How to Play Online Slots   by Mark Penn

in Entertainment / Gambling    (submitted 2011-01-24)

If you have never played a slot machine before they may seem a little intimidating at first. The first thing you should realize is that every slot machine is different. Of course the all involve you putting in coins, or a card that has a cash balance and spinning the wheel. If you are playing an online version for real cash, you have to establish a balance with your online casino website. Once you have a credit with them, the money you play with is real and so are the wins and losses so you need to understand the game before you play. Some online casinos will allow you to download a fruit machine emulator and practice a bit, before you have to use actual cash. Some will give you a cache of demo credits to use on their site, so that you can get a feel for game play before you begin to play an actual game.

Understand More About the Payout Before you Play
To play a game of slots you should first understand a little bit about how the machine pays out. Every fruit machine has a payout schedule listed. This tells you what combinations pay out cash and how much they pay. Fruit machines pay out different amounts depending on how large your bet is. Some machines take a couple of coins, some take even more but the table will show you the pay out on each amount of coins you put in. You should look for machines with higher payouts.

Playing the Odds
Even if you are playing fruit machines for a set amount and betting either one or two coins you can increase the coin value by clicking either the plus (+) or minus (-) sign on most slots. This means that a payout that would net you 3.00 on a 1.50 bet will net you 6.00 on a 3.00 bet, if you had hit the plus sign once to double your bet. Or you’d get a 12.00 payout if you had hit the plus sign twice to triple your bet amount, to 6.00. There are a lot of theories on what is best but many experts say to vary the amount you play every few spins.

Set an Amount of Cash to Begin With
When you first begin playing any slot machine, either online or in a casino it is best to start out with single payout machines at first, since they are the least complicated. A single payout just machine means that there is only one line to watch for winning combinations. Usually it is a horizontal line across the center. It is also best to choose a 3 or 4 reel machine at first since they are easier to monitor as well. And look for machines that only require one or two coins to play, your money will last longer that way. Before you begin playing slots set a cash limit for yourself and don’t go over it. Playing slot machines is a lot of fun but not if you lose money that you need for other things while playing. Remember you can always return and play again at another time.

About the Author

Mark is an lover of all things gaming. He especially likes the online fruit machines. He has been writing articles for 3 years.