and the values of the symbols are as follows:
Symbols | Reel 1 | Reel 2 | Reel 3 |
---|---|---|---|
Fruit Basket | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Apple | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Orange | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Banana | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Lemon | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Cherry | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Total | 6 | 6 | 6 |
The possible combos can be calculate using this formula:
(No. of Symbols)3
Now, you can calculate the machine odds by using this formula:
No. of winning combos / No. of possible combos
The payout percentage can be calculated using this formula:
Σ(winning combo_k X payoff_k)/(No. of possible combos)
Therefore, No. of possible combos will be = (6)3 = 6 X 6 X 6 = 216
Before we start calculating the No. of winning combinations, here are few things to consider:
Therefore, the no. possible winning combo is: 1 X 1 X 5 + 1 X 5 X 1 + 5 X 1 X 1 = 15
Therefore, the no. of possible winning combos is: 1 × 5 × 5 + 5 × 1 × 5 + 5 × 5 × 1 = 75
Thus, there are 1 + 5 + 15 + 75 = 96 winning combinations.
Here’s a table for better clarity:
Winning Combos | No. of Combos | Coins | Payoff for 1 Coin | % Payoff |
---|---|---|---|---|
3 Fruit Baskets | 1 | 30 | 1×30 = 30 | 30/216 = 13.953 |
Any 3 Fruits | 5 | 10 | 5×10 = 50 | 50/216 = 23.256 |
Any 2 Fruit Baskets | 15 | 4 | 15×4 = 60 | 60/216 = 27.907 |
Any 1 Fruit Basket | 75 | 1 | 75×1 = 75 | 75/216 = 34.884 |
Total | 96 | 215 | ||
% of Winning Combo | 44.444% | Payout | 99.54% |
To calculate the payoff percentage: 215/216 = 0.9954%
Therefore, payoff percentage = 99.54%
However, this isn’t a guaranteed formula to win at slots. Also, the payout percentage would be different for different winning combos. More complicated the combo, bigger would be the reward.
Calculating the Probability of Winning at Slot Machines using RTP and Wagering Requirements
If you want to win big, play slots with RTP above 97% and sign up at casinos with Wagering Requirements less than 40x on the bonus. We’ll explain why.
Remember these formulae first:
House Edge = 100 – RTP
Profit = Initial Bonus – Wagering Requirement X House Edge
Let’s say the casino you’ve registered with offers a welcome bonus of 100% match on your first deposit with a Wagering Requirement of 35x on the bonus.
You would need to wager 35 X 100 = 3500 INR to meet the Wagering Requirements and qualify for a cash out of 100 INR. Now, any slot where you statistically lose 100 INR when wagering 3500 INR, would be a slot that offers no mathematical winning expectation. We calculate this as follows:
100/3500 = 0.0285 = 2.86%
and
100 – 2.86 = 97.14
Therefore, any slot that has an RTP of more than 97.14% would offer you a positive mathematical winning expectation at casinos where the Wagering Requirements on the bonus amount is 35x. Anything below that RTP value would bring negative winning expectations. Higher the RTP, higher is the mathematical percentage of winning. Theoretically,
Profit from a 99% RTP Slot (Deposit 100, WR 35x) = 100 – 35X(100-99) = 65
Here’s a table showing how profit varies according to Wagering Requirements, RTP, cost and profit:
Wagering | RTP: 96% | RTP: 97% | RTP: 98% | RTP: 99% | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnover | ₹100 Bonus | Cost | Profit | Cost | Profit | Cost | Profit | Cost | Profit |
5x | 500 | ₹20 | ₹80 | ₹15 | ₹85 | ₹10 | ₹90 | ₹5 | ₹95 |
10x | 1000 | ₹40 | ₹60 | ₹30 | ₹70 | ₹20 | ₹80 | ₹10 | ₹90 |
15x | 1500 | ₹60 | ₹40 | ₹45 | ₹55 | ₹30 | ₹70 | ₹15 | ₹85 |
20x | 2000 | ₹80 | ₹20 | ₹60 | ₹40 | ₹40 | ₹60 | ₹20 | ₹80 |
25x | 2500 | ₹100 | ₹0 | ₹75 | ₹25 | ₹50 | ₹50 | ₹25 | ₹75 |
30x | 3000 | ₹120 | -₹20 | ₹90 | ₹10 | ₹60 | ₹40 | ₹30 | ₹70 |
35x | 3500 | ₹140 | -₹40 | ₹105 | -₹5 | ₹70 | ₹30 | ₹35 | ₹65 |
40x | 4000 | ₹160 | -₹60 | ₹120 | -₹20 | ₹80 | ₹20 | ₹40 | ₹60 |
The table shows…
Is it possible to make money on slots in the long run this way?
Yes it is. The math tells us the conditions that can give you an edge against the house and a positive mathematical winning expectation in the long run. But, casinos are smarter. Some online casinos would hide the slot machines that are likely to be profitable for players. Others would simply fortify their Terms and Conditions to ban slot with RTP 98% and up from wagering.
Did we miss anything?
Yes, VOLATILITY.
Beyond the Wagering Requirements and House Edge, Volatility would also determine if you have a chance at landing big slot wins. Check out our volatility ready recoker above.
What Online Casinos Don’t Want you to do
…But, can’t stop you from doing! There are some common slot games that casinos disable punters from playing while having a bonus active. Why you might ask. Casinos don’t want you to find the loopholes and abuse the same to make money from slot machines. Interestingly, all of these slots have something in common – a progression system that waits to get triggered!
In other words, it is basically possible to build up the progression with bonus money for free. When the bonus gets depleted, a player is free from the wagering. It is then possible to make a raw deposit and unleash the progression you stacked up in the slot with bonus money. Casinos are aware of these loopholes and always on alert. So, there’s always this risk of your winnings and even deposits getting confiscated. We at CasinoWebsites do not recommend bonus abuse.
Other Tricks to Win at Slot Machines Online
Fancy Winning at Slots?
We’ve reeled off all the secrets we knew to beat an online slot machine. Now it’s up to you to hone your skills, up your betting technique, and get the reels spinning.
Good luck!