Rolling Drums on a Slot Machine
Despite their apparent randomness and dependence on luck, slots are among the most popular casino games. Players even strategize for long periods in a bid to increase their chances of winning and walk away with a bigger jackpot.
Nevertheless, if a game is completely random, how much can you depend on premeditated or seemingly well-thought-out “strategies”? The answer depends on your playing approach. In this piece, we’ll outline some slot machine strategies that don’t usually work as expected. So, let’s get straight into it.

Slot Machine Strategies to Avoid

Play & Run

The “Play & Run” approach refers to the practice of playing a game at one machine and then switching to another one immediately after the game finishes. The bankroll usually comprises of 5 sessions.

For instance, if you want to invest $200, you will do that over 5 separate sessions by investing $40 every time. In other words, you’ll put in $40 a session. By doing so, you can play with multiple machines simultaneously. However, that doesn’t really increase the chances of winning.

Zig Zag

Players utilize the “Zig Zag” approach to look for some sort of “patterns” within the reels. However, this is a waste of time and should be avoided. Playing slots is dependent entirely on chance and no such “strategy” can help you win more.

Nevertheless, many people persistently try to find shapes made out of certain symbols. Once they find something like this, the expectation is that the machine will pay them off.

You’re advised to stay away from such antics while playing slots. Not only will you end up disappointed when the results aren’t what you expected, but you’ll also miss the great fun that comes with the randomness of this game.

Besides, even if someone can develop a “dependable strategy” for winning at slots, it would kill off the game’s purpose and identity. Slot machines popular is their randomness and recognition as a game of chance. If players are going to neutralize that randomness through pre-planned approaches, what’s even the point of playing?

In any case, such things cannot happen because casinos don’t work this way. Therefore, it’s best to avoid them.

Ladder System

The “Ladder System” is considered a bit of a “strategic procedure” in the world of slots. Players use it to protect themselves from losing big at a machine. In other words, it’s a sort of “insurance.”

The idea revolves around playing with safe money. You would play with big stakes while the gains are big, and reduce them when you’re on a “losing spree.” Players also try to utilize their “winning streaks” to minimize the probability of losing.

Here again, the conclusion is the same. You CANNOT predict the beginning, middle, or end of a series in slots. It’s all completely random. More importantly, remember that the advantage is always with the casino/house. Otherwise, they won’t stay in business very long!

Betting Max Coins All the Time

“To win the maximum jackpot, you must play with the maximum number of coins.”

Surprisingly, this shoddy advice often comes from the supposed “gurus” of slot machines. In many games, the jackpot isn’t dependent on the number of coins. If you keep betting maximum coins, it will only make you lose money faster.

However, video poker is an exception. In it, the big payout is considerably reduced if you bet less than 5 coins.

Setting Loss Limits & Win Goals

Setting goals for wins and limits for your losses isn’t the worst idea, but it does nothing to improve your chances of victory.

The idea is to begin with a session bankroll. For instance, if you decide to start with $100, your goal is to win a percentage – say 20%, which will give you $20 – of this bankroll. At the same time, you set your loss limit at 20%. This means that you are willing to take a hit of $20 if you lose a bet.

Hence, you’re now going to play the game until you’re up to $120 or down to $80 before calling it a night, at least on that particular machine. Afterward, you could move to a different slot machine or leave the casino with your winnings or losses.

Once again, such arbitrary starting and ending points don’t impact your odds of success or failure. A better approach is to think of your time at a slot machine as one small chunk of a much bigger session that lasts for your playing career in a casino.

Outmaneuvering the Slot Machine

You should avoid indulging in any such attempts because they rarely work. Even if they do, they’re regarded as “cheating” and rightly so.

Some people believe that cheating at slot machines can guarantee you a big win. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only is cheating caught out most of the time, doing so while gambling is a felony in many places, including Las Vegas.

So, don’t get excited reading or hearing stories of clever cheaters at slots. The majority of them have probably served time at one point or another. Do you want to take that gamble (pun intended)?

Looking for Loose Slots (Relevant Only to Land-Based Casinos)

Different slot machines tend to have varying payback percentages, some higher than others. Factors like “hit ratio” and “volatility” also impact the outcome. A slot machine may have a lower payback percentage but a higher hit ratio.

Besides, you can’t tell if a slot is “tight” or “loose.” The latter is what many so-called “experts” advise players to look for. Nevertheless, that’s not possible, especially at land-based casinos.

In the past, a widely believed myth was that the loose slots were usually placed by a casino in the back or at the end to attract more customers. However, any modern-day casino management will tell you that this isn’t how slots work (and probably never did!).

That being said, the situation is different with online casinos. The management is usually bound by regulations to officially publish slot machine data. It’s one of the biggest positives of playing slots for real money online.    

Conclusion

Couple Playing Slots
Couple playing slots and having a good time.

There’s no mathematical reasoning or backing for any of the strategies mentioned above. This is why they don’t work. Of course, that doesn’t stop a lot of people from using them in the hope of making a quick buck!

Lastly, we want to repeat our earlier advice. You’re better off without resorting to such antics while playing slots. Keep following EnjoySlots to learn more about this entertaining game of luck.

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