How to Win at Online Slots


Casino games and particularly online slots are more popular than ever before. In the last decade, the online gambling industry has grown rapidly and become a multi-million industry in both the UK and the rest of the world.

It’s no surprise since online casinos offer players the luxury of playing amazing online slots from the convenience of their own home. Furthermore, today’s online slots are tailored to smartphones and tablets, which makes them more accessible and user-friendly than ever before.

The recent technological developments have turned online casinos into a form of mainstream entertainment that attracts new groups of players, who don’t necessarily have that much experience when it comes to playing slots online.

Operators in the industry are producing online slots with stunning graphics and exciting game narratives that are truly baffling. Coupled with excellent user functionality, and the innovative game features that you find on the casino sites, online slots have become an enticing, and potentially lucrative pastime, that appeals to both casual players and experienced high rollers.

Online Slots vs Traditional Slot Machines

Even though online casinos are mainstream entertainment these days, the more inexperienced player might still wonder whether he or she’s got a real chance of winning at online slots. Some people might even find brick and mortar casinos more trustworthy, despite the fact all online casinos are heavily regulated and audited by the UK Gambling Commission and other independent bodies.

So, let’s talk about it – how do online slots stack up against the slot machines you find in a land-based casino? Are they as safe, and do you have the same chances of winning? The truth is that you’re more likely to win when you play online slots than when you play traditional slot machines in a land-based casino. This has to do with something called RTP – an important term which is short for Return to Player.

The RTP shows the theoretical percentage that a slot machine gives back to players in the form of winnings. Most online slots have an RTP of 94% to 97%, while slot machines in land- based casinos generally have an RTP of around 75%.

It’s important to point out that RTP percentages are based on a vast number of game rounds. In other words, RTP doesn’t express the percentage that an individual player gets in return on his or her gameplay, but rather the overall percentage of stakes that are returned to players in the form of winnings, across the entire network.

Strategies That Can Help You Win at Online Slots

When you’ve realised that you get a better return on slots online, you might be wondering if there are betting strategies that can help you win at online slots.

First off, it’s important to keep in mind that online casino games are based on luck and that the online slots are controlled by RNG engines that make sure all game rounds are fair and random. However, there are still some strategies that players can make use of to increase their chances of winning at slots online.

Betting strategies are nothing new in the casino world, and they are especially crucial in table games like Roulette, Blackjack and Baccarat. When it comes to table games, there are several strategies which have been around for ages, long before there were any online casinos.

There are, perhaps, fewer strategies when it comes to online slots, but you can still get an advantage by knowing how these games work, and how to adjust your gameplay according to your objective.

How to Win at Slots Online

To win at online slots, you need to have a clear strategy. The strategy you choose will determine how you manage your bankroll and what slots you decide to play. There are two ways to go about winning at online slots – you either build your bankroll over some time or try to hunt down one massive win.

Naturally, most players are looking for that massive win, but that might not always be the best strategy. Of course, there’s always a chance of bagging that dream win, but if you’re looking for a solid betting strategy, you’re better off choosing what sort of slots you’re going to play at the start of your gaming session.

Volatility and Bank Roll Determine Your Strategy

The reason you should choose what games you play carefully is that there’s something called volatility, or variance, in online slots. Volatility is often expressed as a number on a scale of 1 to 5. The number shows you how often an online slot pays out winnings, and how big winnings you can expect from a particular slot.

A high number means that there are large wins up for grabs and that the slot doesn’t pay out winnings very frequently. If a slot has low volatility, you’ll win more frequently. However, for the most part, you’ll win smaller sums that won’t make that much of a difference in your account immediately.

So how is volatility significant when it comes to betting strategies? Well, if you’re going for highly volatile slots, you’ll need a bigger bankroll. You’ll most likely need to play many game rounds before you finally hit that big win, but when you do, you’ll be rewarded handsomely.

If you’re playing with a smaller bankroll, it might be wise to go for slots with low volatility. That way, you can get several smaller wins that’ll keep your bankroll floating. With some persistence, you can see your bankroll grow steadily throughout your gaming session.

Low volatile slots might also come in handy when you’re wagering a casino bonus. Since these slots are more likely to keep your balance floating than volatile slots, you have a better chance of converting your casino bonus into real money that you can withdraw.

Go Big or Go Home – How to Win Big at Online Slots

If you consider yourself a high roller, and you’ve got that all-or-nothing-attitude, then a highly volatile slot is the way to go. You’ll have to be prepared to spend a bit of money to reach that big win, but when you do, it’ll most likely be worth it.

All great game providers offer at least a couple of volatile games in their portfolio, and there are several great volatile slots out there. Some player favourites are Book of Dead from Play ‘n Go and Immortal Romance from Microgaming. Apart from these two player favourites, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most popular volatile slots:

  • Bonanza
  • Fat Rabbit
  • Gonzo’s Quest

Work Your Way to The Big Win Gradually

If you haven’t quite got the bankroll to hunt down the astronomical wins that you find in volatile slots, you’re probably better off building your bankroll gradually.

If might be wiser for you to start by playing low variance slots, and then switch over to more volatile games once you’ve got a bankroll big enough to sustain you to the bonus round where the huge wins are waiting.

This means you won’t have a chance at those massive wins from the get-go, but that doesn’t necessarily take anything away from the thrill or the gaming experience. And don’t be fooled – even if low volatile slots aren’t as lucrative as the highly volatile ones, they can still pay out handsomely.

Some of the most popular low volatiles slots are Mermaids Millions from Microgaming and the signature game Starburst from NetEnt. Game developers tend to have more low or medium variance slots than highly volatile ones, so if you’re looking for slots with low volatility, you’re spoiled for choice. Here are some of the most popular online slots in this category:

• Starburst

• Dazzle Me

• Go Bananas

• Gemix

• Cosmic Fortune

You’ll find all the games we’ve listed above at most online casinos. But why not pick one that gives you get a great bonus offer as well? Remember that you have a greater chance at wagering your bonus when you play low volatile slots since the frequent payouts are likely to keep your bankroll afloat.

This way you’ll be able to play more game rounds and eventually
convert your casino bonus to cash. Here are a few top-notch casinos with excellent game selection and generous welcome offers:
Casino top list (example screenshot)

Manage Your Bankroll Properly

No matter what sort of slots you’re playing, you should always try to manage your bankroll properly. As we mentioned previously, all slots are run by RNG engines (Random Number Generators) that dictate the outcome of the games and make sure the results are fair and random.

However, in every game, there’s a specific mathematical probability of you hitting the lucrative free spins round or bonus game. For instance, if you statistically trigger the bonus game 1 out of 800 times in a specific slot, it’s not very wise to play with sky-high stakes and finish your entire bankroll in a few game rounds. After all, the more game rounds you play, the more likely you are to trigger the bonus round.

Play Progressive Jackpot Slots and Get Life Changing Wins

If we’re going to talk about winning at online slots, it wouldn’t be fair not to mention the progressive jackpot slots.

Playing jackpot slots might not be an actual strategy, but there’s no denying that those life- changing wins we’ve all read about have all come from progressive jackpot slots. Did you know the largest win ever recorded in an online slot was won in Microgaming’s signature jackpot game Mega Moolah?

The progressive jackpot slots differ from other online slots in that a small sum of every game round goes towards a jackpot that’s shared across the entire network. This means that the jackpots grow rapidly, and since players from every online casino that hosts the game chip in every time they play, these progressive jackpots get seriously big.

On average, progressive jackpots tend to fall every three months. So, if you’ve spotted a jackpot that’s been lingering for a while, it might be worth to give it a go. The most famous progressive jackpot slots out there are undoubtedly Microgaming’s Mega Moolah series and the two Mega Fortune slots from NetEnt. Have a look at how these two fantastic jackpot games changed two players lives here below:

Mega Moolah slot – 1.5 millions jackpot win!

A paf player wins €3.24m on Megafortune – October 2013

Use a Bonus to Win at Online Slots

Regardless of what strategy you choose, a generous casino bonus always comes in handy. Even if you win big with bonus money, you’ll still have a big enough balance to complete your wagering requirement and withdraw substantial winnings.

Just make sure you read the user terms carefully to see if there are any limits on how much you’re allowed to win with bonus money. Bonuses are especially great if you haven’t got that much money to spend. Many casinos offer deposit bonuses of 100% or more, which means you’ll get twice as much money to play with. Here are some of the best casino bonuses right now:

spinland-bonus

A Few Reminders When You’re Trying to Win at Online Slots

Hopefully, you’ve gotten some insight into how you can win at online slots. Keep in mind that online slots are based on luck and that no betting strategy can guarantee that you’ll be successful in winning at slots online. However, you can still benefit significantly from having a clear strategy at the beginning of your gaming session. Here’s a summary of things you should keep in mind if you want to win at online slots.

• Play low volatile slots if you have a small bankroll.
• Choose a casino that offers a great bonus, and try to wager the bonus throughout your gaming session, so that you increase your bankroll.
• Switch to slots with higher volatility once you’ve got a bankroll that’s big enough to sustain you until you hit a big win.
• Choose highly volatile slots if you’ve got a big budget.

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