The title of this post is slightly misleading. After all, everyone knows how to play casino slot machines: you transfer money, choose a pokie, press the spin button and hope for the best. But over the years playing casino slot machines I have picked up a few important tips that really help you make the most of your bankroll. I cannot guarantee that the pointers I offer below will improve your chances of winning (if I could this blog would be a hit), but they may help you extend your gaming session and enjoyment of pokies.
Consider Your Bankroll and Time
Some pokies allow you to play for longer, because they provide many small wins on a regular basis. This is the difference between pokies with low variance and high variance. High variance slots offer larger wins, but in between these wins there are regular dry streaks. Pokies with a lower variance give you regular wins (for the most part), but these wins are often considerably low. The pokies you find at pubs mostly offer lower variance, because the point of these one-arm bandits is to keep customers happily playing for hours on end while they enjoy the pub’s hospitality.
This is not an absolute distinction and there are many mid variance pokies, but it is an important tip to bear in mind. If you really enjoy playing online pokies and you want to extend your gaming session, a low variance pokie is your best bet. If you want to play for a short amount of time and have a substantial bankroll, your chances of winning more are probably better on a high variance slot. Now you may be wondering, how do I find out if a slot machine offers low or high variance? Sadly this valuable information is not displayed on a pokie’s paytable and you are most likely to get a sense of a slot’s variance by playing it for an extended amount of time. Of course, it makes more sense to play free online slot machines for this purpose.
Consult Your Pokie’s Paytable
Many online pokie players have experienced the agonising moment when you think you have won a jackpot, but realise you don’t qualify for it because you didn’t bet the maximum amount. If this has happened to you I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded, but for those who have yet to experience the anguish, always remember to check your pokie’s paytable and make sure you know when you have to bet max to qualify for the jackpot.
Play Free Casino Slot Machines and Find Pokies You Really Enjoy
When I started playing online casino slot machines, free slots were not as readily available. I am very excited that they are now. It just doesn’t make sense spending a substantial amount of your bankroll trying to find pokies you truly enjoy. Rather play free online slot machines and once you have found ones that catch your fancy try them for real money at an online casino. When you are looking through all the free slots available online, remember to pick ones with themes that you find really entertaining and bonus features that you will enjoy. Understanding that you may lose money when you play online pokies and that you should therefore find genuine enjoyment in slot action, despite whether you win or lose, is as important as learning how to play casino slot machines.
