Money Management for Slots Players

If you’re a slot machine player, you want maximum value for your slot dollar. Keep in mind that like all casino games, slot machines are designed so that you will lose money over time. Ideally, you will find a slot machine that offers at least a 90 percent payout, which means that the machine pays out 90 cents for every dollar it takes in. These types of machines provide the best chance for you to hit a big win for your investment. On the Net, the payout is usually higher than in brick-and-mortar casinos. Settling for an online slot machine with only 90 percent payout is a bad beat.

Slot Money Management Basics

You want to have enough money to give yourself a chance to hit that big win, so you need to manage your bankroll wisely. The way to do this is to determine the size of your bankroll and choose the type of machine you will play based on the amount of time you wish to play relative to that bankroll.

Calculating Your Slot Investment

If you get in eight spins a minute on a 90 percent payout machine, your average investment per hour will be $12 an hour on a nickel machine, $60 an hour on a quarter machine, and $240 on a dollar machine. Therefore, if you want to play for five hours on a quarter machines you’ll need $300 for that session. This assumes you play all five coins of a multi-coin machine, so you are really investing 25 cents, a $1.25 and $5 per spin, respectively. You can play fewer than the maximum five coins, but many machines have a large progressive jackpot that you are only eligible for if you play the maximum amount of coins. Even if you do not, money is effectively coming out of your investment and added to the progressive jackpot, so if you don’t play the maximum amount of coins you are actually paying for others to hit a big jackpot! If you still decide to play fewer coins, simply adjust the numbers according to how many coins you play. If you only play two coins, it will require a 60 percent smaller investment per hour than playing the max of five.
Just as a holdem poker player must play within his bankroll, and possibly clear bonuses and play with rakeback, a slots player must look for bonuses and only play with stakes the bankroll can handle.  

Adjusting for Online Play

The reality is that if you are playing slots online, you will probably get in more than eight spins a minute. One of the advantages to both the casino and the player of online slot machines is faster play. Simply figure out through timing your play how many spins you actually get in per hour and adjust accordingly. If you get in 16 spins per minute, just double the figures you have arrived at based on eight spins.