Being a winning slot machine player is impossible. All slot machines are created specifically as a way to offer the house a long term edge, so the house will always come out ahead if you play long enough. The only real way to counteract the home edge on slot machine games is to play a game with a really big jackpot, bet the max every time you play, and hope that you hit the jackpot. Then whenever you do hit the really big jackpot, slots betting online guess what you do next? Stop playing that game.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not stating that you should not play slot machines. In fact, I think slot games, especially the really good ones, are a lot of fun. But you want to keep in the forefront of your mind that mathematically, what you’re doing when you’re playing a slot machine on a long-term basis is paying for entertainment. You may calculate how much you’re paying for that entertainment by multiplying the home edge times your average bet times your range of spins hourly.

As an example, if you’re playing a slot game with a payout of 95%, then the home edge is 5%. (The casino keeps 5% of every bet you make long term.) And if you are average bet is $3, then you are going to pay the average of 15 cents per spin to the house. (5% times $3.) Assuming you’re making 500 spins per hour, that game costs you $75/hour to play, which may or might not be a reasonable price for you entertainment. That relies upon your bankroll.

Another thing to factor into your calculation is just how much the perks and bonuses you are getting back from the casino are worth. When you are playing in a land-based casino where you’re getting free drinks while you play, in which case you can subtract the price of those drinks from you’re hourly cost. (Or you may add the expense of those drinks to the value of the entertainment you’re receiving—it’s just a matter of perspective.) My recommendation is to drink top-shelf liquor and premium beers to be able to maximize the entertainment value you are receiving. A Heineken can cost $4 a bottle in an excellent restaurant. Drink two Heinekens an hour, and you have just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.

Slot clubs also give back a percentage of your losses each hour, so definitely be sure you join the casino’s slot club and ALWAYS use your card to track your play. There is absolutely no reason not to do this. Casinos also reward their larger slot players with comps like meals, show tickets, and free rooms, which all add up to reduce the amount of money you’re spending each hour that you are playing on their machine.

So how to be a winning slot machine player? I’d sum it up by saying know how much it’s costing you to play each spin and each hour, take advantage of all the comps as well as the perks, and go for the big progressive jackpot.