7 Mistakes Slots Players Make Every Day

More people play slot machines than all of the other games in the casino combined. The slot machines are responsible for a large portion of casino profits, so the casinos love slots players. Most slots players mindlessly spin the reels and hope for a win.

This is just one of the many mistakes that I see slots players make. Here’s a list of the top seven mistakes that slots players make on a regular basis. If you’re making any of these mistakes you need to stop, so you can stop giving the casino more than you need to.

1 – 600 Spins per Hour

Almost every real money slots player I know spins the reels as fast as they can. As soon as one spin is completed, if not before, they’re hitting the spin button again. It looks like they’re in a contest to see how fast they can burn through their bankroll.

One thing that you have to know about playing slot machines is you simply can’t win in the long run. You can’t find a strategy that provides a long term win rate. The only way for a slots player to win more than they lose in the long run is to get lucky the first time you play, stop playing when you’re ahead, and never play again.

It’s also possible to get extremely lucky and hit a big jackpot that puts you ahead. But even if this one in a million or more chance happens, if you keep playing long enough after you hit a jackpot the odds are good that you’re going to give all of the money back to the casino.

The reason why it’s important to remember that you’re going to lose in the long run playing slots is that the more you risk every hour the more you’re going to lose. This is why you shouldn’t play as fast as you can. Some players can play 600 spins per hour, which means they’re risking too much money.

If you’re playing on a machine with a $2 bet, at 600 spins per hour you’re risking $1,200. On a slot machine with a payback percentage of 95%, which is higher than average, your expected loss is $60 every hour. This quickly burns through your bankroll.

If you play 300 spins per hour, which is still a healthy pace, your expected loss per hour is only $30. You can make your bankroll last twice as long, or longer, by simply slowing down when you play slots.

2 – Not Playing with a Bonus

In the last section you learned that you’re not going to beat the slots in the long run. Slot machines are the biggest money maker for the casinos, and you can’t do anything to change this. This means that your best option if you play slots is to figure out ways to make your bankroll last as long as possible. I gave you a good trick for extending your bankroll in the last section, and here’s another good option.

Most online casinos offer slots players a bonus when they make deposits. Most online slots bonuses are at least 100% of your deposit, and some casinos offer even more. If you’re going to play slots, you need to get every bonus you can. Take a look at the bonuses the casinos recommended on this site offer to slots players.

The other big advantage that slot machine bonuses offer is they give you more chances to hit a progressive jackpot or a static jackpot. The only way to have a real chance to come out ahead in the long run playing slots is to hit a big jackpot. When you get a bonus that doubles your deposit, you have twice as many chances to hit a jackpot.

3 – Not Reading the Rules

When is the last time you took the time to read the rules on a slot machine before you started playing? If you’re like most slots players you haven’t read the rules on a machine for a long time. It only takes a minute to look over the rules, so why don’t slot players read them more often?

Most slot machines are fairly simple and you can do fine without reading the rules. But if you don’t read the rules you might miss something important. When you’re playing on a machine with one or more jackpots you need to know if there’s anything special you need to do or be aware of to activate the big payout.

As slot machines become more complicated and have more bonus rounds, bonus games, and special features, it’s easy to miss something important. Get in the habit of reading the rules on every slot machine that you haven’t played before.

4 – Not Wagering Max Coins

Every slot machine that I’ve ever played that has a jackpot or jackpots require a maximum coin wager to unlock or activate the line or lines for the highest payouts. Some slot machines take care of this by only offering one bet size that is good for all of the available lines, but some machines let you choose the coin size and lines you want activated.

The simple way to make sure you’re eligible for the top payout is to always bet max coins and activate all of the lines. If you don’t want to bet as much per spin as this requires on one machine, play on a different machine with a lower max bet amount.

5 – Not Playing for Jackpots

I’ve mentioned this in a couple of the earlier sections, but the only way you have a realistic hope of winning in the long run playing slots is by hitting a big jackpot. This is why I recommend only playing on slot machines with a big jackpot.

I usually only play on progressive jackpot slot machines, but there are some machines that have big static jackpots available as well.

It’s up to you to determine exactly how much a life changing amount is to you, but I don’t play on any slots game that doesn’t have a top prize of at least $100,000. And I usually look for one that’s at least $250,000.

6 – Playing Slots

I’m sure this isn’t what you’re looking for if you love to play slots, but the fact is that the slot machines are some of the worst games you can play in a casino. The average house edge on slot machines varies by casino, but it’s usually over 5%. In some areas it’s closer to 10%.

The casino is filled with games that have a lower house edge than slot machines. A lower house edge means you lose less in the long run, so it’s one of the most important things you need to be aware of. The list of gambling activities that offer a lower house edge is long, and some of them require the use of strategy. But it’s worth learning a little bit of strategy to play with a lower house edge.

Here’s a list of better options for slots players:

• Video poker machines, especially the ones with good pay tables
• Poker
• Blackjack
• Sports betting
• Baccarat
• Craps, but only certain bets
• Roulette, but stick with the wheels that don’t have a double zero space

7 – Not Earning Maximum Comps

When you’re a slots player you need to do everything you can to offset the high house edge. One way to offset your losses is to earn the maximum amount of comps. To earn comps you have to sign up for the slots club everywhere you play.

And when you’re a member of the slots club, you have to remember to use your membership card every time you play. I see slots players forget to put their card in the machine before they start playing.

One problem some players have is remembering to take their card out of the machine when they’re done playing. The best solution for this is to use something attached to you and the card that makes it impossible to walk away from the machine without taking your card with you.

Conclusion

If you want to have the best chance to win more than you lose playing slots you need to avoid making the mistakes listed on this page. The most important thing you can do as a slots player is learn how to make your bankroll last as long as you can.

The best ways to do this are getting as many bonuses and comps as you can and playing slower. Play on machines that have good jackpots and at least you give yourself a chance to win a life changing amount of money when you get lucky.