The Simplest Slot Strategy

If you are a novice slot player and want to get started before reading and studying an entire site on the subject (such as this one), this short post will show you how to best do that. The only disadvantage is that you’ll be restricted to playing only certain machines. Most of the slots that are striving for your attention will have to be ignored until you’ve learned more about the advanced strategy. Until you have done that, however, this simple strategy will work just fine.

Choose a Simple Machine

The best practice used by many experienced players when selecting a spinning reel slot is to stick to the basic three-reel nonprogressive machines. This is also the best advice for novice players. To stretch your bankroll, look for two-coin machines with a single payline. By sticking with a single-payline machine, you will know, without studying the paytable, that you are playing either a multiplier or an option-buy game (rather than a line game). By betting maximum coins or credits on a two-coin machine, you know that you will always qualify for the top awards. Therefore, for inexperienced players, this is the safest approach for a minimum investment.

REEL GOOD ADVICE
The novice slot player should look for a two-coin nonprogressive machine with three reels and a single payline. Betting the maximum on such a machine is the most economical way to assure that you will always qualify for the top jackpot.

If you find the paytables to be even the slightest bit confusing, heed the above advice. The more sophisticated techniques outlined in the advanced strategy posts require you to fully understand the paytables for the various types of games. If you are looking for more variety, there is nothing wrong with playing the three- and five-coin machines, as long as you have a sufficient bankroll that allows you to always bet the maximum. Just remember that doing so will deplete your bankroll more quickly.

Avoid Games with High Jackpots

Somehow avoiding games with high jackpots sounds contrary to what we are trying to do. Don’t we want to win the biggest jackpots? Sure, but the chances of being successful are extremely remote. On some games with very high jackpots the chances of winning that jackpot can be worse than one in two million spins. Most of the time, it is much easier to win the top prize in a game with smaller jackpots. Furthermore, to keep the overall payback balanced, games with modest top awards will compensate by rewarding you with a greater number of small and medium payouts.