How to Win at Slots - RNG, Bonuses, Payouts, Tips, and FAQs

Improve Your Odds to Win at Slot Machines With Our Expert Guide

Hero image

Strategies for Winning on Online Slot Machines

Although playing online slot machines is always a game of chance, there are some strategies or tips that can be used to win at slots. Below we tell you about winning slot machine strategies you can consider that might increase your chances to win at slots.

Play Slot Machines With High Volatility

If you’re looking for a big win at slots, slot machines with high volatility are what you should be playing. In these games, you have the best chance of winning big enough to consider withdrawing your winnings.

Keep in mind, however, that if you’re unlucky, online slot machines with high volatility might deplete your bankroll quicker than you think.

We recommend high volatility slots over low volatility slots for your long-term winning chances because high volatility slots increase your chances of a big win. Smaller wins that don’t nudge the account balance much will typically not make it feel worth your while to withdraw your winnings.

If you win a couple of dollars, you’re likely to continue playing. But if you win a couple of hundred times your bet, it feels like a win that makes it worth cashing out. 

Long-term, you’re not likely to win when playing slots online, so it’s all about quitting while you’re ahead, but a win that doubles or triples the money you deposited, well, that’s worth walking away with. 

Choose Online Slots with Bonus Symbols

The best online slots are the ones that have many bonus symbols. Expanding wilds, sticky wilds, or symbols that multiply your wins can give you huge wins, but only if you’re lucky. Typically, online slots with all of these game features are also medium to high in volatility. 

If you play slot machines with numerous bonus symbols, you can get really lucky on one single spin. Based on the slots strategy above, its then best to withdraw your winnings.

Pick a Slot Machine with Bonus Features

Free spins, pick and click, and other bonus features are where the biggest wins on a slot machine typically await. Given these bonus features are not triggered very often, when they are triggered, you can get really lucky. 

On average, many online slot machines will give you a 100x your bet when you trigger a bonus feature. And if you’re really lucky, you can win thousands of times your bet. These wins are what most slot game player dream about because bonus features are where you can land on winning combinations of bonus symbols. 

Ensure There’s a Certified Random Number Generator

You want to make sure that the slot game you’re playing actually gives you a fair chance of winning. This can only be ensured if the slot game uses a random number generator (RNG). The purpose of an RNG is to ensure that all players have the same chance of winning and that the slot machine pays out according to the RTP percentage for which it was made.

If you play online casino games that use a certified RNG, you can be sure that your winning chances are fair. Neither players nor casino operators can interfere with these RNGs. This is how you know that real-money online slot apps aren’t rigged against you. 

Do Not Play Online Slots with Progressive Jackpots

The likelihood of winning progressive jackpots is slim, to say the least. Since a part of every bet is added to the jackpot, you’re always contributing to the progressive jackpot. The jackpot is also a part of the RTP percentage for the game. 

Use Casino Bonuses & Free Spins

A large part of the winning online slots strategy for playing is about having a large enough bankroll to be able to offset dips in your account balance. Sometimes, you end up with an unlucky streak, so having enough money to wait out the unlucky streak when playing slots is important. 

That’s where a match deposit bonus or even free spins winnings can help you out. With the best online slots bonuses, you can increase your bankroll, and in that way, you can deal with some fluctuations in your balance. 

If you hit a huge win or two, it’s also likely that you will get to convert your bonus into real money. Just make sure that the wagering requirements for the bonus rounds are not too unreasonable.

Can I Use Table Game Strategies When Playing a Slot Machine?

Even though there are table games that are pure games of chance, just like slots games, table game strategies don’t apply to slot games. For most table games, the common strategies are based on bets that have close to a 50% winning chance. You won’t find these kinds of odds for slot machines.

First, when playing online slots, you never have a 50% chance of winning in one game round. Even if you did, you never know how much you will win. You can win anything from a fraction of your bet to hundreds of times your bet. This is why negative or positive progression strategies don’t work for slot games in the same way as they do for table games. 

Progressive Slots: What are They and Should You Play Them?

A lot of players mix up progressive slots online with progressive jackpots. These are not the same types of games because there are two different aspects of slot machines that are progressive. Let’s explore each aspect in more detail:

Slot Machines with a Progressive Jackpot

If a slot machine has progressive slots, it means there is something in the game that you collect or save up for. This “something” can be a special symbol, a particular winning combination, or something else that fills a progress bar. 

Once progress bars are filled, it triggers bonus games or some other sort of big prize. This is when you can expect to get a huge win. 

The crux of a progressive slot machine is that it will entice you to keep on playing. Since every spin you make takes you closer to triggering bonus games, you might end up playing online slots for longer than you planned. This is how the game gets more money from you. 

It might not be the best move to stop playing just before the progress bar is filled, but at the same time, to keep chasing bonus games is not a good idea either.

Online Slots with Progressive Jackpots

If you’re playing a slot machine where the jackpot is the progressive aspect, then this works a bit differently. The jackpot is not just about your progress because all players spinning the slot machine contribute to the jackpot. Hence, there is no guarantee you will win the progressive jackpot regardless of how much you play because another player might win it.

This makes a huge difference because it means you can stop playing whenever you want without feeling that you have missed out. 

In general, playing slots with progressive jackpots is not a good idea from a strategic point of view. These slot machines tend to have a lower RTP than slot machines without a jackpot. 

On the other hand, if you do win the jackpot, it’s another story. This win is likely to be among the biggest wins possible when playing slots online. 

How to Win Progressive Jackpots

If you decide to give a progressive jackpot slot some spins, there are two online slots tips that have been shown to work. 

  1. Play with a high bet
    If you play with a high bet, you contribute more to the jackpot, and if you contribute more to the jackpot, you have a greater chance of winning it. This is a slot machine strategy that even most game providers admit if you read the in-game information.

    So, if you typically play with a $1 bet, it might be smart to increase your bet to $2 if winning progressive jackpots is your ultimate goal.
  2. Play When the Jackpot is Big
    Even though most progressive jackpots can grow massive in theory, in practice, this usually doesn’t happen. All jackpots have some kind of average amount when the jackpot will drop. Playing when the jackpot is starting to reach this point is most often the best slot machine strategy.

    However, one thing you need to keep in mind is that the average limit per slot will differ. Some jackpots tend to drop when they are around $5,000, while others might need an average of $500,000 to drop. So, follow slot games over time and keep track of the jackpot amounts to guess when the best time to play is.

Choose Between a High-Volatility or Low-Volatility Slot Machine

A high-volatility slot game will be the right game for some players, while others might be better off choosing a low-volatility slot. To find out which slot game type is best for you, let’s look at some pros and cons:

Advantages of a High-Volatility Slot Machine

  • Slot machines with high volatility can give you a huge win on a single spin. This means you can quickly win a prize worth cashing out.
  • There are often loads of bonus features and symbols in high-volatility slots. This gives you the chance of winning big money.
  • High-volatility slot machines are great for high rollers that are not averse to risk. Mainly, these slot machines are good for players that do not wish to have long gambling sessions. 

Disadvantages of a High-Volatility Slot Machine

  • You might have to play many game rounds before you hit a big win. If unlucky, you might deplete your bankroll before that win occurs. 
  • Even after a modest win, you might lose it again if you keep on playing. There is no telling how long you’ll have to wait until the next big win comes along. 
  • Due to the low frequency of wins, high-volatility slot machines are not a good choice when wagering a bonus. The risk that you lose your whole bonus balance on just a few spins is great. 

Advantages of a Low-Volatility Slot Machine

  • Frequent winning combinations are the greatest advantages of a low-volatility slot game. Your balance will stay quite stable, allowing for long playing sessions. 
  • Many players find low-volatility slot machines more entertaining than high-volatility slot machines. This is due to the excitement of winning often. 
  • Playing on a slot game with low volatility is the best choice when wagering a bonus. You’re likely to play through your money many times, as you don’t lose much on average. 

Disadvantages of a Low-Volatility Slot Machine

  • You won’t get many big wins in low-volatility slot game. Typically, you won’t win much more than 10x your bet on most wins, although both bigger and smaller wins are possible. 
  • Since you’re not likely to win big, most players won’t withdraw large winnings from these slot games. The wins are too small for most players to want to cash out what they do win.
  • Nowadays, the majority of new slot machines being released are medium or high in volatility. So, the selection of low volatility slots is destined to become limited. 

The Best Online Slot Machine Strategy: Cash Out When You’re Ahead

“Time is the casino’s best friend” is a saying that is very true. Casino games are designed to make money for the casino, so players are always at a disadvantage. This means that when you win, you should count yourself lucky, but not trust that you’ll keep on winning long term. 

A lot of players complain that they don’t win on slots, or in general, when they play at slot games at an online casino. However, in truth, most players do win when playing slot games. The issue is that they do not withdraw their winnings while they’re up. While chasing more and bigger wins, they end up losing what they won, and then some. 

This is why the best and only slot machine strategy that ever works is to cash out while you’re ahead. 

Manage Your Bankroll

Managing your bankroll is very important if you want to increase your chances of winning when playing online slot games. This is important no matter how large or small your bankroll is. 

Here are some online slots strategy tips for you: 

Set Loss & Cash Out Limits

Before you start playing a slot game, you should decide what your budget is and how much you’d like to win. For example, maybe your budget is $100, and you’d like to double that money. 

As you play and get some wins, you can cash out $100 at a time. For example, if you win and your balance is $200, cash out $100. If you win more again, cash out another $100. If you lose, do not be tempted to cancel your withdrawal and play more money. 

In some slots, you can even set a loss limit for your auto-spins. With this, the auto-spins will stop once you’ve lost a set amount of money in the slot game. You can set a stop limit when you win big as well. 

Adjust Your Maximum Bet Size

As you play, your balance will be going up and down; this is completely normal. Ideally, its best to adjust the maximum bet you play with as this happens. Try not to play the maximum bet of the casino game eveb uf playing its max bet might seem more exciting.

If you have $100 and start playing with $1 bets, this is fine. If your balance goes down to $50, you might consider changing your bet size to $0.50. If you win big, you can change to bet up again, if that’s what you want. If you have an even smaller budget, a selection of the best penny slots are available at most casinos. These games take as little as $0.01 per spin.

The purpose of plying a minimum bet is to ensure that you have enough funds to play many game rounds. No matter if you’re playing high volatility slots or low volatility slots, you should always cater for an unlucky streak. 

Choose Slot Machine Volatility Based on Your Bankroll

Changing the slot game you play is also important based on your bankroll. If you have a large bankroll, you can take some risks and play a high volatility game. Then again, if your bankroll is getting low, you might want to change to low volatility slots. 

Then again, this also depends on your overall slot machine strategies. If you’re only after a big win and don’t care about playing anymore, you can stick to slot machines with higher volatility. After all, you might get lucky. But if you still want to play for an extended time, you should change to lower volatility slot games to stretch your bankroll over more game rounds. 

Player Superstitions to Avoid When Playing Slot Machines

The most common superstition players of online slots have is that “a win is bound to happen soon.” Thinking that because it has been a long time since you won big, it has to happen soon is has no basis in reality because that is not how slot games work. 

Every slot game round is completely independent of previous rounds. That you didn’t win the last 50 spins doesn’t mean it’s more likely that you’ll win on the next 50. In fact, it’s just as likely, or unlikely, that you’ll win on every single spin.

You can think of it as throwing dice. If on one throw you got a six, your next throw will still have on in six chances of getting another six. The odds don’t change just because you just got a six on the last throw.

Because of this independence from previous game rounds, you should never chase the big wins. Do not build your slot machine strategy around thinking that something “has to” happen soon. 

Other superstitions have to do with pressing the spin button rather than using auto-play or pressing the button with one hand instead of the other. Crossing your fingers or wearing lucky socks will also not work to increase the chances of a big win. 

All of these superstitions have no impact at all on the game. As soon as the game round starts, the results are already determined. Pressing to stop the reels or crossing your fingers won’t help one way or the other. The RNG determines the result of the slot game, and this can’t be altered in any way by anyone. 

Stay Away from Bonus Buys

An increasingly popular feature for many video slot machines is the bonus buy feature. This allows you to pay to trigger the bonus feature without having to spin and wait to win it. 

Since a bonus game is often the most exciting part of an online slots game, this tempts many players. However, from a strategic point of view, this is not a good choice. Unless you’re very lucky, bonus buys can deplete your bankroll in no time.

Buying bonus games often costs something between 60x and 200x your bet. Even when playing with a very low bet, the cost can be a substantial for only one spin. 

If you buy a bonus game for 100x your bet, you need a huge win to get ahead. You need to win 100x your bet to make up for the bonus buy and then even more to actually win some money. 

Even a slot machine that typically gives a good win in its bonus game will sometimes have very bad bonus rounds. You’ll risk buying a bonus for something like $50 and only win $1. This is a very bad return on the bet. This is why bonus buys should be used with caution.

Some argue that if a bonus, on average, triggers every 100th game round, you can just as well buy one. But this Math doesn’t add up. If you’d played the 100 game rounds, it would be unlikely to not get some other wins. These are wins you’re missing out on when simply buying the bonus game instead. 

If you feel very lucky and want to buy a bonus game, then sure, go ahead. However, be aware among the slot machine strategies to win, it’s a very poor choice. 

Take Advantage of Online Slot Bonuses

Using bonuses is often a good tip if you want to increase your bankroll. Having more funds to play with is beneficial for most slot strategies because it mitigates against unlucky streaks. However, before you take advantage of a bonus, you need to read the bonus terms. 

Generally, you’ll be able to turn over your funds more times if you have more funds. However, there is a limit to how many times it’s likely that you can wager through your bonus. The standard wagering requirement for casino bonuses is 35x, and this is quite reasonable. 

However, some casinos require you to play through your bonus more than 60x. With such wagering requirements, it’s quite unlikely that you’ll be able to withdraw the winnings. 

Another thing you need to look out for is a maximum win cap. Some casinos limit how much you can withdraw from your bonus winnings, and this is never a good deal. 

Say that you win $500 and would like to withdraw it. Then, the casino tells you that you can only withdraw $100 and that they will deduct the other $400 from your account. If you’re lucky enough to win this much, the max win cap might ruin your good mood. 

To conclude: As long as you play at an online casino that has reasonable and good bonus terms, you should use bonuses, but do your due diligence first and ensure that the bonus gives you a fair chance to cash out. 

Top Slot Tips for Clearing Your Wagering Requirements

There is mainly just one tip that’s worth taking note of when wagering your bonus: Play on a low volatility slot. 

The whole point of a wagering requirement is to turn over your funds a certain number of times. To manage this, you should not play on high-risk slots. It’s always better to play slot games where you can expect your balance to stay more or less stable. You might not end up with a huge win, but at least you can convert your bonus and withdraw your winnings.

If you want to play a high-volatility slot machine, we’d recommend that you wait until the wagering is cleared. 

Choose a Casino with High RTP Online Slot Games

All game providers list the RTP in their online slot games. RTP is the theoretical percentage of bets placed in the game that get paid out as winnings. 

Many players think that the RTP in casino slot games is always the same, but that’s not true. When game providers make slot machines, they make them with multiple RTPs. The casino can then choose which version they want to offer. 

You might find a slot that at one online casino has an RTP of 96%, but at another casino, the same slot machine has an RTP of just 93%. This means that a lesser percentage of all bets placed at the latter casino’s slot machines are paid out as winnings. Basically, your chances of winning at the latter online casino are worse than at the former casino. 

By checking out many online casinos, you can find one that has the best RTPs available. Once you’ve found a casino with a winning slot machine, you should stick to it. 

So, don’t be tempted by huge bonuses and other offers at online casinos with a worse RTP. Long-term it never pays off to play at casinos that choose to offer lower RTPs in their games. Rather, the hallmark of a good and reputable casino is that they always go for the highest RTP slots

Test Your Slot Strategies Before You Bet

Once you’ve found a strategy you’d like to try, wager free spins before betting with real money. This you can do by playing free games in the demo mode. Most of the best real-money slots offer free spins in the demo mode, and you get to play those free spins for as long as you’d like. 

You get a certain balance of play money for playing free spins, and from here you can try different types of games and different bets. Once you’re ready to put your strategy to the ultimate test, you can simply change from the free spins’ mode to the real money mode. 

Winning on Online Slot Machines FAQ

Do Slot Strategies Work?

In reality, there are no slot machine strategies that always work when you’re playing on slot machines. Slots are games of chance, and there is no skill involved. That being said, choosing the right game, the right volatility, and managing your bankroll might give you a leg up. Most importantly of all, you need to quit while you’re ahead. 

How Do I Manipulate Online Slots to Pay Out More?

There is no way to manipulate an online slot game to pay out more than it is designed to pay. Slots at reputable online casinos all work with a RNG, and this can’t be tampered with. There are third-party companies that test and audit these RNGs to ensure their fairness. So, ultimately, there is no way to beat a slot machine.

How to Beat Online Casino Slot Machines?

There’s no way to beat a slot game. The RNG software that online games use to determine the outcomes of a spin is protected against tampering by both players and casino owners. The closest you can get to beating an online slot game is to minimize your losses by betting within your bankroll and pocketing jackpot winnings.

How Do I Tell If an Slot Game is About to Pay Out Big

It’s not possible to tell if a slot game is about to pay out or not. A lot of superstitious players think that they know, but time and again they turn out to be wrong. Slot machines are games of chance, and every game round works independently of the last. This is why it’s impossible to predict when the winning combination will come. 

Are Online Slot Machines Rigged?

They are not – as long as you’re using a reputable casino app. Thanks to a random number generator, all slot game results are random, and all players have the same chance of hitting a winning combination.

Every slot machine is designed to ensure players lose long-term. A player will always be at a disadvantage when playing casino games, although they can also be lucky and win. 

Is It Possible to Win Progressive Jackpots?

Yes, it is possible to win progressive jackpots. However, the likelihood of it happening is slim, to say the least. These are prizes that all players playing the game are competing for, and only one player will win each jackpot.

In addition, the jackpots typically do not get triggered very often. Some machines go months without paying out the main jackpot prize. 

Which Online Slot Game Mechanics Can I Win the Most On?

The game mechanics in a slot machine are not what determines if and how much you win. How often and how much you win is determined by the volatility in the machine. The slot machines that pay out the biggest wins are the ones with high volatility. 

What are My Chances of Winning a Jackpot?

Your chances of winning a jackpot are frankly not good, at least with respect to a progressive jackpot. Then again, one player must win it, and your chances are just as good as any other players’ chances. 

Can I Win Real Money from a Slot Bonus?

Yes, you can win real money from a slot bonus, as long as you’re playing at a real-money online casino.

In order to be able to withdraw winnings from a casino bonus, you must first clear the wagering requirement. The best way of doing this is by playing slots with low volatility. These games allow you to turn over your balance many times, without the balance changing much. 

Stay Ahead of the Game

Are you ready to take your online gambling experience to the next level? Sign up for the LetsGambleUSA newsletter and get the latest news, exclusive offers, and expert tips delivered straight to your inbox.