1. Best Slot Machines In Vegas Strip
2. App To Beat Slot Machines

In response, slot players will say that slots offer the chance of a big jackpot, while table games don't. With slots you can win thousands (or millions) for a measly quarter or two. But a $10 at blackjack will win you only $10 or $15.

New slot machine players are going to find a lot of advice for beating the slots. Have a healthy skepticism when a slots expert tells you they know how to beat the slot machines. Among the games in a casino, video slots (in general) have a high house edge. Besides finding gaming machines with high jackpots and a low house edge, no skill or strategy is required to play slots. That means you can’t expect to increase your odds of winning in most situations.

Read through the advice below to optimize your chances of winning at slots. None of the advice assures winning sessions. Instead, it helps you stretch your bankroll, so you enjoy playing the slots longer. Also, the longer your bankroll lasts, the more chances you’ll have of hitting the big jackpot every slots player wants.

Use a Slots Card

Upon entering a live casino, sign up for a slots card. This provides comps and cashback, which automatically lowers the house edge by a bit. Never play a spin without using your slots card. In an online casino, accept the highest slots bonus and play according to the terms and conditions until you meet the wagering requirement. Once again, this lowers the house edge on online slots.

Make Max Bets

Look at the payout chart on a slot machine to determine how jackpots are paid. On many slot machines, the 5-coin bet pays out a higher percentage on the top fixed jackpot. For instance, a 1-coin bet might pay $200, a 2-coin bet might pay $400, a 3-coin bet might pay $600, and a 4-coin bet might pay $800. You might expect the 5-coin bet to pay $1000, but many slot machines pay out $1200 or $1500 in that case, trying to convince bettors to make the max bet.

If the jackpot increases a bigger percentage with a maximum coin wager, then it makes sense to make the max bet on a slot machine. If the bet size is too high for your tastes, then lower the coin denomination and make a max bet at that level. Of course, if there is no additional jump between the 4-coin and 5-coin bet, then you can wager a single coin and max out the coin denomination to the bet size you like.

Read the RTP Information

If an online casino or land-based casino publishes its return-to-player information, read through the RTP percentages to find the video slots with the best RTPs. Return-to-player or expected return is the percentage of a theoretical $100 you expect to see returned to you. It is a theoretical percentage based on probability, so an RTP of 95% does not assure you’ll be paid $95 for every $100 you put in the machine. You might lose $50 or you might win $150, or you might win a progressive jackpot and go home rich.

The point of the RTP percentage is to give a player an idea of their expected return. If two slot machines sit next to one another and one has an RTP of 93% and the other an RTP of 95% (and both have similar jackpots), then it pays to play the game with the higher percentage. Over time, this leads to you maintaining a higher percentage of your bankroll.

Money Management Techniques

Read about bankroll management techniques. “Money management” or “bankroll management” is a series of steps you take to lock on winnings when good luck happens and limit your losses when a bad streak occurs. These do not assure that you’ll win, but it optimizes your bankroll.

Players should know three core bankroll management methods: percentage betting, win goals, and loss limits. Learn to calculate your bankroll and divide this into percentages. Then bet between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on any given hand, depending on your capacity for risk. This limits the amount of your stake you lose on any given session, keeping you playing for longer throughout your vacation. It is a given that people go to the ATM machine or credit card when they lose their whole bankroll — which means you spend more than you intended. The point of percentage betting is to assure your bankroll last through your whole trip, so you never have to replenish.

What Is a Bankroll?

Best Slot Machines In Vegas Strip

“Bankroll” is not defined as your entire bank account. It isn’t defined as your discretionary spending budget or the money you have earmarked for entertainment expenses. Instead, it is a part of your discretionary spending cash and entertainment budget which is set aside specifically for gambling. In this case, a bankroll is less than your entertainment budget.

Once you have your bankroll figured, divide this into easy to understand percentage. If you have a bankroll of $1000, then divide this into percentages. These are simple calculations, but you should have an understanding of 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of your bankroll. In the earlier example, 1% would be $10, while 2% would be $20. 5% would be $50, 10% would be $100, and 20% would be $200.

Now that you have these, decide whether to bet 1% to 5% of your bankroll. Most experts suggest betting no more than 1% to 2% in order to maintain your bankroll throughout your casino trip or online slots session.

Setting a Win Goal

Next, set your win goal. This is the amount of winnings you set as your goal for any given slots session. If you have a win goal of 10%, then your win goal would be $100 for any given slot machine sessions. As soon as you hit that goal, you walk away from the slot machine — no matter what. A win goal is a hard-and-fast rule, because it locks in winnings. One of the biggest mistakes players make is losing back their winnings, because they think they’re on a hot streak.

Setting a Loss Limit

Even more dangerous is trying to win back cash you just loss. To protect against this tendency, set a loss limit. Once again, make this your hard-and-fast rule. Typical loss limits can be 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% — though 20% means you could lose the entire bankroll in 5 slots session. 10% to 15% is a good middle ground. Once you’ve lost that amount, walk away from the slot machine under all circumstances. The slots game is not “due” to pay out, so step away from the machine and clear your mind.

Win goals and loss limits guard against gambler’s fallacy. Gambler’s fallacy is the idea that the law of averages assures or weight the odds in your favor. Slots use random number generators and every spin is entirely separate from the previous spin. Losing the last spin does not make it more likely you’ll win the next spin. The odds stay the same, no matter how many wins or losses in a row you’ve had.

Avoid Progressive Betting

For that reason, avoid progressive betting systems like the Martingale system, D’Alembert system, Fibonacci system, and so on. Betting experts have used computer simulations to track the progressive betting methods against flat betting (same bet each spin). Flat betting beats all of the progressive betting schemes over 1 billion spins.

Progressive betting seems like it’s working, because it leads to a lot of small winning sessions. The problem is that it also has a handful of huge losing sessions which wipe out all the wins — and then some. You can’t beat the house edge with the Martingale system, however it might look to the naked eye. The Fibonacci numbers are incredible, but they are not a magical way to beat the casino.

App To Beat Slot Machines

The reason progressive bets are bad is they increase the size of your bets (in some systems exponentially). If you start with $5 or $10 bets, a streak of bad luck has you betting hundreds of dollars on one spin. That’s busts your bankroll and leads to a “risk of ruin” — meaning you’ll lose your whole bankroll if you hit a bad luck streak. No matter what you read online, flat bets are better.

Take Breaks for Rest and Refreshments

Play when you are at your best physically and mentally. Don’t play when you’re tired or sleepy. Don’t play when you’re hungry or thirsty. Take frequent rest and restroom breaks. If you get bored, take a break and walk the casino. Play another game to change up the betting pattern.

When you are rested and engaged, you won’t have distractions that might lead to bad decisions. The idea is to have fun, so if anything is causing you to lose focus on the entertainment aspect of the game, walk away and save your bankroll.

Don’t Go on Tilt

Tilt is a concept in poker where a player makes decisions based on emotional responses instead of solid strategy. It can cost a player a lot of money if they make bets based on anything but rational decisions. While going on tilt is not a concept in slot machine gambling, every game of chance has a personal component.

In short, don’t play when you’re agitated. Take stock of your inner thoughts. If your ego or anger is causing you to make irrational decisions, take a deep breath and calm down. If that doesn’t work, walk away and clear your head. It stinks to lose a series of bets, but what stinks more is to lose a series of bigger bets when you’re trying to make up for lost bankroll.

• Factoid: Most large Las Vegas hotel-casinos have more than 2,000 slot machines.
• Factoid: The slot machine was invented in 1895 by Chares Fey in San Francisco.

It is not accidental that two-thirds of every casino is littered with row-upon-row of slot machines of every type imaginable. The reason is that they provide the most profit to a casino ...and billions of dollars in tax revenue to the state. (The state of Nevada collects a $250 annual tax plus a $20 quarterly license fee per slot machine plus a percentage - about 5% - of gaming revenue.)

Slots account for more revenue to a casino than all other gambling games combined. Their formula for success is simple. They make money by paying out less than they take in. They are popular because players don't need any gambling knowledge and slots require only a very small bet. There are more than 200,000 slot machines in Las Vegas.

Most slot machines work the same way. The player pulls a handle or presses a button to spin a series of reels (typically three) that have pictures printed on them. You win when certain combinations of pictures line up with a pay line in the middle of a viewing window. The payout depends on which pictures land along the pay line. Some machines have multiple pay lines. A pay table (chart) tells you the amount of the payout. It is usually found on the front of the machine, above or below the area containing the wheels. While you can lose your money faster, the payout percentages are always better if you bet the maximum amount of coins on each “pull.”

All slot machines in use today in casinos are electronic (computerized) rather than mechanical. As a general rule, reels, handles, sound effects and other attributes are there to make them appear to be like older, more familiar, mechanical machines.Themed slot machines that require the manufacturer to pay a license fee (such as one named after a movie star, cartoon character, TV show, etc.) generally have lower payouts since the additional cost must be recouped. So stick with the traditional machines (such as the Double Diamond, Blazing 7s, and Red, White and Blue) that pay back more.

As a general rule, slot managers place their most popular - and best paying - machines in areas that generate excitement - such as near the front entrance and other high traffic areas. Some popular slots - such as nickel machines - are placed in the rear of the casino to get people to walk to the back. High payback machines are also sprinkled throught the casino floor.

Be aware that the higher the cost per 'handle pull,' the higher the payout. According to one industry insider, the so-called 'hold percentage' on the Las Vegas Strip averages 11% for nickels (that is, 89% is paid back), 6.5% for quarters, 4.5% for dollars, and 3.5% for five dollars and above. (The Nevada Gaming Control Board has a slighty different figure. See below.)

The payback percentage for Las Vegas (and all Nevada) slot machines are a known factor. Because they are taxed, all machines are strictly controlled and keep track of 'coin in' and 'coin out' which, overall, is a matter of public record. Manufacturers program each machine to payback a specific percentage which is based on a span of ten million handle pulls! Any slot can (and does) pay out more or less over a shorter period. It might pay out 400% today ...or 20% for a week.

A good website on slot machine gambling is located here ... and they have no advertising whatsoever.

The newest wrinkle in slot machines is coinless slots. They use bar-coded paper tickets instead of coins and are known as “ticket in/ticket out” ('TITO') machines. The traveling coin gal (and coin cups) are fast becoming a thing of the past. You feed bills and get paid in vouchers which are redeemed at the cashier’s cage. Don't forget to redeem the tickets! Some have expiration dates on them.

Although poker machines have been around since 1964, video poker did not become popular until 1979 when International Game Technology (IGT) introduced its electronic “Draw Poker” machine. Video poker adds the element of skill and players are given decision-making options that regular slots don’t offer.

Video poker slots work the same way as regular rotating wheel machines. Instead of a reel, they have changing playing card images. They are generally based on five-card draw poker.

A series of five cards are generated from a freshly shuffled 52 card deck for each play and shown on the screen. The player discards some (or all of the cards) and replacements for the remaining cards are drawn. While you are deciding which cards you want to hold, the remaining 47 cards are constantly shuffling. After you decide and hit the button again, the cards stop shuffling and the x-number of cards you need to fill your draw hand come off the top and occupy the vacated positions.The objective is to get the best poker hand. Again a chart indicates the amount of the payout.

The most basic version pays on two jacks or better, but there are variations, such as “wild” cards.

All video poker is not alike. Be certain you are playing a “full pay” game which pays out 99.5% of incoming coin. They are known as a “9/6 JoB” machines – which stand for a payout of 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush with one coin inserted. (JoB stands for “Jacks or Better.”) The paytable for a full-pay or 9/6 JoB machine looks like this:

A casino can tighten a Jacks-or-better video poker machine by simply paying out less for a full house and flush. The most common way that a casino increases it's win is to pay only 8 for the Full House and 5 for the Flush. This is a short-pay 8/5 machine. The casino keeps an extra 2.2% on these machines.

A “10/7 DB” video poker machine (Full House=10 coins, Flush=7 coins) is better yet Payout (when played perfectly and max-credits) is 100.1%. Double Bonus Poker (DB) is a variation on video poker in which the payout for two pair is reduced from two to one in exchange for greatly increased payouts for other hands ...like a payout of 4000 for a Royal Flush.

The best place to play video poker is downtown or at such off-strip properties as Sam’s Town. A great video poker website is VideoPokerReview.com.

A couple of playing hints: Never keep a high card kicker with a pair; draw three cards. Hint No. 2: Always go for the Royal Flush if you have four of the five needed ...even if it means giving up a high pair. The odds are one in 52 that you will hit the needed card ...and Royal Flushes pay up to 4,000 to one if you put in the maximum number of coins.

All slot and video poker machine models are tested by the state of Nevada to be certain that all results are based on a random number generator (RNG.) A new machine can’t be introduced until it meets all state regulations and technical standards. Because gross revenue is taxed, every machine keeps track of the money paid in and the winnings paid out.

Winning at slot machines is pure luck. And there is no such thing as a machine being “ready to hit.” The chances of winning never change whether it is the first or one hundredth pull. And a machine that hasn't paid recently is not due to win.

While winning combinations are determined on a totally random basis, the overall payback percentage is set on a standard machine. A casino tells the slot machine manufacturer what percentages it wants specific machines to pay back and that amount is programmed in. So, some machines are “looser” than others over the long haul.

The payback percentage is determined by state-approved computer chips which are installed by the manufacturer. The RNG in these microchips continuously generate hundreds of randomly chosen numbers every second the machine is on ...even when not being played. Each number corresponds to a set of symbols on the wheel. There are many approved chips for every machine type and the chip can be changed by casino technicians to “tighten” or “loosen” the machine payout. But this is hardly ever the case. It is easier just to change out the machine programmed by the manufacturer.

The state of Nevada requires that every machine pay out a minimum of 75 percent of the money it takes in. Due to competitive pressures, however, the overall payout percentage is much higher. Slot machines are typically programmed to pay out around 82 to 98 percent of the money that goes into them as winnings. Most pay around 92 to 96 percent ...certainly not the worst bet in the house. (Don’t be taken in by casinos that advertise winnings of “up to 99 percent.” They might only have one machine out of 2,000 set to pay that rate.) Hint: Playing the maximum coins always pays more per “coin-in” and reduces the house advantage.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, $1 slots pay out an average of 95 percent of receipts. (25 cent slots pay back an average of 93 percent, 5 cent machines: 90 percent.) And where you play the slots makes a difference. The payout on machines located on the Strip is about one or two percent lower than downtown or other off-strip properties ...a fact well known by the locals. Hotel-casinos frequented by Nevada residents on a regular basis (such as Sam’s Town) pay better than tourist hotels whose guests are there for only three days.

The newer and more luxurious hotels, have the poorest overall slot payout ...especially on under $1 machines. The poorest then would be the Bellagio, Venetian, Mandalay Bay and new Wynn Las Vegas. The best paying slots on the Strip are the older properties on the North Strip. Generally, avoid slots at the airport, convenience stores, restaurants and “restricted” operations ...that is, those with less than 15 machines.

Many veteran slot players believe that the loosest (best paying) machines are located in high traffic areas, such as near elevators, buffets, aisles, showrooms, registration areas, etc. Theoretically, frequent payouts are good advertising and entice others nearby to play. Typically, slot machines with a similar payout percentage are grouped together in the same area. In any event, the payback percentages on Nevada slot machines are the highest of any state ...and probably the highest of any country in the world.

Progressive slots are exactly what their name implies; with each bet made, the jackpot grows. Progressive jackpots (such as Nevada's “Megabucks”) can pay astronomical amounts ...always in the millions of dollars. Their payout system is different from a standard machine and steadily increases as players put more money into it. To get the high jackpot, multiple machines and casinos are linked together to form one giant payout. Just about every Las Vegas casino participates in Megabucks.

The cardinal rule is to always play maximum coins at a progressive machine since they only pay the top jackpot if you bet max. Megabucks is a $1 slot so you must play 3 coins ($3.00) to hit the jackpot. When someone wins, the jackpot is reset to a starting value ...$7 million for Megabucks.

In the long run, the chances of winning a progressive jackpot are very, very remote and the overall payback is much lower than the standard $1 machine. Statistically, they are a very poor bet. In the short run, however, anything can happen and the “Megabucks” jackpot does get hit by someone about twice a year. (The odds of winning are one in 50 million.) The payout averages more than $10 million each time it does. It might be worth one $3 play.

Most casinos offer free memberships in “slot clubs.” They exist to attract, reward, and ultimately retain slot players. You join at the casinos slot booth and get a membership card - otherwise known as a “comp card” (as in “complimentary.”) It looks like a plastic credit card. The purpose of these clubs is to keep players from wandering from one casino to another. The card tracks your play and are the Vegas equivalent of frequent flier miles.

Whenever you sit down at a slot machine, insert the card in the slot at the top of the machine. At a table game, you give it to the dealer or the floorman. The machine (slots) or casino personnel (table games) then keeps track of how much you bet and how long you have played. A word to the wise! Never place your handbag on the floor when you are playing the slots. Keep it in sight at all times.

There are two schools of thought about applying for slot card membership. One is to apply for as many as you can because you will get a sign-up bonus prize on the spot for enrolling ...sometimes even a little free 'match play' gambling money to get you started. Joining a player’s club also identifies you as a gambler and gets you on their mailing list of upcoming offers. There are dozens of different slot clubs in Las Vegas.

The second theory is to concentrate your gambling - even if it is conservative - on one casino. You won’t get any “comps” (free meals, rooms, upgrades, shows or other offers) with just a few points at a dozen casinos. But they will add up when you gamble using a single slot card.

My recommendation is, at the minimum, to apply for Players Club membership at the two largest Las Vegas casino operations: MGM Mirage and Harrahs Entertainment. This way you can gamble at many of their owned casinos and still receive credit toward on your card. MGM Mirage recently merged with the Mandalay Bay Group. And Harrahs recently acquired Caesars Entertainment, Inc. These two companies will soon control nearly two dozen of the largest hotel-casinos ...about half the hotel rooms on the Strip.

Slot tournaments can be fun, take no skill to play and are offered at many casinos to their slot club members ...some by invitation only. The idea is to get the most “credits” by continually pushing the slot’s spin button. Sometimes the contest is free to enter ...but usually there is a small ($10 to $25) entry fee. The people who get the top scores wins a prize ...sometimes hundreds or thousands of dollars. Participants frequently get freebies and offers (sometimes worth more than the entry fee) just for entering the tournament.

The rules are simple. Generally you are assigned a certain machine, a time to play and a beginning amount of “credits” which must be played during a specified time period. For example: you might get to play a beginning 1000 credits in 15 or 20 minutes. The tournament is managed by casino personnel and there can be several tournament sessions to accommodate all who want to play. Many tournaments have hundreds of participants.

You just keep tapping the maximum bet button as fast as you can. Three credits are deducted each time. The machine has a special meter that keeps track of winning credits which can not be replayed. At the end of the time period, the machine locks up and play is over. An important objective is to use all your credits since they are lost if you do not. After you finish playing, you wait at your machine until a tournament official comes by and records your score. The scores on the winning meters determines the winners. It is that simple.

Slot tournaments are held in certain designated casino areas on specially programmed and outfitted machines that generate many more jackpot combinations than normally the case.

One advantage of a slot tournament is that you know ahead of time that your maximum loss will be the amount of the entry fee. (You should probably avoid the slot tournaments that have large entry fees ...those more than $100!) Winning them is totally pure luck ...the only skill needed is to be able to push the spin button quickly.

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