10 Slot Machine Tips for Beginners

10 Slot Machine Tips for Beginners

Looking for top tips to win at online slots? With our expert guide you will find invaluable advice on slot machines and how to win. Legal Pennsylvania online slots. Use our slot game tips for beginners to get ahead of the pack.

And don’t forget, you can read hundreds of reviews on TopPACasinos.com. We’ll also recommend the best legal online casinos that offer guaranteed bonuses.

1. Read Our Slot Reviews at PennStakes

Choosing the right games is one of the best slot machine tips we can give you. You need to find slots with the right payouts and best bonus features. Perhaps the long-term returns are too low to warrant risking a bankroll.

At PennStakes.com, we list hundreds of online slot reviews for readers in Pennsylvania. All of our best picks are legal to play in PA. You can play for free or risk a little real cash whenever you spin.

Each review goes into detail on the gameplay, graphics and theme. We’ll highlight the most reputable developers in the US and even tell you where to play online.

2. Try Free Slots Before You Risk Real Money

The beauty of playing slots online is that you can test games out for free before risking your bankroll. See whether a slot machine game is volatile or whether a theme is going to grab you. The best PA casinos have Demo Play versions which award practice money. Enjoy the same gameplay as the real money versions with no risk.

You can find a full lowdown on playing free online slots right here at PennStakes.com. We have over 200 freeplay video slots to try out on your PC or tablet.

3. Read the Paytable Before You Spin

Another of top slot tip is to read the paytable before you play. Every slot game has a paytable listing the payouts, symbols and bonus details. Slots players can also find details on available paylines and other information like RTP (Return to Player percentage).

The paytable is a great way of getting the lowdown on a game before you start spinning. You can also gauge whether the slot is volatile or not. Just take a look at the range of jackpots to judge how often the slot will pay out big prizes.

4. Understand RTP and Volatility

One of the best tips for a winning slots strategy is to understand RTP and volatility. Every slot has an RTP (Return to Player percentage) programmed into the software. Often, you can find the figure listed in the game’s paytable.

The RTP is the long-term average payout made to players. Of course, it’s a theoretical number, but on average over thousands of spins, it can be pretty accurate.

So, how does RTP work? Let’s imagine a slot has an RTP of 96%. That means for every $100 bet on the game, on average $96 is paid out. The remainder of $4 is kept by the casino. In essence, the difference of 4% is the house edge.

Different slots have different RTPs. A good online slot may have an RTP as high as 99%. A low RTP would be around 90-92%. That’s still higher than many land-based slot machines that might have RTPs of around 88%.

Volatility works slightly differently to RTP. Volatility is the frequency with which a slot machine game pays out. For instance, a high-volatility slot pays out large jackpots infrequently. A low-volatility slot pays out a lot of small and frequent prizes.

How can a slot player judge a slot’s volatility? Usually, a game with lots of bonus features will be volatile. The manufacturer doesn’t want the bonus round or games to trigger that often, so they will be harder to activate.

You can also look at the range of top jackpots in the paytable. Does the highest-paying symbol pay a lot more than the lowest-paying symbol? If the difference is more than 5-6 times, it could be the sign of a volatile slot.

5. Take a Shot at a Progressive Jackpot

A progressive slot machine will offer large jackpots for a relatively small stake. In a progressive slot, a small part of every bet contributes toward a linked jackpot. The more players that play the game, the bigger the jackpot gets.

You can find progressive slots at all good online casinos in Pennsylvania. Most legal software developers offer at least one progressive slot machine.

Progressive jackpots will either be triggered at random or via a special bonus game. Usually, you have a better chance of triggering the progressive if you play at higher stakes or the max bet.

So, why not take a shot at winning a life-changing jackpot? Set aside a portion of your gambling profits and see if you can win a million bucks.

6. Use Bankroll Management

One of our most valuable slot machine tips is to practice good bankroll management. You don’t have to have a super-strict plan, but you need to keep track of your spend.

First off, decide how much you want to play slots with. Keep to your budget and don’t spend what you can’t afford. Also, never use a credit card to fund your online gambling. You will incur fees and it may affect your credit rating if you don’t keep up with payments.

Now decide how much you are going to bet per game. 1% of your budget per spin is a good starting point. For example, if you have a budget of $100, don’t exceed spins of $1.

If you win, bank your profits and continue with your base stakes. If you win a lot, and find a game with a good RTP, consider upping your stakes.

Choosing the right online slots is essential. Some games have higher minimum stake levels than others. Volatile games will also have a bigger impact on your bankroll. Prepare to have downswings as well as good periods.

Luckily, all legal casinos let you keep track of your gambling. You can view a history of your betting and even self-impose limits if you need to. Some slots now also feature a History setting where you can track your wins and losses.

7. Choose a Theme That Excites You

There are hundreds of legal online slots to choose in 2020, and the number is growing all the time. With so much choice at PA online casinos, it’s vital you choose the right games when playing slots.

Find slots that interest you and contain gameplay that will keep you engaged. Choose a developer you like and respect, too. There are dozens of themes to choose from as well. If you love classic 3-reel slots, don’t waste time playing the latest 3D 5-reel game.

Often you can filter the casino lobby to sort games by developer and game type. Store a selection of games in your Favorites list for easy access later. You can also view a history to see which games gave you the most success.

It’s easy to become bored playing the wrong slots. And if you’re bored while gambling, you could end up losing cash. That’s why one of our strongest tips to win at slots is choosing only games that will keep you coming back for more.

8. Ignore the Gambler’s Fallacy

There is one thing to remember if you are looking for slot machine tips for beginners: the gambler’s fallacy is a myth.

What is the gambler’s fallacy? Simply, it is the belief that slots and games have “hot” and “cold” streaks. A slot that pays out 10 spins in a row must be worth betting on. Similarly, a long losing run will inevitably end with a large jackpot.

Sadly, online slots don’t work like that. Games are governed by random number generators (RNGs) which determine the outcome of each spin. Every slot spin is completely independent from the next. And to avoid fraud, RNGs are independently tested by labs approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

It’s true that low-volatility slots pay out lots of winning spins, but that’s down to the arrangement of symbols on the reels. There’s no guarantee that a slot will pay out following a long losing streak.

9. Betting Systems Don’t Work

Slots players will find lots of slot machine tips that advocate using a betting plan. While betting systems sound good, they offer poor returns in the long run.

With a betting plan, you place strict wagers depending on the outcome of a spin. Let’s say you start with spins of $1 with a negative progression plan like the Martingale.

The Martingale requires you to double your bet after a losing spin. You keep doubling the stakes until you win, then reset the bets back to your unit stake.

The idea of the Martingale is that you can recoup your losses with one big bet. The problem is that you may go broke before you hit a winning spin.

There are other betting plans that work in the opposite way. You might have to double your bet after a winning spin, then reset the stakes once you lose. The problem with this plan is that it restricts your chance of hitting large profits.

Don’t get sucked in by betting plans. Good bankroll management is far more important that a staking system.

10. Earn an Online Casino Free Spins Bonus

Let’s end our top tips to win at slots with a look at casino bonuses. You can use an online casino bonus to win free cash every time you play your favorite slots.

PA online casinos will offer new players a welcome bonus when they sign up. Make a deposit and get it matched 100%. You can release the bonus funds when you play enough qualifying slots and games.

You will also earn free spins on a nominated game. Play your spins, count your winnings and wager them several times over before releasing them into your account.

Check out our guide to online casino bonuses. They are a great way of earning free cash for minimal cost.

Discover the Best Slot Machines in Pennsylvania

Our slot machine tips for beginners have been designed to help new players in Pennsylvania get off to a good start.

Choose your favorite casinos and slots, and see which games appeal. With the right choices, you can improve your bankroll and have fun while you do it.

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Author

Jon Young is a writer & magazine editor with over 12 years' experience in the gaming sector. He has written on everything from poker, slots, mobile gambling, sportsbooks & online casinos in Pennsylvania. When not trying to take down the Mega Moolah jackpot he can be found playing poker tournaments in casinos.

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