How Do You Win Big On Penny Slot Machines

  1. Big Casino Slot Machine Wins
  2. Best Slot Machines To Win On
  3. How Do You Win Big On Penny Slot Machines Jackpots
  4. Best Slots To Win Big

If you ever think about not max betting, just get up and walk out of the casino. If you’re playing penny slots, the only way you can get a max return on your investment is to wager max bets. You aren’t sure when you’ll spin a winner, but when you eventually do, you’d absolutely hate it if your winnings totaled to a grand 50 cents.

Ask any retiree who visits Las Vegas regularly about their favorite casino game, and you’ll invariably hear about the fabled penny slots.

These slot machines take their name from their low coin denomination, ditching the nickels and quarters typically wagered on each spin for a single penny. Or so the story goes anyhow…

In reality, the advent of payline-based slot gameplay ensures you’ll almost always be playing for more than a penny per spin. That’s because you need to pay one penny for each payline in play, so a standard 30-payline machine would charge $0.30 each time you let the reels fly. Despite this deceptive misnomer, however, the penny slots reign supreme in Sin City.

According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB), casinos in the Silver State won $6.3 billion from slot players during 2017. Of that amount, $3.17 percent – or a hair more than half – was claimed by the penny slots, while multi-denominational machines took in $3.13 billion.

And that discrepancy occurred even though Nevada is home to far less penny slots (54,754 machines) than multi-denominational games (70,658 machines).

Indeed, just like your grandparents have reported, the penny slots are by far the most popular game on any casino floor. A major casino might spread a dozen blackjack tables in the pit, but the penny slot parlor will be chocked full with hundreds of machines from dozens of manufacturers. And when you run the numbers, it’s easy to see why.


Slot machine players can expect to put in between 300 and 800 spins per hour, depending on their dexterity and willingness to spin at a faster pace. At that rate, the penny slot player will deposit between $3 and $8 into their favorite machine, and using the average payback percentage of 90 percent, they’d being back between $2.64 and $7.04 per hour.

That equates to an average expected loss of between $0.36 and $0.96 per hour, amounts which won’t threaten to bust your bankroll anytime soon. But when you up the stakes to $1 per spin, those 300 to 800 spins per hour can cost between $24 and $64 every 60 minutes.

With these figures fresh in your mind, it’s easy to see why so many players are flocking to the penny slots – especially folks working with a limited bankroll. When you only have a small stake to gamble with, the ability to play – and hopefully win – for a few pennies at a time is invaluable.

Nobody likes to lose, but there’s something about blowing through a few hundred bucks in a matter of minutes that stings just a little bit more. By sticking to the penny slots, casual players can limit their losses, all while chasing that elusive jackpot dream.

The problem with penny slots is simple to see though. In exchange for that lower price point, the penny machines are programmed to pay out at a slightly lesser rate when compared to their bigger brothers. Those are long-term expected returns, of course, so you’ll always have a small chance to win big whenever you press “SPIN” – but judged over the long run, penny slots offer an inferior payback percentage.

The casinos bank on casual players ignoring this fact while focusing on the inexpensive cost of entry. And sure enough, as the NGCB data mentioned earlier makes clear, most players don’t bother thinking about the nuances of penny slot play.

If you’re a slot player nursing a smaller-sized bankroll who is searching for ways to improve their penny ante action, look no further. The guide below will cover four essential tips and tricks for successfully navigating the world of penny slots.

You’ll learn why the old maxim about always betting the max doesn’t apply, the value to be gained by leaving tourist hotspots behind, the modern systems casinos use to deploy their machines, the importance of payback and hold percentages, and how to avoid the most common myths and misconceptions about slot gameplay. When its all said and done, this page should leave you better prepared to maximize your limited bankroll while minimizing your liabilities and losses.

The first strategy tip most slot players learn offers the following advice – always bet the maximum number of paylines and coins.

On a typical quarter slot, the machine offers anywhere between 1 and 5 coins per spin. That equates to $0.25 for minimum bettors, and $1.25 for folks playing the maximum.

And on a quarter machine which includes bonus rounds, free spin rewards, and a progressive jackpot, that strategy makes perfect sense. After all, most games are designed to provide those perks only if the player has bet the max, so playing for anything less removes much of the game’s inherent value.

As the old saying goes, “why play for a progressive jackpot you can’t even win?” But for penny slot enthusiasts, that bit of wisdom can be tossed out the window.

For one thing, these games usually ditch the massive progressive jackpots for fixed awards – and these can be won at any wagering level.

Secondly, even the more modern penny slots usually eschew in-game bonuses and side games for standard spinning. That is to say, you’ll be competing for the game’s primary pay table prizes, rather than a chance to spin the wheel, play memory games, or earn free spins.

Jean Scott – a veteran casino player and author of the popular “Frugal Gambler” series of strategy books – captured this sentiment perfectly in a blog post for the Las Vegas Advisor:

“Now I well know the problem with slots. The negative EV (the house edge) will eventually put players in the loser category and sometimes very quickly. The fun factor can disappear very quickly if you are losing more money than you can afford.

Players with small bankrolls know that they need to play minimum bets so they can extend their fun time.

Hit those buttons with higher level bets and, yes, your bonuses may be more frequent and jackpots bigger, but you will very likely go broke before you can gain this advantage!”

And using a simple table devised by John Grochowski – a longtime professional gambler and strategy writer – you can see exactly how upping the ante increases your bankroll requirements:

Slot TypeBankroll Needed for 3 Hours of Play
50 lines, 1 penny per line$125
50 lines, 5 pennies per line$625
30 lines, 1 penny per line$75
30 lines, 5 pennies per line$375
20 lines, 1 penny per line$50
20 lines, 5 pennies per line$250
10 lines, 1 penny per line$25
10 lines, 5 pennies per line$125

This table is especially informative, because it shows just how differently maximum stake players must approach penny slots. When you’re working with a smaller bankroll than most, $125 is probably a sensible amount at which to limit your losses. Thankfully, that’s the exact amount you’d need to play a 50 payline game for one penny per line. But if you found the same machine and decide to bet the max with five pennies per line, you’d need to bring a whopping $625 with you to survive three hours of action.

Unless you’re stuck on the idea of playing for progressive jackpots, the penny slots simply don’t require a maximum bet to have fun – and hopefully, collect a steady stream of smaller payouts while you do.

This piece of advice is counterintuitive to most recreational players, especially those who haven’t yet experienced the sights and sounds of famous Las Vegas Strip.

But while The Strip can be quite the entertaining experience for tourists, gamblers are preyed upon like sheep by the wolf-like casinos.

Take a look at the data below, which was compiled by the NGCB as part of the regulator’s annual statewide slot machine survey:

Las Vegas Slot Machine Payback Percentages by Location

1¢ Slot Machines

  • The Strip – 88.45 percent
  • Downtown – 88.66 percent
  • Boulder Strip – 90.42 percent
  • N. Las Vegas – 90.71 percent

5¢ Slot Machines

  • The Strip – 91.84 percent
  • Downtown – 92.08 percent
  • Boulder Strip – 95.73 percent
  • N. Las Vegas – 95.38 percent

25¢ Slot Machines

  • The Strip – 90.59 percent
  • Downtown – 94.48 percent
  • Boulder Strip – 96.39 percent
  • N. Las Vegas – 96.58 percent

No matter which slot games you prefer, playing on The Strip inherently increases the odds against you. The percentage figure listed next to each location reflects the average payback rate – also known as the return to player (RTP) rate – offered on average by all slot machines in that area.

And as you can see, playing on The Strip always provides players with the worst possible payback rates. As a penny slot specialist, you’ll be up against an 88.45 percent payback rate while playing on The Strip. That equates to a house edge of 11.55 percent, making penny machines in the heart of Sin City a moneymaking monster for the casinos.

But take your action to the Boulder Strip or North Las Vegas, and that payback rate bumps up all the way over 90 percent. That may not seem like all that much of an improvement, but when you factor in the rapid pace of play found on slot games, padding your expected return by a full 2 percentage points is a massive improvement.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re playing true penny slots, or the nickel and quarter variety, as the pattern holds true across the board.

Another benefit of playing off the beaten path is the discounts and perks off-Strip casinos tend to lavish on their players. For the big boys like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment – two casino conglomerates that control almost all properties on The Strip – enormous profits are practically ensured. They have a steady stream of tourists walking in the doors, so these venues can offer lower paying games and skimp out on the comps and perks.

But as Lucas Peterson – author of the “Frugal Traveler” column in the New York Times – recently discovered, venturing outside of the tourist traps offers a vastly different experience. Peterson visited the tiny Ellis Island Casino, located just east of Las Vegas Boulevard on Flamingo Road.

While the Ellis Island may lack the amenities and ambiance of a Strip establishment, this joint sure does know how to treat its customers.

Here’s how Peterson described his experience playing penny slots at Ellis Island:

All casinos have rewards programs. You sign up, get a little card with a magnetic strip, and as you spend money you collect coupons for freebies and discounts.

At Ellis Island, they’ll give you that cheap steak dinner (normally $12.99) if you play just $5 worth of slots. But isn’t that just breaking even?

Well, in addition to it just being a little mindless Vegas fun, you can push it further: If you play $10 worth of slots instead of $5, not only do you get that discount on the steak dinner, Ellis Island also rewards you with bonus play money – a random amount between $10 and $500.”

In his case, Peterson’s initial $10 play on the penny machines produced a $66 free-play reward. He used that to play for a little while longer, cashed out for $30 profit, all while enjoying a free steak dinner on the side.

Big Casino Slot Machine Wins

In his words, the casino paid him to play (and win), while throwing in a comped meal to boot.

You just won’t find customer appreciation like that on The Strip, which is why penny slot players on a lower bankroll should always get out of dodge to explore Las Vegas’ outlying areas.

Spend enough time around the slot parlor and you’ll inevitably hear players whispering about “loose” machines.

While the concept has faded into the realm of myth in the modern age, the notion that some slots are programmed to be loose – paying out more winners more often than the baseline – used to be based somewhat in reality.

Back in the day, when the average casino only carried a few hundred slot machines rather than a few thousand, casino managers could carefully tailor the arrangement of their games. No, they couldn’t control the actual outcomes (more on this to come in the Myths and Misconceptions section), but they could purchase a certain selection of higher paying machines before placing them in choice locations on the floor.

At the time, the idea was to get people standing in the lobby or by the buffet interested in playing slots because they kept hearing jackpot payouts and celebrations.

Today, however, the big casinos have thousands of slot machines under a single roof, making this level of management impractical. Rather than place certain games known to pay more often in select locations, casino managers simply stock their entire venue with games offering varied payback rates.

Here’s how John Robison, author of“The Slot Expert’s Guide to Playing Slots,” summed the placement situation up in a post for the American Casino Guide:

The last change in the slot floor that I want to mention is perhaps the biggest change of all.

Casinos used to have hundreds of slot machines. Now they have thousands. One slot director in Las Vegas said in an interview a few years ago that with so many machines on his floor, he didn’t have time to micro-manage them.

He and his management decided the hold percentage they wanted for each denomination and he ordered payback programs close to that percentage for his machines. Furthermore, he said this was the common practice in Las Vegas.”

Pay Close Attention to Payback and Hold Percentages

I’ve made mention of payback percentages many times now, and for good reason.

What the house edge metric is for table game players, payback percentage – and its inverse, the casino’s hold percentage – means for slot enthusiasts. Manufacturers and designers like International Game Technology (IGT), Scientific Games, Konami Gaming, Bally, and Aristocrat are all bound by strict gaming regulations which require games to have predetermined payback rates.

A popular themed game like The Walking Dead by IGT, for example, offers a generous 96 percent payback rate – good for a 4 percent house edge. But when you bring your bankroll to an older game like Mr. Cashman by Aristocrat, the payback percentage falls to 91 percent.

As it turns out, casinos rely on players not knowing their way around payback rates, as Steve Walther – senior director of marketing & product management for Konami Gaming – wrote in a 2017 column for the Las Vegas Sun:

There are multiple schools of thought with regard to hold percentage and players’ ability to determine the hold in an individual session.

As games become more complex, the types of winning combinations have grown exponentially. When old games only had a certain number of slots on a wheel, maybe it was easier. Now, being able to feel the hold in a single session could be very difficult.

However, other schools of thought are different for repeat gamblers and those schools say maybe they can notice.”

Fortunately, these companies are bound by law to publish their payback percentages, so you can run a quick Google search for your favorite games to check up. If the game is offering anything less than 90 percent, you should avoid it like the plague. Low to mid 90s are the norm for penny slots, while anything higher is a gift from the heavens.

On a final note, of all the gambling games under the sun, slots seem to give rise to mistaken beliefs more than most.

Maybe it’s because players can’t make decisions to influence the outcome, but superstition runs rampant in the slot world.

Olaf Vancura- who serves as vice president of game development for slot maker Mikohn Gaming, a subsidiary of IGT – offered his take on the most pervasive slot myths during an interview with the Las Vegas Sun:

I guess the No. 1 myth is that slot machines keep track of wins and losses and will compensate to get to a win.

But in the U.S., this is is illegal. Slots aren’t allowed to make adjustments.

They cannot and do not. Each win is a separate event.”

And Konami Gaming’s higher-up Walther echoed those sentiments, warning players to steer clear of fallacies and misinformation about the casino’s ability to control payouts from on high:

There is all sorts of lore out there.

If you push buttons in a certain combination, if animals look at you funny, there are all sorts of myths.

And one is that there is a magical control center that can update games at a touch of a button.”

As the major myth associated with slots, many people will swear up and down that the casino’s “control room” has direct access to the reels spinning on their screen. Fortunately for players who enjoy fair play, Vancura clarified that this is simply an impossibility:

“Some people believe a slot director off in a back room somewhere is sitting at a computer and can change the machine right out from under you.

So if you are playing a good machine that you were doing well at, someone can tighten it down and you will run into a cold streak.

It’s not possible for the casino to pull the rug out from under you.”

And according to Vancura, another commonly heard myth – that players can “vulture” jackpots by waiting for a machine to be primed by previous play – just doesn’t hold up to technological scrutiny:

Today’s slot machines don’t work that way. They are based on RNGs or random number generators.

Different manufacturers have different rates. But a good rule of thumb is that the RNGs are running hundreds of times per second.

So unless you had initiated that same spin at precisely the same instant, you would not have won the jackpot. If you’re even a tenth of a second off, you will get a completely different outcome.”

Penny slots can be a great way to enjoy the casino experience on the cheap, but only when you know how the game is really played. Using these five tips, you should be able to get your coins behind the best bets only, while avoiding the pitfalls that ensnare uninformed players.

Best Slot Machines To Win On

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Playing on a slot machine can be tricky business. If you are in the initial stages of the game or a novice then you might need time to get familiar with the machine.

It is sometimes hard to decipher how to win on slot machines every time. This article can help you in finding a winning slot machine.

Every gambler looks for ways to trick casinos so that they can make the most on slot machines.

One of the toughest parts is to listen to the advice and sit through the good and bad. A number of casinos remain open to entertaining people. Many people are now pro at gambling and know tricks to win at slot.

You may have a plethora of options when it comes to choosing a casino. These top 7 qualities should help you in finding the best casino.

Before we go any further, you need to learn about the slot machine.

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What is a Slot Machine?

How do you win big on penny slot machines machine

Having three or more spinning reels, slot machines are gambling games. The reels have symbols that spin and randomly form a combination once a player has placed a bet.

When numbers are lined up in a sequence, it determines wins. These are called pay lines. An amount is then given according to the wager.

Useful Casino Tips to Win Slots

How to win at slots can sometimes be tricky. One of the tips that must be followed is to spend a substantial amount of time in order to get to know the machine and its pattern.

The question, however, remains how much time to spend at slot machines?

Keep reading to find some useful tips to win slots.

1. Highest Payouts Slot Machine

One of the mistakes that beginners make when they go online to win money is choosing the wrong slot machine. This might seem obvious but many tend to overlook it.

If you want to learn how to win on slot machines every time then you must choose the one that pays higher than other machines.

Return to the player that is RTP should be higher.

In order to find RTP, the easiest option would be searching for it online. Many websites are reviewing casino games and you can find one.

2. Volatility of Slots

Volatility is an important factor when you have to pick a winning slot machine. This is also referred to as variance and or risk level.

It determines the level of risk that is involved while playing for real money. This also determines your winning probability.

If volatility is low then it means that you will win frequently. With high volatility, the wins are rare but they will be bigger than the low ones.

Slots that have high volatility are often exposed to risks as you are unable to determine the lucky spin to win money.

If you have not found a way how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay then do not jump to a hasty decision. Spending all the money on gambling is not a good idea. These 10 tips can help you to avoid spending all your money gambling.

3. Disregard the Obvious Option

Online gambling is becoming a serious phenomenon that has made its strong presence recently. Online gambling is another way how to win at slots. There is a myth that is associated with online gambling which requires one to increase stakes to win the jackpot.

The truth of this myth can be determined here.

No matter how impressive an online casino is, they still are after your money. There are all legal and legit but you need to know how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay.

You need to dig deeper in order to reach the winning slot. For this, you need to consider the slots that are not promoted. Check the ones that are on the third or fourth page.

4. Go for Smallest Jackpots

In order to have the best chances to win the slots choose the smallest jackpots. The smaller is the jackpot, the higher the chances would be to win the game.

It takes so much time to create huge jackpots and as a result, you lose. This is the reason that you should stick to the smaller returns.

5. Do not go for Video Reels

Slot machines with video reels might look impressive but they pay less than the normal machines.

There is a reason why such slot machines pay less. Videos take long to display and while this is going on, the casino is not making money. This is the reason that such a slot machine is designed in a way that takes the money from players who are playing.

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This is the reason that you should stay in the classic slot machine in order to get a big return.

6. Trust the Feedback/Other Players

This might not work when you are playing poker but for online gambling, you can trust other players. If the casino tries to trick you, other players can call it out. This is the reason that you should always check the reviews and ratings in order to find the truth about the game.

This would also tell you about the experience of the other players.

These are some of the tips that can help you in increasing the probability of your win. Your guide to gambling in Oz can help you in increasing your winning probability.

Manipulating slot machines in the past have questioned the probability of winning. Many players find it hard to believe if it is possible. However, with practice and familiarity, it is possible to manipulate slots.

Facts About Slot Games

You might be able to find how to win at slot games but at times you need to be aware of its working as well. If you are a frequent visitor to casinos then you must be familiar with the game and its rules.

There are some interesting facts about slot games that you must know.

Some of them are given below:

  • The software for casino games is designed in a way that the mobile users experience the same version as they do while using a desktop.
  • The user interface is kept simple with clear instructions. With a new slot comes with a new interface and design. This is the reason that they need to make a slot that in understandable and user-friendly.
  • It is safe to play slots using mobile phones. They have a very strict security system that keeps your phone secured. The team would inform you as soon as any suspicious activity would take place from your account.
  • Each slot is a machine is different. They might look the same on the outside but inside there is something that makes them different. A slot machine can hit the jackpot twice within the same time period.
  • You cannot find any special technique or way to hit the spinner. Each move by the gambler would not affect the way in which the slot moves.
  • There is also a myth that is associated with a hot coin. It is not true that a hot coin would affect the slot machine’s action.

These are some of the interesting facts that are not widely known. People tend to believe the myths that have been created over the past years.

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Each machine is different and you should be familiar with its working.

Being familiar would help you in making the pattern work. You can win on slots. You need to keep in mind the tricks and tips that have been told.

These are enough to help you in making a winning slot. So make sure you do your homework before showing up at a gambling game.

How to Win on Slot Machines Every Time: Pick the Right Slot Machine

Now that you know so much about the slot machine, you should be able to pick the right one. This might be a tricky step but once you are through it you might know how to tell if a slot machine is ready to pay.

This article has made it easy for you to learn how to win on slot machines every time. Learn the tips and tricks so that you can hit the jackpot. With these aforementioned tips, you might be able to win the big hit.

Wouldn’t it be nice to win BIG?

To find the latest articles and features that cover the whole gambling industry in Australia, check out our other blogs posts.