Sorry to say, if you’re looking for advice on how to beat slot machines this page isn’t for you. That’s because here at AceHoyle.com we only publish information that’s true. And telling you that it’s possible to beat slot machines would be very untrue. Slots, you see, are games of chance. The way they’re set up it’s impossible to avoid their vigorish, or “house edge.” So if we said there’s a slots strategy that will have you raking in money hand-over-fist we’d be no better than all the online-casino portals and “system” hucksters out there. Naturally, none of them want you to know it, but shy of gaffing a live machine or changing an online casino’s program code, there’s absolutely no literal way to win at slots.

That said, there are a few methods of playing slots that will help you spread out your bankroll. Calling them “slots strategies” may be a little misleading because a “strategy” typically increases your odds of winning. But, regardless of what we classify them as, one thing is sure: Following our slots strategies will plug that hole that appears in your wallet every time you play slots. And since saving money is pretty similar to making it – “A penny saved…” and all that – we figure our advice is as good as handing you a few hundred bucks.

Know Your Slots Possibilities

Another important strategy is to know your options and possibilities. Though there's no proven method to winning at slot machines, there are slot machine strategies that will help you choose the correct games and machines to play on.

At the heart of all good slots strategies is an understanding of “payout percentages.” Hands down, this has the largest impact on how often you’ll win at slots. If you're unfamiliar with the term, we suggest you get familiar quick by checking out our “Slots Glossary,” “Slots Rules,” and “Slots Odds” sections. But if you’ve already visited these portions of our slots guide, you’ll be happy to know we’re finally explaining why you needed to read them: Most casinos, you see, readily advertise slots that have high payout percentages, knowing that this will draw more traffic. So if you can't find the payout percentage for a particular slot it probably doesn't bode well for your bankroll. Forget it and find a slot whose percentage is posted. As we said above, we can’t teach you how to beat slot machines, but if you keep this piece of advice in your pocket you at least won’t wind up a big loser.

In line with out first slot machines strategy, our second piece of advice can go a long way to taking the edge off not being able to win at slots: Unlike online operators, traditional casinos don’t post their slot machines’ payout rates. So if your heart’s set on playing old-fashioned slots, the best way to determine how much they’ll take is by finding out if there’s a state-imposed percentage. In the U.S., for example, New Jersey requires all slot machines (legal ones, anyhow) at least pay out at 85 percent. Nevada, on the other hand, has no such law. As a result, all Atlantic City casinos keep their machines exactly at an 85 percent rate, while it’s not uncommon for their Vegas cousins to go as high as 98 or 99 percent. Of course, Vegas slots can also ring in far below 85 percent – which is terrible for players. But if you look for machines that have been hitting and wait for one to open up, you should have no trouble cornering a vig that agrees with your bankroll.

If there’s any way to win at slots, it’s that you can earn enough comp points despite your losses to eventually end up in the black. You see, casinos often try to bridge the positive-expectation gap by offering their comps-program members great benefits. For slots players such memberships are a must because over time a good comps program will net them enough schwag that they’ll actually turn a profit. Usually they research what each casino offers and sign up only for memberships that begin paying out rewards at the $1,000 action mark.

The way this works is that “action” only accounts for how much you bet, not how much you win or lose. So if you play five-unit sessions at a $5 slot with a 96 percent payout rate, for instance, you can hit a high action level ($10,000) after only an hour of play. Over time, it’s true, you’re likely to lose between $100 and $200. But when you consider that you’ll receive several free meals at $100 per plate, two tickets to a live show ($100 to $150 apiece, give or take), a couple free nights at the casino’s hotel (starting at $150 per)… Again, we can’t tell you how to beat slot machines, but if you ask us, getting comped out the wazoo sure comes close.

Normally when anyone asks how to beat slot machines what they really mean is “How do I corner a jackpot?” Again, it’s impossible. And, while we hate to belabor any point, it’s worth saying over and over: There’s absolutely no way to win at slots. In fact, the only thing that will make your odds of winning a jackpot better is always betting the maximum. So if you were playing a five-line, $25 slot, for instance, you’d have to bet $125 every spin. The reason for this is that all casinos set their machines so they only pay out headliner jackpots at maximum bet; if you bet less your odds of hitting those jackpots are nada, and if you do bet the maximum… well, you’ll be leaking money faster than the Exon Valdez. Ultimately, the choice is yours. But if you can find a half-decent jackpot on a machine whose max bet fits into your budget that’s the way forward.

Of all the slots strategies we’ve included on this page, this may be the hardest to swallow. And yet it’s also some of the best advice we can give you. Naturally, we realize when we say, “avoid progressives,” your brain probably goes into a tailspin. The problem with progressive jackpots, though, is that, while they may wow you with their big-money takes, you’ve got a better chance of eating lunch with Michael Jackson than winning them. Even the best are so significantly impossible to win at that playing them just doesn’t make sense. The reason for this is that any progressive that pays out at 95 percent, say, pays out that 95 percent overall. That includes you, your friend Bob, your lovely wife Mary and the gazillion other folks pumping cash into the prize pool. When Hilda from Sheboygan finally does hit for the whole nachos grande, then, the mathematical balance sheet breaks even, and there is peace in the Kingdom of Probability. Meanwhile, you, poor guy, have lost half your nest egg.

Out for Loose Slots If you thought there was a typo in this slot machines strategy’s title, you, sir or madam, have a dirty, dirty mind. Getting on to the subject at hand, though, what we mean by this pointer is that live-slots players should always look around before sitting down. We touched on this briefly in our second slot machines strategy, but to explain it more fully, land-based casinos often set up machines with no vigorish as a kind of marketing tool. How this works is that when one machine goes off continually it tends to make the people nearby excited enough to try the slots next to it. These slots, however, always have the worst vigs in the whole casino. So while the House is handing one player $200,000 it’s making $200 million from the lemmings around him. Rather than follow the pack, then, just camp out behind the guy on the hot machine. This may take a while, and sure, the guy’s bound to get a little annoyed. But eventually he’ll leave and you’ll have his golden goose all to yourself.

One “system” most players think they can win at slots with is team play. Simply put, if you want to learn how to beat slot machines, you’ll have block this absurd notion from ever entering your cranium. The reason for this is that, as we mentioned in Slot Strategy No. 6, casinos always surround loose machines with proportionately tight machines. So if you and a teammate sit side-by-side and one of you is playing a veritable goldmine, the other will inevitably lose just as much, if not more. Of course, if you take our advice you won’t be able to chat with your best bud while you’re raking it in. But you really have to ask yourself if the conversation you and your partner have while playing is really worth the one you’ll have later when he needs you to spot for lunch.

The essential thing we here at AceHoyle.com want to drive into your head as we teach you “how to beat slot machines” is that learning to win at slots is pretty much learning how not to lose at them. Since we’ve already established that lose you will, we’d next like to have a tiny discussion about how subjective that word “lose” really is. Naturally, for some of us losing a penny would burn, while for others a couple grand might as well be leaves in a brush pile. Either way, though, slots offer something for everyone. Their minimums start at 5 cents and go up to $5,000 because casinos – in most cases, rightly – assume whatever you insert into a machine isn’t coming out. So choose some amount you don’t mind losing, and always write off your slots experience as plain, old fun.

Recently, several online casinos have begun increasing their sign-up bonuses to keep ahead of their competitors. While taking advantage of these promotions may not be a slots strategy per se, it is a great way to instantly boost your bankroll In fact, it's so common for operators to match 100, 150 and even 200 percent of first deposits that you could easily end up with thousands in free cash. And, although in most cases you can’t withdraw this money, anything you win with it – including player points – is yours to keep. Used in conjunction with our previous eight suggestions, then, it’s possible to rack up some extremely nice comps without spending a dime.

In the end, you’ll always win at slots if all you expect is a good time. This is perhaps the most essential slots strategy, and one reliable way to do this is to get involved in tournaments. Many on- and offline casinos hold these in the hopes of attracting slots aficionados, and they often offer those who participate some very sweet comps and prize packages. But, even more importantly, tournaments are a great place to meet other slots die-hards. No doubt, if you’re one of this set you’ll probably enjoy meeting others like yourself – especially if you’re a social slots player who prefers the perennially doomed team system despite our warnings. To get in on these, all you have to do is ask for a schedule from your favorite online or brick-and-mortar casino, sign up and show up on the days they’re holding them.