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Online slots are mainly about chance, we all know that. However, this doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do to improve your chances.
Not only are there techniques that you can use to increase your odds, but going in without a strategy will increase the chances of you making rookie mistakes. You could end up wasting money unnecessarily or making decisions that are sure to lose you money. Let’s take a look at a few tips and valuable information you can use when playing online slots.
1 – Look at the RTP
When looking at online slots, you shouldn’t spend so much time looking at gameplay, design, or even jackpots. Instead, you should be concentrating on the RTP, or return to player. RTP is basically how much you can expect to lose when playing a particular slot machine.
So, a machine with a 96% RTP would theoretically give you $96 back on every $100 played. This is only an estimation, but it still demonstrates what kind of odds you can expect.
2 – Don’t Go Crazy for Massive Progressive Jackpots
There’s a reason why progressive jackpots balloon to such obscene amounts: because they’re so tough to win. If a machine has a huge jackpot, that usually means that the RTP is very poor. Instead, you should focus on middle-of-the-road machines with good RTPs and decent payouts.
3 – Take Advantage of Freebies
You should also take advantage of freebies and bonuses every chance you get. There are tons of slots where you can play without deposit that will give you plenty of practice, and these will allow you to win real money too. Just make sure that you check what the requirements are to take your money out and which types of games you’ll be able to play with your free spins.
4 – Manage Your Bankroll and Pace
Another very important thing that many new players overlook is controlling not only your bankroll but your pace. Controlling pace is very important when playing online since you can lose track of time easily and there aren’t as many constraints.
You need to look at the number of lines on each machine and how much you want to bet on each spin. Then you have to look at your average spin time and your starting bankroll. You should then set a time limit for how long you’re going to play. It’s very important that you have a limit on your winnings as many people tend to go overboard once they win a lot of money.
Once you have a time limit, you can divide it by your average spin time. If each spin takes you 30 seconds and you have $100 to spend, that’s about $0.75 per spin. This is a great pace if you want to enjoy your time, not burn through your money too fast, and still make reasonable bets.
5 – Learn About Bonus Rounds
We would suggest that you research bonus rounds for any slot that you’re thinking of playing. These are crucial if you want to unlock free spins and win jackpots, so learn where they are and the best way to win.
6 – Choose the Right Casino
This one is probably the most important tip. You have to make sure that the casino you’re playing at is reputable and trustworthy to begin with. You need to look at their licensure and see if it’s in good standing. You also have to make sure that it’s from a respected regulatory body, like the UKGC in the UK, or the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in the US and Canada.
Next, you have to make sure that they have a history of giving fair odds. Casinos will use various auditing services to verify the fairness of their machines, so if you see this on a website, this is usually a very good sign.
Finally, you have to check if they have a history of fraud or have been shut down in the past. Many come back after being shut down and are still great places to play, but you have to make sure that they’ve been back for a good while and have the proper licensure before playing there.
These are all things that will help you get the most out of online slots. Take the time to learn basic strategies and choose where you’re going to play wisely.