Back
How To Win On Slots: Best Slot Machine Tips | LeoVegas

How To Win On Slots: Best Slot Machine Tips

Playing slots is a very thrilling experience, especially nowadays that digital innovation allows us to use our mobile phones or tablets to entertain ourselves with many online casino games, such as the video slots offered by LeoVegas Casino.

However, the question arises: how can you win at online slots?

In this article, we'll reveal some valuable tips from an expert perspective on how to play slots while making an informed choice and how to make the most of the key elements of one of the most beloved games among online casino fans worldwide: the slot machine.

Table of Content:

In the meantime, you can click the button below to register with our site for free and become part of the LeoVegas pride.

JOIN NOW

Online Slots Strategy Tips

Among the factors contributing to a mature slot gaming experience, our tips on how to win at online slots will contribute to the success of your game in several ways. Some of these are essential tricks that rarely get the attention they deserve! casinowobanner.gif

It is not uncommon to find articles on the internet that promote the wrong approach to online gaming; always remember that the operation of a slot machine is regulated by precise algorithms that allow for the impartiality of the results (which are determined randomly by a random number generator system with every spin of the slot), and consequently also the regularity of the gaming platform.

Check out our "How slot machines work" article to learn more about RNG and casino slot algorithms.

To win at slots, therefore, there is no real strategy to follow, rather there is a conscious method to the game.

Acquiring a proper understanding of every slot machine aspect is important, especially if one wishes to become an expert player.

Below, we will try to give you all the useful information to maximize both winnings and fun. Get your notebooks ready, lions!

Understanding Slot Machine Mechanics

Online slot machines vary in payout sizes, themes, number of reels and rows, paylines, bet sizes, jackpot types, animation style, and even the use of reels. However, all of these are fairly surface-level elements to slots.

While they have a huge influence on your enjoyment of the slot gaming experience and likely help determine which slots you play, they aren’t key slot machine mechanics.

The true elements that govern how the slot works are behind the scenes and in the programming. These are the return to player (RTP) percentages and volatility ratings. We’ll delve into these slot machine mechanics more below.

Choose A Slot That Suits You

The right slot machine for you, will always be the one that offers the highest entertainment value through its theme, features, or volatility.

That said, you should always pick a slot from a trusted provider at a licensed and regulated online casino to ensure that it’s both fair and completely randomized.

Choosing the slot machine that best suits your taste is the first step to starting to profit from your gaming session. Here is what you need to consider in a slot machine before you start spinning its reels:

  • The type of slot or paylines
  • The special features
  • The RTP percentage
  • The slot volatility

The Type of Slot or Paylines

Choosing the right type of slots for you is of utmost importance, given how many different types exist. Do you like the more classic-looking ones with only three reels and one payline?

Or those with thousands of paylines, cascading symbols, reaction wins, etc.? Knowing what, more or less, attracts you is always a good first step.

There are several advantages in playing classic slots considering the gameplay is more linear and intuitive.

Likewise, when playing slots equipped with ways-to-win such as the MEGAWAYS mechanic, you’ll get a more interactive but also hectic experience.

The Special Features

The bonus features of online slots are, by far, their most exciting aspect: Wild Symbols, Free Spins, Mystery Symbols, Feature Buy and many more. There is surely something for everyone!

Our advice is to always choose a video slot that is loaded with special features and bonus game modes in order to increase your chances of winning. It’s also a good idea to check the pay tables for each slot game; this way you’ll get to learn more about the symbols with the highest payouts!

To optimize your time, remember that many slots offer the so-called Feature Buy i.e. the possibility to buy the various extra features offered by the slot directly with your credit in your gaming account.

Let's not forget that slots with progressive jackpots (progressive slots) also fall into this category. In this case, remember to check if there is a minimum bet value to unlock the jackpot prize (and be sure to check out our jackpot slots section.

Check The RTP Percentage

The RTP of an online slot is an important factor, but deserves nowhere near the weight that many slot aficionados place on its percentage. In online gambling, there’s an industry standard for video slots to have an RTP rating of at least 91%. At a fully licensed and regulated online casino, you’ll struggle to find regular video slots with an RTP lower than this.

Naturally, there will be some outliers, such as the classic Mega Moolah , which levels base play against the hefty progressive jackpot seed. On the flip side, you can also find slots with potentially higher-than-average RTPs, such as Magic Journey.

Still, this doesn’t mean that you will be paid back the exact percentage of what you put in, as the RTP is an average percentage put back across all of the players spinning the slot around the world - not just for your individual session.

Understanding Slot Machine Paylines

A payline is a line running across a slot machine or video slot game, that determines whether a combination of symbols results in a win. Also referred to as win lines or winning ways, these can vary from slot to slot, and each game can offer as few as one to hundreds of thousands!

A very standard count is ten paylines. While ten can still be found in hits like Big Bass Splash, the standard has since grown in size greatly! These days, new mechanics like MEGAWAYS play every payline possible on each spin, as seen in Madame Destiny MEGAWAYS’ 200,704 ways to win!

The majority of paylines are contingent on lining up symbols from the leftmost reel rightwards, usually needing at least three along a payline in this direction to win. Slots like Queen of Alexandria WowPot stand out for offering both-ways paylines that pay from left to right and right to left. Some slots have even done away with paylines entirely, instead incorporating cluster pays like in Sweet Alchemy 100 or the ‘pay anywhere’ rule showcased by Sweet Bonanza.

Check The Slot Game Volatility

Slot Volatility is another factor that you must keep an eye on while choosing your slot machines.

In a nutshell, high volatility slots have a good big win potential, while low volatility slots generate a lot of small wins but frequently.

Volatility provides the greatest influence on your slot gaming experience. Volatility works on a gradient from low to high volatility game, with many slots fitting somewhere in-between.

High volatility slots are the in-thing right now. While they generally pay with less frequency, the payouts are larger when they hit. Gates of Olympus and Book of Dead have become popular predominantly because of their high volatility and clear-cut features that lead to the highest payouts.

Low volatility used to be more popular. Depending on personal preference, the entertainment value of low volatility slots is perhaps higher, with players receiving cash wins more often, yet generally in small amounts.

Among the top-ranking of low volatility slots is Jackpot Raiders and Star Joker. Sitting in the middle with a balance between regularity and prize size, are medium volatility slots.

Games like Wolf Gold, Valley of the Gods, and Crocodile Blitz Xtreme fall into this space.

Grab A Bonus

A good tactic for winning at slot machines is to take advantage of online casino bonuses.

In such cases, the bonus allows you to continue using your real balance. At the same time, you play - meaning you can also withdraw any winnings at any time - and simultaneously compete for an extra sum in real bonus money.

If you are a new user, you can take advantage of the Casino Welcome Offer, which in our case, consists of a Deposit Match Offer of up to $1,000 PLUS up to 100 Free Spins on Gates of Olympus.

But that's not all. Once you've finished your Welcome Bonus, you can access a long list of other promotions and offers.

Remember to always take advantage of the active promotions on site to make the most of all your gaming sessions.

Before depositing, check for any offers you can activate on your “My Offers” page to get a little bonus compensation for every bit of money you top up!

Set a Budget And Stick To Your Bankroll

Slots can be one of the most entertaining experiences online casinos offer, so it is important to set some limits before spinning the reels. While playing any slot machine, you should always keep an eye on two key elements that will affect your chances of winning at slot games:

  • Your budget
  • The duration of the gameBankroll management is an essential part of all gambling, especially when it comes to slot machines. Before you even click on a slot, set your bankroll! Let’s say it’s $50. Do not, we repeat, do not exceed that amount, even if you land big wins. You can help accomplish this by setting a bet size and sticking to it for the duration of your bankroll, such as by doing 50 x $1 spins. This way, you’ve secured your winnings and can walk away without going through them.

It is best to establish a bankroll based on a fixed amount from the start to keep track of the funds deposited into your account. You can set a limit that you are mentally ready to spend and then simply stop when you reach the threshold. Or, you can consult our responsible gaming tools that can be optionally activated at any time.

Try Playing A Free Demo

You can learn the specifics of the slot while playing slot machines completely for free! Most of the slots at LeoVegas have a free demo mode that can help you to get some practice before playing for real money.

Playing for Fun vs. Playing to Win

Regardless of which online slots you pick to play, you should always be playing for fun rather than playing to win. If you’re playing to win, there’s a good chance that you’re trying to come away with more money than you started with, which is a dangerous route to take, as you’re more likely to bet more than you can afford.

On top of this, all online slots are completely randomized (they use random number generators), so there’s never a guarantee that you’ll win at slots, regardless of how many times you spin those reels or what stake you place.

If you are in the mindset of playing for fun, you won’t leave disappointed. This is why picking a slot based on the theme, features, and volatility is so important, as they are major parts of the experience.

The Myth of Hot and Cold Machines

Every single spin on a slot machine, be it physical or an online video slot, is completely randomized.

Online slots have programming that determines (on average) what the slot has to pay out as a percentage of what’s paid in, in bracketed amounts (per the RTP and volatility).

Still, to get the thumbs up from licensors and regulators, the programming behind the slots has to be proven as purely random and fair to all players.

Online, people are playing the same game all over the world, so even if 'hot' and 'cold' were factors – which they aren’t – you’d never know when a slot becomes 'hot'.

Bet Sizing and Betting Strategies

It won’t work if you’re attempting to apply betting strategies to a slot gaming session. Every result is completely randomized, so the slots strategy can’t be applied to capitalize on wins or losses.

That said, bet sizing can be a useful tool if you know the core mechanics of a slot and your set bankroll. The key here is to find out the slot’s volatility.

Say you choose a low-volatility slot, which generally pays out more but often in smaller sums. You may want to place larger-sized bets to make the most of the more frequent, but smaller pays. To put this into action, let’s say you’ve set a bankroll of $100 for your gaming session. It may serve you well to plan to place a $5 bet per spin for a planned 20-spin run.

Setting Win and Loss Limits

Setting win and loss limits is key to adhering to responsible gambling practices. A loss limit will help you manage your bankroll and stop you from depositing more funds, in an effort that’s often emotionally charged to recuperate losses.

A win limit can also come in handy if you are susceptible to the fallacy of being on a hot streak, allowing you to keep any wins that you may land.

Check in the settings of your online account for availability of bankroll management features such as these.

Knowing When to Walk Away

If you utilize strategies like bankroll management and setting win and loss limits as described above, you’ll have clear-cut lines of when you need to walk away and simply end your session. It’s easy to fall into a mindset of chasing wins or not wanting to lose out on a ‘hot streak’, but slot machines are entirely randomized. ‘Hot streaks’ don’t exist, and it would be foolish to try to recuperate from losses, especially if strong emotions are in play.

Progressive Jackpot Strategies

Progressive jackpots are randomly triggered by whichever player happens to press the spin button at the right moment. It’s as simple as that! With this understood, perhaps the only slot machine strategy that you could apply to any of the progressive jackpot slots is to bet the lowest amount to make your bankroll last longer and give you a greater chance of being in the game when the jackpot drops. That being said, always check each game’s info and rules to see what the bet requirements are to be in contention for the biggest jackpots!

Common Slot Machine Mistakes to Avoid

The main slot machine mistake to avoid is chasing losses. Every spin on an online slot is completely randomized. During your play, the slot is not storing up bets and withholding wins in order to release a big one. It’s all random. Chasing losses is a doomed pursuit.

Another mistake is ignoring the terms and conditions. Always look through the online casino’s T&Cs, as well as those on each slot’s home page as they contain important information like the minimum bet size required to be in contention for a jackpot, the maximum payout cap, and geographical restrictions.

Now you know all the slot machine tips to get the most out of every spin! Good Luck!

Slot Strategy FAQs

Is there a secret to slot machines?

The secret is that there is no secret. When you play online slots, there is no way to know when another big win will hit you - it is completely random.

Is there a slot machine strategy?

Since winning in slot games is completely random, there is no established strategy for winning slot machines like in blackjack or poker. However, some tips can help you better manage your bankroll or choose online slot games that better match your playstyle.

What time of day do slot machines hit the most?

There is no specific time when playing slot games can improve your chances of winning. Online casinos operate 24/7 except for some short maintenance, so players can play slot games online whenever they want.

How often do people win big at slots?

More often than you would imagine - check our big winner stories to learn more about players who won big at LeoVegas!

Can you increase your chances of winning at slots?

Picking the game with higher RTP can potentially increase the chances of winning long-term, however, the slot machine odds remain the same for each spin.

How can I manage my bankroll when playing slots?

To manage your bankroll effectively, you need to settle two things first: how much you are willing to spend and how long you want to play casino slot games.

What are some tips for playing progressive jackpot slots?

There is no certain way to trigger win at the progressive jackpots, however, there are some slot tips that might help you:

  • Check out the slots with LeoJackpot on our jackpot slots page
  • Prepare a solid bankroll: jackpot slots are usually highly volatile and often require a high maximum bet
  • Play slot machines in demo mode to better understand the game features and mechanics
  • Learn more about bonus games and how to trigger them - most slots have bonus rounds that can provide higher multipliers and more free spins.

How do you know when a slot machine is going to hit?

It is simple - you don't. There is no clear indication of when the slot machine will hit. Every spin can be a winning one, and that is the most fun part of playing online slots!

Should you manually stop slot machines?

You surely can, but it really makes no difference. When you play land-based slot machines, pulling that lever can feel good, however, when you play on your mobile, you just tap the screen.

Do slot machines remember you?

Online slot machines do not have any memory, and each spin is calculated to be unique and not affected by other spins.

What is the best strategy to win at slot machines?

There is no guaranteed strategy for winning, however, checking the tips listed at the beginning of this article might help to get the idea of online slot games strategy.

How do I pick a good paying slot machine?

Check the volatility and RTP in slot game details.

What triggers a jackpot on a slot machine?

Slots are a game of luck, run using a random number generator (RNG). So, truth be told, there’s no real strategy that can be applied to beat these machines.

How do you know when a slot is hot?

There is no such thing as a "hot" slot - each spin is completely random.

Which slot machine is most likely to win?

RTP and volatility are the main factors when it comes to determining the winning slot machine. A low volatility slot with a high RTP theoretically going to generate the most frequent wins.

Read more about slots and other casino games in our guides: