How Do You Play Penny Slot Machines

Advice varies regarding whether you should play nickel, quarter, or dollar slot machines and whether you should max out the number of coins you bet or not (you usually get to choose between one and five coins to bet on a standard slot machine). In this section, you’ll find a few tips for getting the most bang for your buck (or nickel) when.

Penny slots are simply defined as slot machines that can be played at 1 cent per line although have evolved to often require a minimum number of lines that must be played per spin. Instead of costing the minimum you’d expect, as we would have seen in the past, players will be wagering 25c, 40c or 50c per spin.

How do penny slots work?

Penny slots work almost exactly as you’d imagine – you pop a penny into the slot, pull the lever (or press the button) and the reels will spin. Make the correct combination of symbols and you’ll win a prize – simple right?

But go into any casino or play any online slot and it won’t take long to realize that it’s far from the truth. In the majority of casinos, you’ll find that you can’t get away with 1c in the penny slot section, shocking, I know.

Instead, you’ll find yourself having to wager 50 or 100 credits on the pennies so you’re still betting a dollar a spin. Sneaky.

The payline problem

The confusion with penny slots comes with the paylines and how they have evolved from the very first slots.

Where once there would be a single payline in which three matching symbols across the reels would allow for a prize, we now see several different paylines available in the slot.

From zigzags to trapeziums, there’s plenty of different paylines that you’ll be able to win with, all of which can be found in the paytable alongside how much you’ll win by bagging them.

So instead of a single simple play, you’ll be offered to wager on all available paylines, often with multiple credits on each line. A typical slot machine nowadays will include between 25 and 30 paylines per slot and if you’re wanting to win the biggest jackpots, you’re going to have to wager on the lot of them.

Casino slot machines in los angeles. The casino has a La crystal Hotel. It is said to be the best place to stay if you’re looking for affordable hotels.

The paylines dictate the different prizes, bonuses, free spins and multipliers and must span the length of the reels so it’s vital to the game that they’re up to scratch, so it’s one of the first areas that designers consider when building a new game.

Depending on where you’re playing and what the machine allows, you might be able to choose the number of paylines that you’re wagering per spin (free slots) or be confined to the predefined setting on the machine (fixed). Regardless, it’s important to go ahead and check what you’re actually betting…

What you’re actually betting

So we now know that you’re not actually going to be betting 1c at a time, but really, why would you?

For a casino, taking 1c bets is a terrible business model and for a player, that’s not exactly going to be super stimulating. It might be a blessing in disguise that the limits for the penny slots are a little higher – although a name change wouldn’t go amiss.

Typically, you’ll be betting on every line for at least a single credit, instead of a single payline for a dollar like you may expect. For example, if you’re betting 5 credits a line on 20 lines in a 5 reel slot you’ll be wagering 100 credits (or $1.00) per spin.

You’re not betting a penny, but it’s much more interesting.

Not all slots require to you bet the maximum. Brick and mortar casinos might be difficult when it comes to finding cheaper slots, but head online and you’ll see plenty of minimum spins sitting at 25 (for 5 cents) so you can pop a penny on each payline without worry.

Shop around and you’ll have no problem finding slots with low minimum wagers.

Differences between penny slots and free slots

Bally slot machine weight. When it comes to defining free slot machines, you’ll get mixed messages depending on who you ask, simply because it can mean one of two things.

Free to play slots

The first definition is the one that most of us think of when something’s free – as in they’re free to play slot machines. That means that there’s no real money on the line and, more than likely, no real money to win.

Granted there’s the odd exception to the rule with free slot spins available when playing penny stocks as well as being available in several new player bonuses – but you’ll rarely get something for nothing.

You can play free slots all over the web and with a variety of applications for mobile and tablet.

Free vs. fixed slots

Not the free slot you were thinking? The other form can be identified with its ability to choose the number of paylines that you’d like to run with during a game – the number of paylines chosen is ‘free’.

The opposite of this is where the number of paylines is fixed, meaning that you can’t change the number and must play the listed paylines.

When playing in most brick-and-mortar casinos, you’ll find the majority of penny slots take the fixed approach, letting you wager $1, $2 or $3 etc. at a time, depending on the machine.

However, when playing online you’re often free to set the exact number of paylines that you’d like for the spins that follow.

Unfortunately, you do have to pay for these though, although you’ll be getting much more control over your wagering.

Penny slots mistakes

Penny slots may seem pretty simple to understand and play, it’s one of the biggest reasons that they’re so popular, but that doesn’t mean that the machines don’t see their fair share of mistakes each and every day.

By making sure that you’re on top of the information, familiar with the terms and conditions and informed on strategy, you can make sure you’re not making any rookie mistakes when playing penny slots.

Ignoring bankroll management

By far the biggest mistake that we see with players on the penny slots is the total neglect of bankroll management during play.

They’re called ‘penny’ slots for a reason and it’s not because of their low-cost, low-risk nature, but as a marketing technique to make players think that they’re barely wagering.

If you’re going to fall for it and keep on putting pennies into the machine, that’s mistake number 1.

Instead of ignoring how much you’re putting into the machines you should manage your bankroll to know when enough is enough.

By taking out and setting aside a certain amount of money purely for gambling you can be sure that you’re not delving into your funds that are needed for more important things.

You can use your gambling money on rent, but don’t use your rent money for gambling.

Failing to find the slots’ return to player (RTP)

The slots return to player (RTP) is the figure telling you, the player, how much of a percentage you should expect back in the long run for each wager.

Of course, the figure you’ll find is an average so you won’t be bang on the money each time, but it’s a good ballpark figure to know before taking a seat at the slots.

You should look for those with the highest RTP (100% is the maximum, but you’ll never find one with the value) for the best returns whilst you’re playing.

If you’re going to gamble, you might as well do it with the best odds, right?

Only playing the big-time progressive jackpots

With the big-time progressive jackpots showing the biggest rewards, it’s no surprise that it’s always tempting to get involved with the progressive jackpots.

Only play these though and that’s another big mistake of the penny slots if you’re in it for the long run that is anyway. The jackpot that you’re eyeing up to win comes from the players, just like you, that are chasing big money.

The more that play, the more money that goes in, the more players lose for just one lucky player to win big.

If you’re playing for the smaller jackpots you’ll be in a much better standing at the end of the day, providing that nobody wins the big one at the end.

Not betting the maximum

If you’re not checking out the terms and conditions before playing, you might stand to be leaving money on the table if you’re lucky enough to bag a jackpot.

Some casinos, both brick-and-mortar and online, have requirements making grand prizes unavailable unless you’re betting the maximum on the spin you win with, so it’s important to always bet the maximum when chasing the big prizes.

There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve bagged a big pot of cash only to have your success pulled away from the limit you’ve set yourself.

It may sound backward, but the odds of winning stay the same, it’s just the numbers that sit a little bigger.

Failing to know when enough is enough

Perhaps the biggest problem that comes with playing penny stocks is their addictive nature that prevents players from being able to stop and recognize when enough is enough.

It’s hardly a surprise that so many struggle to put the pennies down, especially once you consider the amount of time and effort that goes into developing the slot machine to have that exact effect.

Everything from the way it feels, the way it looks and the way it sounds is not an accident, it’s all precisely engineered to keep the mind focused on spinning the reels.

It’s more vital than ever with the popularity in online slots to know when enough is enough and when to head home or turn off your smartphone for the night. There’s no reason not to stop before your bankroll does – just make sure that you’re keeping it in mind when playing.

Can you win a lot of money on penny slots

One of the questions we hear all the time when it comes to penny slots is whether or not you can win a lot of money with them and the simple answer? Yes.

Plenty of people have won big when playing penny slots with countless stories from friends, family and around the web (including numerous on Reddit) all telling tales of big wins from minimal bets in the casino.

Some penny slots are linked to the huge progressive jackpots that often get the better of our temptations (and our bankroll) that boast truly lucrative prizes for those willing to play and to win.

With grand prizes in tens or hundreds of thousands, it’s easy to understand why people love to play to the penny slots.

But don’t let this give you tunnel vision, as previously mentioned these jackpots are usually restricted to those wagering the maximum amount on each spin so it’s important to check out the rules before pulling the lever. You don’t want to miss out on a life-changing prize because you jumped the gun.

Does Vegas have penny slots?

If you’re looking to play penny slots in a brick-and-mortar casino you won’t find anywhere better than the fabulous Las Vegas strip to hedge your bets.

Every single casino throughout vegas has penny slots, in fact, you’ll probably have a harder time avoiding them than you would be finding a place to play.

In a typical casino, the idea is to build a gaming floor that draws as much revenue from players as possible with the use of games, entertainment, and hospitality and there’s nothing quite like the penny slot for maximizing revenue.

How to Win Blue Dolphin Slot The biggest winnings are possible during free spins, as well as for the combinations with a wild symbol. If a combination of low payout symbols appears during a spin, it makes sense to play the risk game. Also, if the winning combinations have. Dolphin blue slot game free.

The average spin of the reels on the penny slots takes as little as 6 seconds, meaning that each player is running through 10 spins per minute. If we say that each wager is a respectable 50c, you’re looking at $300 per hour that players are sinking into the machine.

Granted that there are wins to be taken into account throughout the game, perhaps at 95% payout, but when you consider that there are 1000+ slots available to run 24 hours per day in most casinos, it soon adds up. There’s no wonder that there are so many slots throughout Vegas…

In the not-too-distant past, slot-machine players were the second-class citizens of casino customers. Jackpots were small, payout percentages were horrendous, and slot players just weren't eligible for the kind of complimentary bonuses -- free rooms, shows, meals -- commonly given to table players. But in the last few decades the face of the casino industry has changed. Nowadays more than 70 percent of casino revenues comes from slot machines, and in many jurisdictions, that figure tops 80 percent.

About 80 percent of first-time visitors to casinos head for the slots. It's easy -- just drop coins into the slot and push the button or pull the handle. Newcomers can find the personal interaction with dealers or other players at the tables intimidating -- slot players avoid that. And besides, the biggest, most lifestyle-changing jackpots in the casino are offered on the slots.

The following article will tell you everything you need to know about slots, from the basics to various strategies. We'll start at square one, with a primer on how playing slot machines works.

How to Play

The most popular slots are penny and nickel video games along with quarter and dollar reel-spinning games, though there are video games in 2-cent, 10-cent, quarter, and dollar denominations and reel spinners up to $100. Most reel spinners take up to two or three coins at a time while video slots can take 45, 90, and even 500 credits at a time.

Nearly all slot machines are fitted with currency acceptors -- slide a bill into the slot, and the equivalent amount of credits is displayed on a meter. On reel-spinning slots, push a button marked 'play one credit' until you've reached the number of coins you wish to play. Then hit the 'spin reels' button, or pull the handle on those few slots that still have handles, or hit a button marked 'play max credits,' which will play the maximum coins allowed on that machine.

On video slots, push one button for the number of paylines you want to activate, and a second button for the number of credits wagered per line. One common configuration has nine paylines on which you can bet 1 to 5 credits. Video slots are also available with 5, 15, 20, 25, even 50 paylines, accepting up to 25 coins per line.

Many reel-spinning machines have a single payout line painted across the center of the glass in front of the reels. Others have three payout lines, even five payout lines, each corresponding to a coin played. The symbols that stop on a payout line determine whether a player wins. A common set of symbols might be cherries, bars, double bars (two bars stacked atop one another), triple bars, and sevens.

A single cherry on the payout line, for example, might pay back two coins; the player might get 10 coins for three of any bars (a mixture of bars, double bars, and triple bars), 30 for three single bars, 60 for three double bars, 120 for three triple bars, and the jackpot for three sevens. However, many of the stops on each reel will be blanks, and a combination that includes blanks pays nothing. Likewise, a seven is not any bar, so a combination such as bar-seven-double bar pays nothing.

Video slots typically have representations of five reels spinning on a video screen. Paylines not only run straight across the reels but also run in V's, upside down V's, and zigs and zags across the screen. Nearly all have at least five paylines, and most have more -- up to 50 lines by the mid-2000s.

In addition, video slots usually feature bonus rounds and 'scatter pays.' Designated symbols trigger a scatter pay if two, three, or more of them appear on the screen, even if they're not on the same payline.

Similarly, special symbols will trigger a bonus event. The bonus may take the form of a number of free spins, or the player may be presented with a 'second screen' bonus. An example of a second screen bonus comes in the long-popular WMS Gaming Slot 'Jackpot Party.' If three Party noisemakers appear on the video reels, the reels are replaced on the screen with a grid of packages in gift wrapping. The player touches the screen to open a package and collects a bonus payout. He or she may keep touching packages for more bonuses until one package finally reveals a 'pooper,' which ends the round. The popularity of such bonus rounds is why video slots have become the fastest growing casino game of the last decade.

When you hit a winning combination, winnings will be added to the credit meter. If you wish to collect the coins showing on the meter, hit the button marked 'Cash Out,' and on most machines, a bar-coded ticket will be printed out that can be redeemed for cash. In a few older machines, coins still drop into a tray.

Etiquette

Many slot players pump money into two or more adjacent machines at a time, but if the casino is crowded and others are having difficulty finding places to play, limit yourself to one machine. As a practical matter, even in a light crowd, it's wise not to play more machines than you can watch over easily. Play too many and you could find yourself in the situation faced by the woman who was working up and down a row of six slots. She was dropping coins into machine number six while number one, on the aisle, was paying a jackpot. There was nothing she could do as a passerby scooped a handful of coins out of the first tray.

Sometimes players taking a break for the rest room will tip a chair against the machine, leave a coat on the chair, or leave some other sign that they'll be back. Take heed of these signs. A nasty confrontation could follow if you play a machine that has already been thus staked out.

Payouts

Payout percentages have risen since the casinos figured out it's more profitable to hold 5 percent of a dollar than 8 percent of a quarter or 10 percent of a nickel. In most of the country, slot players can figure on about a 93 percent payout percentage, though payouts in Nevada run higher. Las Vegas casinos usually offer the highest average payouts of all -- better than 95 percent. Keep in mind that these are long-term averages that will hold up over a sample of 100,000 to 300,000 pulls.

In the short term, anything can happen. It's not unusual to go 20 or 50 or more pulls without a single payout on a reel-spinning slot, though payouts are more frequent on video slots. Nor is it unusual for a machine to pay back 150 percent or more for several dozen pulls. But in the long run, the programmed percentages will hold up.

The change in slots has come in the computer age, with the development of the microprocessor. Earlier slot machines were mechanical, and if you knew the number of stops -- symbols or blank spaces that could stop on the payout line--on each reel, you could calculate the odds on hitting the top jackpot. If a machine had three reels, each with ten stops, and one symbol on each reel was for the jackpot, then three jackpot symbols would line up, on the average, once every 10310310 pulls, or 1,000 pulls.

On those machines, the big payoffs were $50 or $100--nothing like the big numbers slot players expect today. On systems that electronically link machines in several casinos, progressive jackpots reach millions of dollars.

The microprocessors driving today's machines are programmed with random-number generators that govern winning combinations. It no longer matters how many stops are on each reel. If we fitted that old three-reel, ten-stop machine with a microprocessor, we could put ten jackpot symbols on the first reel, ten on the second, and nine on the third, and still program the random-number generator so that three jackpot symbols lined up only once every 1,000 times, or 10,000 times. And on video slots, reel strips can be programmed to be as long as needed to make the odds of the game hit at a desired percentage. They are not constrained by a physical reel.

Each possible combination is assigned a number, or numbers. When the random-number generator receives a signal -- anything from a coin being dropped in to the handle being pulled -- it sets a number, and the reels stop on the corresponding combination.

Between signals, the random-number generator operates continuously, running through dozens of numbers per second. This has two practical effects for slot players. First, if you leave a machine, then see someone else hit a jackpot shortly thereafter, don't fret. To hit the same jackpot, you would have needed the same split-second timing as the winner. The odds are overwhelming that if you had stayed at the machine, you would not have hit the same combination.

Second, because the combinations are random, or as close to random as is possible to set the program, the odds of hitting any particular combination are the same on every pull. If a machine is programmed to pay out its top jackpot, on the average, once every 10,000 pulls, your chances of hitting it are one in 10,000 on any given pull. If you've been standing there for days and have played 10,000 times, the odds on the next pull will still be one in 10,000. Those odds are long-term averages. In the short term, the machine could go 100,000 pulls without letting loose of the big one, or it could pay it out twice in a row.

How Do You Play Penny Slot Machines

So, is there a way to ensure that you hit it big on a slot machine? Not really, but despite the overriding elements of chance, there are some strategies you can employ. We'll cover these in the next section.

Slots are the easiest games in the casino to play -- spin the reels and take your chances. Players have no control over what combinations will show up or when a jackpot will hit. There is no way to tell when a machine will be hot or cold. Still, there are some pitfalls. It's important to read the glass and learn what type of machine it is. The three major types of reel-spinning slots are the multiplier, the buy-a-pay, and the progressive.

The multiplier. On a multiplier, payoffs are proportionate for each coin played--except, usually, for the top jackpot. If the machine accepts up to three coins at a time, and if you play one coin, three bars pay back ten. Three bars will pay back 20 for two coins and 30 for three coins. However, three sevens might pay 500 for one coin and 1,000 for two, but jump to 10,000 when all three coins are played. Read the glass to find out if that's the case before playing less than the maximum coins on this type of machine.

How To Win At Penny Slots

The buy-a-pay. Never play less than the maximum on a buy-a-pay, on which each coin 'buys' a set of symbols or a payout line. The first coin in might allow the player to win only on cherry combination, while the second coin activates the bar payouts, and the third coin activates the sevens. Woe is the player who hits three jackpot symbols on a buy-a-pay with only one coin played--the player gets nothing back. A variation is the machine with multiple payout lines, each activated by a separate coin. All symbols are active with each coin, but if a winning combination lines up on the third-coin payout line with only one or two coins played, the payoff is zero.

The progressive. You also have no reason to play less than maximum coins on a progressive machine. A player who eventually lines up the jackpot symbols gets a percentage of each coin played. The first progressive machines were self-contained--the jackpot was determined by how much that particular machine had been played since the last big hit. Today most progressives are linked electronically to other machines, with all coins played in the linked machines adding to a common jackpot.

These jackpots can be enormous -- the record is $39,710,826.26, a $1 progressive at a Las Vegas casino. The tradeoff is that frequency and size of other payouts are usually smaller. And you can't win the big jackpot without playing maximum coins.

If you must play fewer than maximum coins, look for a multiplier in which the final-coin jump in the top jackpot is fairly small. Better yet, choose a machine that allows you to stay within your budget while playing maximum coins. If your budget won't allow you to play maximum coins on a $1 machine, move to a quarter machine. If you're not comfortable playing three quarters at a time, move to a two-quarter machine. If you can't play two quarters at a time, play a nickel machine.

With so many paylines and the possibility of betting multiple coins per line, video slots are different. Some penny slots with 20 paylines take up to 25 coins per line. That's a $5 maximum bet -- a pretty penny indeed! Most players bet less than the max on video slots but are sure to cover all the paylines, even if betting only one coin per line. You want to be sure to be eligible for the bonus rounds that give video slots most of their fun. Some progressive jackpots require max coins bets, and some don't. If a max-coins bet is required to be eligible for the jackpot and you're not prepared to roll that high, find a different machine.

Money Management

Managing your money wisely is the most important part of playing any casino game, and also the most difficult part of playing the slots. Even on quarter machines, the amount of money involved runs up quickly. A dedicated slot player on a machine that plays off credits can easily get in 600 pulls an hour. At two quarters at a time, that means wagering $300 per hour -- the same amount a $5 blackjack player risks at an average table speed of 60 hands per hour.

Most of that money is recycled from smaller payouts--at a casino returning 93 percent on quarter slots, the expected average loss for $300 in play is $21. Still, you will come out ahead more often if you pocket some of those smaller payouts and don't continually put everything you get back into the machine.

One method for managing money is to divide your slot bankroll for the day into smaller-session bankrolls. If, for example, you've taken $100 on a two-and-a-half-hour riverboat cruise, allot $20 for each half-hour. Select a quarter machine -- dollar machines could devastate a $100 bankroll in minutes -- and play the $20 through once. If you've received more than $20 in payouts, pocket the excess and play with the original $20. At the end of one half-hour, pocket whatever is left and start a new session with the next $20.

If at any point the original $20 for that session is depleted, that session is over. Finish that half-hour with a walk, or a snack, or a drink until it is time for a new session. Do not dip back into money you've already pocketed.

That may seem rigid, but players who do not use a money management technique all too frequently keep pumping money into the machine until they've lost their entire bankroll. The percentages guarantee that the casino will be the winner in the long run, but lock up a portion of the money as you go along, and you'll walk out of the casino with cash on hand more frequently.

That is changing in new server-based slots that have started to appear in casinos. Operators will be able to change payback percentages at the click of a mouse, but they still must have regulatory approval to do so.

There is a lot more to slot machines than meets the eye. But if you learn the ins and outs of playing them, you can use some strategies that just might help you hit the jackpot.

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