When’s the Best Time to Play Online Slots?

Learn the Most Profitable Time of Day (Or Night) To Play Slot Machines

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Will You Win More on Slots If You Play at Certain Times?

There is no optimal time to play online slot machines or any other casino games. Because of the way slots work, they will not pay out more or less at different times. 

If and when a slot pays out is decided by a random number generator (RNG). As the name implies, and RNG is completely random. It is made to give all players the same chance of winning. Every spin on the slot is random, and it does not take previous slot spins into account. In reality, this means that each and every spin has the same chance of being a big win. 

Therefore, RNG games do not take the time of day, week, or month into account. Therefore, you have the same chance of winning no matter when you choose to play. The only way to ensure that your chances to win on a slot is bigger than normal is to have a big enough bankroll, and to increase your bankroll, casino bonuses can be a good tool. 

The Best Time to Play Slot Games

Play Games at Casinos During Holidays 

If you choose to play slots during holidays, this comes with some advantages. During holidays, casinos tend to have some special bonus offers available. You’ll get to partake in match deposit bonuses and free spins as a holiday gift from the casinos. 

Extra bonuses are always good to partake in if you want to get the most out of your spins. With an increased account balance, you’ll be able to play more or with higher bets. This gives you a better chance of landing a big win. 

During holidays, many game providers also launch holiday-themed slots. To promote such slots, you might get some free spins from the casino. These might be no deposit bonus free spins, or spins you get when depositing. 

Enjoy Summer Spins

The summer is also a time when it can be optimal to play slots. Many casinos have special summer bonus offers or slot tournaments during this time. Like with holidays, casinos often boost your bankroll during the summer months.

Tournaments that last throughout the summer are popular at many casinos. In these tournaments, you compete against other players to get to the top of the leaderboard. For these long tournaments, the prizes for the top players tend to be massive. 

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 Slot Tournaments

If you choose to play slots online during the summer, there is one thing you should take into account. If you’re travelling out of state or out of the country, you might not be able to log into your casino account. Not all casinos accept play from gamblers in all jurisdictions.

Play at the End of the Month 

Generally, the end of the month is when you’ll find the most bonus offers at casinos. If you play slots, you might get free spins offers or a match deposit bonus.

Most casinos concentrate their best bonuses at the end of the month. This is because the end of the month is when most people get paid if they get a monthly paycheck, not only in the USA but also in other countries around the world.

Then again, if you play when most people tend to play, right after they’ve gotten paid, there are also disadvantages. During busy times at the casinos, help from customer support might be slower and the same goes for withdrawal requests, but on the other hand, casinos do tend to staff up during these busy times. 

Play Online Slots When You Can Afford It

The best time to play online slots is when you can afford it. In that sense, it’s better to play towards the end of your pay cycle. 

Once bills are paid and the fridge is full, you can play a bit without worries. Even though you can be lucky and win when playing slots, it’s never guaranteed. Never play for money that you need for something else, and never play for money you can’t afford to lose.

This is why a common strategy for many players is to play the week before the next paycheck is due. They take a portion of what’s left of the last paycheck and gamble with that money. If they’re lucky, they have more money to spend the next month. If they’re unlucky, the next paycheck is just around the corner.

Managing your monthly paycheck properly is one thing, but you should also be managing your gambling bankroll when playing slots online. This is something you can learn more about in our article about slot strategies. 

Bet When the Jackpot Is About to Burst

If you’re playing jackpot games that have a progressive jackpot, you should play when the jackpot is big. If it hasn’t been won in a long time, that’s when you should put some extra spins in.

A progressive jackpot slot is like any other type of video slot, in that it pays out randomly. Therefore, it’s impossible to predict whether it will pay out or not. In theory, there is no limit to how big a normal progressive jackpot can get. 

Rags to Witches Progressive Jackpots

However, logic dictates that if a jackpot is reaching beyond its average payout, it should burst soon. This would be the best time to bet on it. 

It could happen that a progressive jackpot triggers just after the last one was won; however, this doesn’t happen very often, and if it does, you simply wait for the next one to grow big. 

You can think of this strategy this way: you’re not likely to win more than one big progressive jackpot in your life, and when you do win it, you’d like for it to be as big as possible. So, playing to win a jackpot that is close to its minimum amount is not ideal.

Play on “Must Drop” Jackpots

Some progressive jackpots have a “must drop” timeframe. For example, it can be a daily, weekly, or monthly jackpot. If the slot has a must drop jackpot, you know it has to be triggered within a certain time. These games are most commonly referred to as “hot-drop jackpots.”

When this time is close to ending and the jackpot is still not won, that’s when you should play. It has to be won by someone, and the closer it is to its end time, the better chance you have of landing that jackpot.

If you play for a daily jackpot and it’s just one hour left of the day, you know that you have a chance to win. There might be many players active during this time, and you should be one of them. You’ll never have a better chance to win a jackpot. 

Hot and Cold Slots

Many players have superstitions about hot and cold slots and how this impacts payouts. Hot or cold slots are basically the same as slots on a winning or losing streak. 

A strategy some players use is to play on slots that have paid out a lot to other players. To identify such slots, an online casino often displays “current winners” and the games on their sites. If you want to play on hot slots, you can simply choose one of the top slots from those playersʼ lists. 

That being said, those lists are not necessarily a true reflection of which slots pay out the most. The slots you’ll see listed are often simply the most popular ones. When a lot of players play the same game, the game is bound to show as a hot one. 

In terms of cold slots, or slots that do not pay out a lot of wins, it is a bit trickier. Because you can play slot games in the hundreds at online casinos, most slots are not actively being played. So, if the slots are on a lucky streak or a losing one is impossible to know. 

For casinos, it’s not very good from a marketing perspective to list slots on which no one is winning. It would be like advertising for “the least popular slots” and that’s not very appealing. So, identifying cold online casino games is next to impossible because the data are nowhere to be found. 

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The Worst Time to Play Slot Games

The worst time to play slots is when you’re not in the right mental state to play. Playing slots should be fun and something you do for entertainment. If you’re stressed out, worried, sad, or in a negative headspace, you should avoid playing. 

Never use gambling as therapy. It won’t work, and you’re likely to develop an unhealthy relationship with gambling. Worst case, you might end up being a gambling addict. Gambling, just like alcohol and other substances, should only be enjoyed when you’re in the right frame of mind. 

Also, remember to never gamble when you’re under the influence of alcohol or other substances. 

Best Time to Play Slots at a Land-Based Casino

When playing slots at a land-based casino, many players have some preconceptions about the ideal time to play. A strategy many players use is to play on slots that have given another player a long losing streak. Other players prefer to play on a slot that has just paid out big to someone else. 

These strategies are just superstitions and not something you should rely on. There is no validity to any claims about a slot being hot or cold and how that affects further spins. 

Land-based slots, just like online slots, run on an RNG. So, every spin is completely random, and you won’t win more or less based on which specific machine you’re playing. 

The best tip as to when to play slots at land-based casinos might be when the casino is not very busy. Early mornings can be a good time. It won’t affect your winning chances, but at least the chances are that your favorite slot is not taken by someone else. 

FAQ

Do Slots Pay Out More During the Morning or Night?

Slots do not pay out more or less during any time of the day. They run on an RNG, and this ensures equal winning chances no matter when you play. You’re just as likely to win big just before the sun rises as you are just after sundown. 

When Should I Play a Progressive Jackpot Slot?

The best time to bet on a jackpot slot machine is when the jackpot is big. A progressive jackpot keeps growing until one lucky player triggers it and wins the lot. If it has grown bigger than its average jackpot size, it might be a good time to spin. 

Also, keep in mind that most progressive jackpot slots take your bet size into account. It gives you a greater chance to win the jackpot if you’re playing with a high bet. 

When Can I Get the Best Slot Bonuses?

You can get casino bonuses from the moment you sign up to the casino and throughout your casino journey. However, sometimes casinos have some extra special bonuses, and these are worth partaking in. Typically, casinos tend to have great bonuses during holidays, the summer months, and any special days.

How Do I Know If a Slot Is Hot or Cold?

Many online casinos display which slots players are winning on in real time. So, finding out which slots are hot should not be a difficult task. However, they are not as forthcoming with which slots are cold, so this is impossible to know. 

Do I Win More on Slots When Playing from a Mobile?

Which type of device you’re playing on won’t impact your winning chances. The same RNG is used for the games on both desktop and mobile devices. So, the slot will pay out the same when you play on a mobile as it does from a desktop. 

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