5 Things Not to Do When Playing Slots at a Casino

Playing Slots at casinos has really changed this millennium. Gone are the halcyon days of quarters, coin buckets, and Wet Wipes© with Slot Machines on the casino floor. Also gone are trips to Cashier’s Cage to turn the weighty buckets full of quarters back into the green paper where they started from.

And cashing in was, and always will be the goal in Slots, even with the new age of Coinless modern Slots where paper vouchers have replaced the waterfall of Quarters from the Slot machine’s belly. Now there is less noise, less weight, and less pomp and circumstance when cashing out. That is if you still have anything to cash out on the machine.

Although the Slot games and the way players collect have changed, the ultimate goal is to try to cash in and win some money as opposed to feeding this mechanical beast with its code-written blood veins. Let’s take a look at 5 simple things not to do when you are playing online slots or the real machines at a casino.

1. Don’t Drink Too Much

There is a reason the Casinos don’t mind plying you with alcoholic beverages when you play on their slot machines: You are more likely to bet more (and consequently lose more) when under the influence of Alcohol.

There have been studies done about this phenomena, with some saying alcohol or the amount of it consumed has absolutely no effect on gambling behavior with others claiming it does. It obviously does. If it affects other simple decisions and motor functions, then it does indeed have some effect.

One study involving Rats (Spoelder et al., 2015) concluded that “frequent alcohol exposure has debilitating effects on decision-making during gambling task acquisition,” so both Humans and Animals don’t think or act the same when intoxicated on alcohol.

And a recent study looking at Pathological Gamblers and a Control group (Ellery & Stewart, 2014) revealed that even moderate consumption of alcohol increased the frequency of double-up wagering. But another Study (Breslin, Sobell, Cappell, Vakili, & Poulos, 1999) suggested the perception of making higher bet amounts and losing funds faster is wrong and that no significant amount of gambling behavior was changed enough to blame it on the alcohol.

My thought is that if you want to do both—try to win money playing Slots at the casino and drink—it would probably be better to use the Alcohol as a reward (or mood calmer) after you have finished playing on the machines. The machine isn’t drunk but is trying to take your money.

2. Don’t Get Too Mad

It is very easy to get mad and slowly frustrated with a Slot machine. When you are feeding a machine money in order to try to get even more money from it, you must examine the nature of the betting style and its intent in the first place.

Slots are designed for fun and color and noise and perceived quick Jackpot payouts. But the reality is that these Slots are more a game of Chance than anything else.

Slot machines use Random Number Generators (RNG) to provide different combinations of symbols while Video slots are programmed and pay out a programmed number of times. Getting mad at code writing on a machine you picked for an amount you choose seems a little silly.

Getting too emotional when playing Slots, or any forms of gambling for that matter, is counterproductive, and remember that the whole reason you began playing the Slot machine was to have fun and not be mad.

Maybe if you assume you are going to lose the $20 or whatever amount to begin with you will be in a better headspace if and when you do actually lose? Don’t let machines ruin your mood. But that has become increasingly harder in the Digital Age when so many use Smartphones as a guide dog.

3. Don’t Overextend Yourself Financially

Slot machines get in players’ heads and make the users think that they “are due” or that “this is my machine.” There is no “due” on Slots with the pseudo-RNG reality and no one owns the machines but the Casinos. All “plays” or “pulls” on a Slot machine are mutually exclusive.

Knowing all of that, controlling what you can control is the best you can do. And having set bet limits for an entire night at a casino or for specific types of gaming like Slots or Sports Betting is always a good idea. These bet limits are all dependent on one’s own personal Risk Profile and how much he or she thinks can be lost before the Slots play has affected one’s mood or become too costly. Don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose.

And don’t be greedy. That is the death of so many gamblers playing Slots or betting on Sports. You went in there to win money and turned nothing into something and are in a great mood, and you want more, more, more?

In the classic Oliver Stone movie Wall Street (1987), Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) proclaimed that “Greed is Good.”

But being greedy or having irrational expectations playing Slots can be physically and financially unhealthy. If you are losing at Slots and have lost more than an amount that you are comfortable with, don’t keep playing and try to chase your losses.

And if you do win and are up a significant amount of money, remember to collect and leave in a good mood as that was the initial goal for playing.

4. Don’t Move Around Too Much (But Move if You Like)

When gambling on Slot machines in casinos, or choosing from the plethora of online slots games, it’s a good idea not to be superstitious and think one machine is good or bad or due “to hit.” These are machines and games after all.

A cow may be “due to” be milked.:

Or the chances of an earthquake may potentially be greater in certain areas after passages of time. But Slot machines are driven by RNGs, so the odds of pulling a winner on your next pull are exactly the same as they were on your first pull. Most casinos don’t post the average Payback Percentages of Slot Machines (generally 70% to 90%), but in Video Poker, it’s approximately around 97% to 99%. In short, it’s harder to win money and you make less critical decisions when playing Slots compared to playing Video Poker.

If you are losing money at a certain Slot machine in a seat you choose and have been playing in for some time, don’t think that leaving, or staying in that seat has anything to do with why you are or aren’t winning on that particular machine.

Luck is luck.

Luck (and RNGs) doesn’t care about where you’re sitting and for how long. And sage words from an Internal Auditor for a casino, Mark Sieving:

“Change seats whenever you like: it makes no difference at all. The one thing that you must understand when playing slots is that nothing you do has any effect on whether you win or lose. It’s all random.”

Always remember that tigers don’t move from their sacred hunting spots much before striking. But they do move at some point. And also remember that sometimes tigers go to bed hungry and just wait for another day.

5. Don’t Forget About the Various Slots Perks

Never forget about the many perks and other things offered by Slots Clubs at brick-and-mortar casinos and the perks or rewards offered at online casinos. Frequent slots players can sign up for online rewards or join slots clubs and receive some of the following perks:

Free Slot Play
Cashback
Complimentary Gifts, Food, Beverages
Entry into Slots Tournaments

Most Casinos offer Free Slot Play after signing up for their program. Some Slots clubs also offer cashback and free spins. And getting something is always better than getting nothing, right?

Play the Slots, Don’t Let the Slots Play You

Playing Slots at online casinos or in your local establishment should never be burdensome or bankrupt you.

So, always try to have a specific plan of attack when entering a casino and playing slots.

And knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what to do.

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