Slots for the newbie 6s5s4j

31 May 2025

By Jerry Stickman

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Hi Stickman,

I am new to casino gambling. I do not have a lot of knowledge on how to play casino games that require some skill such as video poker and most table games. I only feel comfortable playing slot machines.

Any advice for me?

Katie

Hi Katie,

You are in very good company, Katie. Slot machines are by far the most popular games in the casino. They probably maintain that position for the very reasons that you play them – they are easy to play and there is no interaction with other players.

If you are like the average gambler, you head for the casino with a certain amount that you can afford to lose and you hope this amount is enough to make you rich. At minimum you would like your bankroll to provide you with a few hours of play each time you are at the casino.

Money management and slot machine selection are the keys to enjoyable slot playing sessions. Of the two, money management is by far the most important.

For an enjoyable slot playing experience, play only with money you can afford to lose. All slot machines have a house edge built in, so don’t dump money you need for everyday expenses into the game hoping for a huge jackpot.

This requires discipline.

Bring an amount you can afford to lose with you from home. Have a separate gambling specifically for this purpose. Do not use the cash machine at the casino as your bankroll. It is far too easy to lose track of your losses. By bringing all the funds with you – and playing with only these funds – you can keep losses to that amount only.

While playing the slot machine, it is important to pace yourself. Though you are not putting a lot of money into the slot machine on each spin, it is easy to accumulate a lot of spins – and therefore a lot of money invested – in a short period of time. Assume you are playing a 25¢ machine with three coins played per spin. By playing at a fairly leisurely pace of one spin every 10 seconds, you will run $4.50 through the machine every minute. This translates to $270 per hour. That is a lot of money for a 25¢ machine. Pacing your play will help your money last longer through the inevitable losing streaks.

Do not overplay your bankroll. If you have $200 and would like to play for a couple of hours, play a quarter or smaller denomination machine. As shown in the calculations above, you can easily run over $250 through a 25¢ three-coin machine in an hour. Playing a 3-coin dollar machine moves the figure to over $1,000 per hour. The chances of having a losing streak that will quickly wipe out your session bankroll are dramatically increased on the dollar machine. The jackpot amounts are higher, but the chances of a quick wipe-out are also much greater. Play within your bankroll.

Keep your emotions in check. If you feel you are losing control, take a break. Return to the slots once control is regained.

Losing streaks will happen. Do not chase losses.

Finally, make sure you select the proper type of slot for your style of play and bankroll. If you really want to have fun by playing a couple of hours per session, avoid the “Mega” jackpot machines. The gigantic jackpots are paid for somehow. That somehow is a much lower payback on the non-jackpot spins. Your money will simply not last as long on these machines.

Does that mean you should not play the Mega jackpot machines? Definitely not, just keep in mind that your session stake will be eaten up much quicker on these machines. Also, to play maximum coin-in if you are going to play these machines. Nothing would be sadder than to hit the jackpot-winning combination of symbols and not have the required coins played to win it.

If additional credits per spin simply multiply the amount won by the number of credits bet, play just one credit per spin. You will still win at the same rate per credit bet, and you will be able to play three times as long on a three-credit game.

If you are going to play a machine that adds winning combinations with more coins played, always play maximum coins.

Have fun playing slots by:

- Only playing with money you can afford to lose.
- Picking the proper denomination for your bankroll.
- Play the proper number of credits per spin based on the pay table.
- Picking the proper type of slot.
- Remaining in control.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines and 888casino.com. He authored the video poker section of Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker! You can Jerry “Stickman” at [email protected]