How to play slots

Posted by Jake Freeman on August 14th, 2023

Slots are a universal casino favorite because they are easy to play. There's nothing complicated, there's no strategy, and it's fast: you just put your money in and watch what happens. Check out our guide to the most popular online casino games on this page if that's what interests you.

OBJECT OF THE GAME

Line them up to win. Identical symbols in a row are usually all that is required. But it's good to know that the machines differ: some combinations are from left to right, while others have different winning patterns.

HOW SLOT MACHINES WORK

THE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR

Yes, the slots are indeed random. The random number generator (RNG) is a computer chip inside each slot machine that performs thousands of mathematical calculations per second.

As soon as you press this button to initiate the spin, the RNG freezes on a random set of numbers that determine the corresponding symbols on the reels, and those symbols appear on your machine.

WHAT DOES RNG MEAN TO YOUR GAME?

The result is determined by the RNG the second you press the spin button. Spinning symbols only add fun to the game. There are simply no strategies to beat a slot machine - the RNG makes every win purely random.

START WITH A GAME PLAN

SET A BUDGET

Decide how much you want to spend up front. Treat slots as part of your entertainment budget: Money you'd spend on a night out without expecting to bring it home.
A credit card with a diagonal line through it.

DO NOT CARRY CREDIT CARDS

To make sure you only spend what you carry, use cash and leave the cards at home.
Mark inside a trophy

SET PROFIT LIMIT

It's no fun being awake and then losing everything. When you're winning, decide in advance when it's time to walk away. Some players set this when they double their money.

How to bet in slots

Here's an easy guide to setting your bet:
Credit Value: Note the machine's credit value, such as pennies, nickels, or dollars
Paylines: Choose how many paylines you want to bet on

Credits per spin: Multiply the number of paylines by the credit value of the machine

Spin Cost: Multiply the number of credits per spin by the actual cost per credit

Example: If you bet the maximum of nine paylines on a nickel machine, the credits per spin would be 45. Since the machine charges five cents per credit, the total cost per spin (and your bet) is .25.

You determine your bet by choosing which paylines to bet on. But if a payline you didn't bet on ends up winning, you won't win on that turn.

How jackpot payouts work
A clock with question marks where the numbers should be

Jackpot payouts are determined by the random number generator and there is no way to know when there will be a winning combination
The moment of payment is not predetermined. This happens completely randomly, at any time, not at a certain interval
This means that a machine that has paid out a big jackpot can pay out another one on the next spin. Yes, it really does happen

Can a machine become "due" to win?

That would be great, but no, a machine doesn't actually win - it's always random
All that drives the machine is the random number generator, which freezes on a different, random combination of numbers corresponding to symbols on the screen on each spin. So the chances of winning are exactly the same every time you play

Don't fall into the trap of continuing to play a machine because you think it should win. This can blow your budget and take the fun out of the game.

Can slots get hot or cold?

The slot machine is divided into two, showing a hot side and a cold side

Have you ever heard of slot machines that have hot streaks or cold streaks? Did you choose a machine based on a streak of wins or losses in a row? What may sometimes appear to be a pattern is actually just random outcomes occurring one after the other - it's all pure chance.

Remember that streaks are a normal part of probability in the game. They are bound to happen over the millions of randomized spins over the life of the machine.