Being a winning slot machine player is impossible. All slot machines are specifically designed in order to offer the house a long-term edge, so the house shall always come out ahead if you play long enough. The only real way to counteract the home edge on slot machine games is to play a game with a really big jackpot, bet the max every time you play, and hope that you hit the jackpot. Then whenever you do hit the really big jackpot, guess what you need to do next? Stop playing that game.

Do not get me wrong. I am not proclaiming that you shouldn’t play slot machines. In fact, I think slot games, particularly the really good ones, are a lot of fun. But you want to keep within the forefront of your thoughts that mathematically, what you’re doing when you are playing a slot machine on a long term basis is paying for entertainment. You may calculate simply how much you’re paying for that entertainment by multiplying the house edge times your average bet times your number of spins per hour.

One example is if you’re playing a slot game with a payout of 95%, then the house edge is 5%. (The casino keeps 5% of every bet you make long-term.) And if you are average bet is $3, then you are going to pay an average of 15 cents per spin to the home. (5% times $3.) Assuming you’re making 500 spins per hour, that game costs you $75/hour to play, which may or might not be a reasonable price for best online gambling you entertainment. That is determined by your bankroll.

Another thing to factor into your calculation is just how much the perks and bonuses you’re getting back from the casino are worth. For anybody who is playing in a land-based casino where you’re getting free drinks while you play, then you can subtract the expense of those drinks from you are hourly cost. (Or you can add the price of those drinks to the value of the entertainment you are receiving–it’s just a matter of perspective.) My recommendation is to drink top-shelf liquor and premium beers to be able to maximize the entertainment value you’re receiving. A Heineken can cost $4 a bottle in a nice restaurant. Drink two Heinekens an hour, and you’ve just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.

Slot clubs also give back a portion of your losses each hour, so definitely be sure you join the casino’s slot club and ALWAYS use your card to track your play. There is absolutely no reason not to do this. Casinos also reward their larger slot players with comps like meals, show tickets, and free rooms, which all add up to reduce the total amount of money you’re spending each hour that you are playing on their own machine.

Just how to be a winning slot machine player? I’d sum it up by saying know how much it’s costing you to play each spin and each hour, make use of all the comps and the perks, and go for the big progressive jackpot.