When people hear the word casino, they immediately think of fancy venues jam-packed with well-dressed people. It comes with the connotations of spinning wheels, rolling dice, and green cloth tables. However, today, it is acquiring a few new associations as land-based locales grow less appealing to younger generations.
How to Play Online Slots
Smartphones have changed playing games of chance forever, and it seems like we are at the dawn of a new era, where people would rather gamble from home than test their good fortune inside a physical establishment.
Online gaming revenues soar year-on-year, and according to projections, the global market should double in size by 2027. Online slots are the crown jewel of every platform, as reel-spinners account for a massive chunk of all user activity.
They are simple to play games that offer substantial win potential. Thus, they are the perfect gaming option for both newbies and veterans. When their popularity is at an all-time high, so is the search volume for things like online slot cheap apps and how to win at an online casino.
While most articles on this subject provide only a click-bait title but lack substance, we get into all the nitty-gritty below. Armed with this knowledge, you should first test your online slot skills via demo-play before moving on to making real money bets.
Use an Expected Value Calculator
In expert opinion, this is the number one slot hack, one that makes a real difference. What is an expected value calculator? It is a set of mathematical equations that works out if a casino bonus is beneficial or not.
Promotional offers are the backbone of online casino marketing, and they are the top instrument in any operator’s toolbox when it comes to enticing new players to join. If you find a decent bonus, it will provide you with some free-playing funds, and the more you have to play with, the better your odds of landing a winning spin become.
Now, each welcome offer, or other matching bonuses, will come with a set of specific terms. These always include a deadline and a wagering requirement. They may also feature mandatory games that you must play to fulfill the said requirement and other conditions.
An expected value calculator, or EV for short, lets you input all these terms, and then it works out what you can expect to gain from the offer. Note that this is a projection. A positive value does not mean that you will necessarily win money, and a negative one does not mean that you will lose.
The algorithm only provides an average estimation of what you are most likely to get. Several free EV calculators can help you work out if specific bonuses are worth claiming. Furthermore, you can also look into something called an ROI calculator.
ROI stands for return on investment, and this set of formulas works out if your betting activity within a specific timeframe is hitting your expected profit benchmarks.
Study Each Game’s Specs
If you are a newbie, you probably think that all slots are the same. It is only the theme and the interface that changes. More reels or unique gameplay are merely a façade that boosts playability but does not affect win probability.
Well, if you are of this opinion, you are right. The mechanics of each specific game do not affect the outcomes of the spins played on its reels. An algorithm called a random number generator (RNG) does that.
You may be thinking that since all slots utilize such software, it does not matter which one you pick because all reel rotations are arbitrary. It is not so, as game selection makes a difference. Each title has attributes that decide the number of wins that it will churn out in the long-run.
You see, developers adjust the win probability, or the math model, on each one of their releases. That means that every slot on the internet has a different mix of return-to-player (RTP), variance, and max exposure. RTP tells you how much of the overall bet funds the slot will pay back over time.
Variance informs you how often rewards will happen, and max exposure lists the largest prize available. Depending on your gaming ambitions, you will have to search out a title that features specs that align with your expectations.
Use Progressive Betting Strategies
Can you cheat online slots? No. As mentioned, an algorithm randomly spits out results, and no one can affect what it will come up with next. So, how can you make sure that you can beat a slot in a single gaming session?
The reality is you cannot, but using a progressive betting strategy is your best bet to get close if you have the right tools. Meaning, you have to understand how such betting patterns work, play the appropriate games, and have a sufficient bankroll to finance your way to profit.
The concept behind progressive systems is adjusting the size of your wager depending on your previous spin. A positive progression is when you increase your stake following a win and decrease it after a loss. A negative progression is the opposite of this. You increase the next bet following a losing one.
Most players opt for negative progression, slowly boosting their wagers, believing that they will eventually land a win, recoup all losses and profit. Know that you must have discipline when utilizing such a pattern and that it requires that you start small.
Never get greedy, and pick a title with a high max bet limit, so that you do not hit a betting cap quickly. Some of the most famous negative progressive systems are the Martingale, the Labouchere, the D’Alembert, and the Fibonacci System. Research each one in-depth before putting it to work.
Search Out No Deposit Slot Bonuses
We spoke about welcome bonuses above, and while a good one can be super-beneficial, nothing beats a no deposit bonus. It is a promotion that gives away casino money for free, with no deposit required.
These are a rarity in the interactive gaming sphere, and you may have to roll up your sleeves to find one, as top sites hardly ever offer such deals. That said, 888casino, the first exclusively licensed US platform, has such a promo.
You will not get a ton of free gambling funds via a no deposit bonus. The most we have seen is around $100, which all things considered is not shabby at all. Most times, these offers consist of something in the range of $20 to $40, or 30 to 50 free spins.
Getting complimentary spins upon registration is more common than money in this industry. Note that these deals come with strings attached. You will likely have to use up your bonus on a specific game, and it may come with a wagering requirement.
If you cannot complete it with your free playing funds, you will have to deposit money to withdraw any associated bonus winnings.
Understand the Random Nature of Slots
Before spinning the reel of any title, you must grasp that slots are real games of chance. Yes, some titles feature a better RTP or payback percentage than others, but that gets calculated over millions of spins. If a slot has an RTP of 97%, it will pay back 97% of all money bet on its reels, but it will do so in the long-haul, more time than any human being can afford to play.
So, while specs are essential, they only give you a general idea of how frequently a slot will payout and in what amounts. If you want to come out ahead, it is best to stick to low variance titles with a high RTP, as these should provide small wins frequently that will help you stay out of the red.
However, all this is theoretical. There are no guarantees. In the short-term, anything is possible. You could pop open a progressive monster such as Mega Moolah, make the smallest qualifying bet, and walk away with millions.
That game makes a millionaire, on average, every three to four months, and its record payout is a whopping $21.7 million. So, that is a possible scenario, one that transpires multiple times per year.
Final Advice
The best thing is to spin reels for fun. Remember utilizing the hacks listed in this article is not a sure-fire way to prizes. Nevertheless, they do help you narrow the odds slightly, increasing your win probability. If you are going to spin reels, it is up to you to do everything in your power to lower the casino’s advantage.
Practicing proper bankroll management is a must. Never bet more than you can afford to lose, and always budget for your gaming sessions. Most online casinos let you set deposit and loss limits inside your profile page.
Thus, always look to use those options. They will help you not get overly engrossed to a point where your gaming activity impacts your general finances.
