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If you’re at all familiar with slot machines, you probably think there’s no strategy involved in this particular gambling game. In a sense, you’re right. The slot machine results are entirely random, and none of your decisions can affect those outcomes.

But you do get to decide which games to play and at what stakes. You can also decide how fast you play and where you play.

These kinds of decisions are what strategy is really about anyway. Most people confuse strategy with tactics.

A tactic is an individual decision, like how you’re going to play a specific blackjack hand.

A strategy is an overall approach to an activity or to achieving a goal.

Once you understand the basics of how slot machines work, you can devise a strategy. You might not like some of the basics of slot machine strategy, but the observations in this post are accurate.

The last thing you (or anyone else) needs is another guy selling you an information product about how to beat slot machines. Those expensive products are worthless. This post contains more helpful information about slots than all those ebooks combined.

Each slot machine is set to payback anywhere from 80% (very bad) to 99% (very good) of the money that it takes in. This average will appear after thousands, if not millions, of spins. As a slot machine player it is difficult to determine the payback percentage at which a slot machine is set. This is because on these slot machines - unlike other slots - there is a higher risk and obviously it's much more easier to obtain record high winnings. However, to help those who like high limit slots, we're going to present some high limit slot strategies. The high limit slots can offer instant winnings.

Good slot machine strategy focuses on two things – increasing your chances of winning and helping you save money you might otherwise lose. This page was conceived as the ultimate online resource for no-nonsense slot machine strategy tips. Included here are: Common-sense responses to common misconceptions about slots. These are High Limit Slot Strategies that I have developed over 10 years based on my gambling experiences from various casinos across the country. This series of slot strategies will help fellow gamblers better their odds at winning Big and making money on high-limit slot machines, the first being Schedule Visits. Another great tip is to use a high limit slot strategy on games which offer the biggest bonuses and jackpots and always read what bonuses are valid for each game. As an example, a bonus at a high limit slot game can reach up to $ 10,000 per spin. Prefer simple games, such as high limit fruit machines.

Here are the basics of a realistic slot machine strategy:

1- The Best Slot Machine Strategy Is Counter-Intuitive: Don’t Play Slots at All

No game in the casino is more expensive for a gambler than slot machines. The combination of rapid-fire betting and high house edge is deadly to your gambling bankroll.

Understanding why these things matter requires and understanding of how to calculate your average expected hourly loss on a slot machine game.

The first thing to understand about a slot machine is that the house edge varies dramatically from machine to machine, even if you’re playing what looks like an identical game.

A gambling game’s payouts are determined in the long run by the odds of winning compared to the payoffs for winning. If you’re playing a game where the odds of winning are even, but you only win 90 cents on the dollar every time you win, the way the house gets its edge is clear.

With slot machines, we measure the “payback percentage” for the machine. That’s the percentage of each bet you can expect to win back on average over the long run. It’s a mathematical expectation, not a certainty.

But if you play long enough, your actual results will start looking more like your expected results.

The flip side to the payback percentage is the “house edge.” This is the amount of each bet the casino expects to keep in the long run on average.

The average slot machine has a payback percentage of 92% or 93%, but it can be significantly more or less than that. We’re going to go with 92% for this illustration.

The average slot machine player spins the reels 600 times per hour. At 75 cents per spin, the average slot machine player is putting $450 per hour into action.

High Limit Slot Machine Strategies Quick Hit Slot Machine

Compare this with the expected loss for a game like blackjack or roulette.

An average blackjack table might deal you 100 hands per hour on a good day. The house edge might be as low as 1%. At $5 per hand, which is the usual minimum, you’re looking at $500 in action each hour, but your expected loss is only $5.00.

An average roulette table is even slower. You might only get 50 spins per hour. The house edge is higher, 5.26%, though. At $5 per spin, you’re putting $250 into action each hour.

Your expected loss per hour is $12.50 in that situation—worse than blackjack, but far better than slot machines.

The first strategy you should consider when thinking about playing slot machines is simple—play a different game.

2- If You’re Still Going to Play, Do Everything You Can to SLOW DOWN

Just because the average player spins the reels 600 times per hour doesn’t mean you have to play that fast. You’d think that the house edge is the most significant factor determining how much you lose when playing a casino game, but it turns out that the number of bets you make per hour is probably more important.

You can have a good time playing slots making 200 spins per hour. And you can still enjoy the free cocktails. If you just reduce your speed of play from 600 spins per hour to 200 spins per hour, in the above situation, your expected hourly loss would drop from $36 to $12.
How do you slow down?

There are a number of ways.

I spent some time at a casino in Oklahoma once with a recovering speed addict. He just whacked on the speed button as fast as he could repeatedly. He didn’t even watch the results.

On the other hand, every time I hit the spin button, I watched the game play out on the computer monitor in front of me. I can promise you that I was making 1/3 as many spins per hour as my friend.

I would also stop occasionally and try to have a conversation with my buddy. He didn’t like that much, because his eyes were as glued to that screen as his hand was to the spin button.

Another way to slow down your slot machine play is to use the lever on the side instead of the spin button. It’s just for show, and it doesn’t change the odds, but it does make sure you slow down.

Taking occasional breaks to go the bathroom or just to step outside for some fresh air can also slow down your rate of play. In fact, if you’re one of the many people who lose track of time in the casino, you can also set an alarm on your cell phone. Every 45 minutes or so, take a 15 minute break.

3- Reduce the Size of Your Bets

One of the most often repeated slot machine myths on the internet is the legend that you’ll see a better payout percentage if you play the maximum number of lines for the maximum number of coins per line.

This might be true on some games, but it’s not true for most of them.
How do you know the difference?

You look at the pay table for the slot machine game you’re playing. If it doesn’t have a correspondingly higher set of jackpots for the people placing the maximum bets, there’s no advantage to playing for max coins or max lines.

This is an insidious way that penny slot makers ensure so much profitability on their machines. Yeah, you can bet a single penny on a single payline.

But most players bet 5 coins on 25 paylines, for a total wager per spin of $1.25.

You’d almost always be better off playing a dollar slot machine for $1 per spin than you would placing 25 bets at a nickel apiece on a penny slot machine.

4- Find the Boring Games with the Lowest Jackpots

The newer and flashier the slot machine game is, the lower the payback percentage is.

The higher the jackpot is, the lower the payback percentage is.

That’s because big jackpots and flashy bonus games all cost money. And casinos aren’t in the business of losing money. That’s why these features reduce your payback percentage on these games.

In the case of progressive jackpot games, your payback percentage will be lower than the theoretical payback percentage most of the time anyway. You’re unlikely to hit that $10 million jackpot, and that factors into the theoretical payback percentage.

Since you won’t hit that jackpot, it won’t factor into your real payback percentage.

Also, bonus games slow down the number of spins you make per hour. They also result in additional prize amounts for the players.
The only way the game has to pay for that is to reduce the payouts for the other prizes on the game.

This means most of the time you’ll be getting an inferior payback percentage.

On the other hand, the games that look like old-time, mechanical 3-reel slot machines don’t need to save money to pay for bells and whistles. That’s because these games don’t any bells and whistles to pay for.

Combine this strategy with #2 and #3, and you’re well on your way to preserving your bankroll.

5- Change Your Goals

Most people play slot machines because they want something for nothing. That’s the wrong way to think about these games.

Sure, in the short run, you can sometimes get ahead and win a big cash prize.

But in the long run, the payout structures and the odds of winning combine to make it impossible to win.

Your bankroll is crushed by the math behind the game.

Once you accept that, you can change your perspective.

Instead of wanting something for nothing, you see that you’re really exchanging money for entertainment. The more entertainment you can get for your money, the better deal you’re getting.

That’s why you should play slot machines that are expensive enough to be exciting, but only just.

I know people who play penny slots for a single penny per spin and have a good time. But I don’t see how you could have much fun doing that. Even if you win a 2500 coin jackpot, you’re only looking at a $25 win.

I don’t get out of bed in the morning for $25. I just need more money to justify what I’m playing.

But you SHOULD play for the lowest amount per spin that keeps the game interesting for you. Don’t play slots at all unless you’re having fun.
And start measuring your success on these games by how much fun you’re having.

I have another friend who goes to the Winstar Casino at least once a week. He loses a fortune on the slots almost every time.

But once in a while he comes home with $70 or $80 in winnings.

He always seems dejected when he returns having lost his entire bankroll.

If he considered the gambling an entertainment expense, he might have more realistic expectations. He might think that was money well spent.

6- Don’t Spend Money on Books or Information Products Offering “Secrets” to Winning at Slots

You’ll find plenty of books and other information products on the web claiming to have the secrets to winning at slot machines. Some of these authors even claim to have been slot machine technicians. These books and information products are all equally worthless.

Here’s the thing about slot machines:
They’re completely random. You can’t get an edge playing them, no matter what kind of silliness the system sellers have on their sales pages.
In fact, think about this:
If you had a system that would beat slot machines, would you sell it on the internet?
Or would you spend your time winning money on the slot machines?

If you were winning consistently on slot machines, you wouldn’t need to sell a book about how you’re doing it. In fact, if you had any sophistication as a casino gambler at all, you’d realize that any time a player gets an edge at a game, the casinos figure it out and plug that hole.

Look at the countermeasures in place to prevent counting cards in blackjack. If you really had a system for beating slot machines that worked, you’d never expose it by selling a book about it. Any casino manager in the country could buy such a book, read it, then take steps to prevent your system from working.

And the systems are ludicrous.

• Some of them involve trying to find the “loose” slot machines based on their location in the casino.
• Some of them involve figuring out when a slot machine is “due” to pay out. (Sorry, that’s not how it works.)
• Some of them involve raising and lowering your bets based on how the game is going.
• Some systems involve switching from one machine to another based on how often or seldom you’re winning.

Most of these so-called strategies incorporate more than one of these factors.

7- Take Advantage of Free Spin Offers at Online Casinos

If you know anything about online casinos, you know that they’re motivated to recruit players. One of the ways they do this is by offering signup promotions. Every online casino I know of offers free cash in your bankroll just for signing up and making your first deposit.

But many online casinos are now throwing in free spins on their slot machine games. I’ve already established that if you’re going to play the slots, you should make darn sure you enjoy it. That enjoyment is the only value you’re going to get from playing those games.

If you find an opportunity to get 50 or 100 free spins on a slot machine game online, take it. This is one of the best marketing gimmicks in the history of slot machines—at least for bona fide slot junkies.

Online casino promotions change all the time. Be sure to check back on this site periodically for updates offers and new promotions.

8- Set Win Goals and Loss Limits

This is one tip where I disagree with most other gambling authors. I agree that money management techniques don’t affect your long-term expectation when playing slot machines. And most of the writers recommending win goals and loss limits imply that you can improve your chance of winning with such methods.

But slot machines are a short-term game, and the only way to walk away a winner is to quit while you’re ahead. Most of the slot players I know aren’t able to quit while they’re ahead. That’s where a win goal comes in.

A win goal is an amount that, once you’ve won it, signals you to stop playing.

A loss limit is just the opposite. It’s an amount that, once you’ve lost it, signals you to call it quits.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking these bankroll management techniques are going to increase your long-term expected win rate or reduce your long-term expected loss rate.

But my friend who visits the WInstar with me gambles every penny he has until it’s gone every time he hits the casino. Don’t be like him. Set some limits other than going broke.

9- Avoid Slot Machines in Places with Lousy Payouts

You can’t differentiate between the loose and the tight slot machines in an individual casino by their location within the casino. The managers at the casinos don’t arrange them in such a way anymore.

But you can differentiate between a casino that’s competing for customers’ business with a casino that’s not.

If a casino is the only game in town, the payouts for their slot machines are going to be much worse than if they had a lot of competition.

I can promise you that those airport slot machines offer lousy paybacks.

Or let’s pretend you’re on a cruise ship. You definitely can’t find any other action. You’re at sea, for goodness’ sake.

Lousy paybacks.

On the other hand, the Strip in Las Vegas has more casinos than you can shake a stick at. You can bet they’re trying to out-do one another for your business. These casinos probably have the highest payback percentages in the area.

10- Use that Slot Machine Club Card

Every major casino now offers a slot machine club card, or a players’ card, to reward returning customers. The more you play, the more refunds and bonuses you rack up.

When you sign up for the players’ card, you get a plastic card that looks like an ATM card. You insert it into the slot machine while you’re playing.

The card tracks the amount of money you put in the machine. You then get rewards of between 0.1% and 0.3%, depending on the casino.

Also, some casinos offer double player rewards during certain days and times. You should take advantage of these opportunities as often as possible.

Some people think that inserting the slot machine club card has some kind of effect on your outcome. That’s not true. The random number generators aren’t able to tell whether you have the card inserted or not.

These rewards have a monetary value. Money saved is just as valuable as money won.

So save as much money as you can with the rebates available via the players’ card.

Conclusion

Slot machines are the most expensive entertainment in the casino. The best strategy for winning at slot machines is to avoid playing them altogether.

That might not be the advice you were hoping for, but it’s the truth.

But if you’re going to play anyway—and that’s okay—think about some of the facts shared in this blog post. You don’t have to lose thousands of dollars playing slots to have a good time.

Be frugal, be sensible, and get lucky.

Introduction to Progressive Slot Machines

This article, Winning Strategy 2: Progressive Slot Machines, is next in a series about realistic winning strategies for slot machine casino gambling. This strategy is simple but perhaps not entirely easy, mostly due to the difficulties inherent to changing one’s own playing perspective. So, keep an open mind, be patient, and learn to win.

Lately, progressive slot machines have become quite popular, with their being up to 30% of the slot machines within a casino. Have you seen those new slot machines with Major and Minor jackpots that constantly grow? Even though they are not obviously labeled as such, those are progressive slot machines.

This relatively high level of popularity drives a real and urgent need to discuss ways to play and win at progressive slots.

So, I am meeting this real need of slots enthusiasts by explaining what is currently happening in the world of progressive slots. Here’s how.

This article has the following sections:

• Introduction
• What are Progressive Slot Machines?
• How Many Progressive Slot Machines Make a Progressive Jackpot?
• The Casino’s Business Case for Progressive Slot Machines
• Should You Play Progressive Slot Machines?
• Strategies for Winning on Progressive Slot Machines
• Long-Term Playing: A Cautionary Tale
• Summary

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What are Progressive Slot Machines?

A slot machine is considered progressive when a portion of the bets placed on it go towards increasing its maximum jackpot. When initialized, such as when first started or after the progressive jackpot has been won, a progressive slot machine is given an initial jackpot. This initial jackpot is not zero.

Starting with this initial jackpot, it “progressively” grows as the slot machine is played. The progressive jackpot increases by a percentage of whatever is bet. For example, a $1 may increase the progressive jackpot by $0.25.

Progressive slot machines also have a maximum progressive jackpot, which they cannot exceed. That is to say, the progressive jackpot must be won before or when it equals this maximum amount.

Once reset after the progressive jackpot has been won, or when initially switched on, the amount of the next winning progressive jackpot is randomly chosen. This new winning progressive jackpot is randomly chosen to be between the initial and maximum amounts mentioned.

As bets are placed on the machine and the progressive jackpot increases, it approaches the amount of this new winning progressive jackpot. When a player’s bet increases the progressive jackpot to that randomly chosen amount, that player wins the progressive slot machine jackpot. Afterwards, the process begins anew.

How Many Progressive Slot Machines Make a Progressive Jackpot?

A common misconception is that progressive slot machines always include a group of slot machines with a shared jackpot. This is simply not the case. It is not uncommon for a progressive jackpot to be available only on a single slot machine.

It is also entirely possible for a group of progressive slot machines to be grouped, linked, or networked together. However, the physical extent of a network of machines included in a progressive jackpot can vary widely, including:

1. Stand-Alone: A single slot machine which grows its own progressive jackpot only, is not networked to any other slot machines, and likely has the lowest maximum jackpot amount relative to networked progressive slot machines;
2. In-House: Slot machines having the same slot machine game theme within the casino and more substantial, if not life-changing, maximum jackpots;
3. In-Chain: Slot machines usually with the same slot machine game theme within all of the gaming venues owned by the same casino operator within states having gaming regulations that allow this;
4. Wide-Area: Slot machines owned independently from the casinos they are located within, and:
   • A maximum jackpot which is massively large, life-changing jackpot;
   • Each casino gets a percentage of slot machines revenue;
   • Having a payout return which is lowest of all other progressive slot machines due to the relatively high setup and administrative costs.

The Casino’s Business Case for Progressive Slot Machines

Casinos are always trying new ways to both make money as well as providing new ideas to their patrons. This includes the whole business idea of progressive slot machines.

Some aspects of progressive slots are great for the casino business, such as being alluring to many casino patrons. Other aspects are driving changes at casinos, such as the legal difficulties with paying multi-property and multi-state progressive jackpots.

Stand-alone progressive slot machines are currently on the rise at casino properties. It can sometime be difficult to know if players will like new styles of slot machine play, such as skill-based slots (which are not doing well). But, progressive slot machines are definitely very popular. So, casinos have these.

Casinos also have in-house progressive slot machines, within certain limitations. It turns out that casinos only have in-house progressive slot machines in groups or carousels of slot machines. They simply are not spread all across the casino. Instead, I have observed that they are grouped together in a row or circle.

It’s interesting that in-house, networked, progressive slot machines have this limitation. It doesn’t take much inductive reasoning to figure out why. It’s due to ease of installation and building infrastructure.

Yes, newer casinos physically connect all their slot machines to a central computer with its casino operating system. Older casinos physically connect the players interface to a computer database, and also maintain a limited connection to notify the slot attendant dispatcher of any slot machines showing wins.

So, the central computer operating systems used in newer casinos are apparently not yet sufficient to handle networked progressive slot machines, where I went to research this post on progressive slot machines.

Just like older casinos, newer casinos have to physically connect in-house progressive slot machines. And, running the necessary cables under floors, over ceilings, and behind walls makes life difficult for casinos. Simply put, it is more efficient and easier to place networked slot machines together.

In part, this increased efficiency is due to how often slot machines are replaced to keep up with appealing game themes. Slot machines get moved in and out of casinos a lot, and making it difficult to do so is not of interest to casinos. Difficult, and costly. For example, pulling up flooring would disrupt, well, making money on slots in the affected areas.

In-chain and wide-area networked progressive slot machines have their own issues for casinos, so these types are being seen less and less often. While life-changing progressive jackpots have traditionally been of interest to slots enthusiasts, this is somewhat a thing of the past. Nobody expects to win on them. It’s, well, too much of a long shot.

Also, actually being awarded a large progressive jackpot is a lengthy, nightmarish process. So, you just won a huge, multi-casino progressive jackpot. Now you have to wait for 6 hours to get it. Stand-alone progressive slot machines are owned by the casino, and payouts are just like any other slot machine.

But, there are also progressive slot machines which are networked together outside of a casino, potentially across state lines and in coordination with other casinos as part owners of the jackpot. From the casino perspective, winners are unhappy with having lengthy waits in a back office while this business is transacted with other casinos.

When I was researching progressive slots machines, I was talking to a slots manager about the difficulties of progressive slot machines networked outside of a single casino property. What he said aligned well with statements within the Scientific Games and IGT annual financial reports. He said there are liability issues.

Basically, who owns the progressive jackpot being paid? Plain and simple, this is so, so difficult from a business perspective. Suffice to say, having liability issues with being able to pay out a progressive jackpot from a networked progressive slot machines is a loss of efficiency, the winner is never happy having to wait so long to be paid, and has become a no-go territory for casinos.

In other words, for the reasons given, casinos are getting out of the business of progressive slot machines networked across several properties. Casinos are currently making adjustments to increase their stand-alone and in-house progressive slot machines while reducing or entirely eliminating their out-of-house, networked progressive slot machines.

Should You Play Progressive Slot Machines?

There are effectively two strategies for winning at progressive slot machines:

1. Treat the progressive slot machine like a non-progressive slot machine, and try to win the smaller, non-progressive jackpots; and
2. Play progressive slot machines where the progressive jackpot is approaching its maximum value.

First, players can attempt to win jackpots of less than the maximum size on progressive slot machines using the winning strategies I have and will be discussing shortly for non-progressive style slot machines.

In the past, I have stated there is usually little to be gained by doing so. However, further research has helped correct this prior point-of-view. My prior reasoning has been that players of progressive slot machines are paying for the experience of playing that type of slot machine. I had assumed there is an associated price, a real monetary cost.

So, I had thought, the odds of winning non-progressive jackpots on a progressive slot machine were reduced to have the player pay some or all of this cost. This turns out to not quite be the actual case.

My prior view was incomplete, and not entirely proven out by real data. In fact, the opposite is clearly true for at least one state, and therefore reasonably true for all states. But, there is also some truth to what I had previously believed.

I had previously believed that all progressive slot machines had low payout returns. This is partially still true, but only for progressive slot machines with a truly massive wide-area network of machines. These are the progressive games having a multi-million dollar progressive jackpot.

This is clearly seen in payout return statistics of Las Vegas’s Strip area. There, according to state gaming commission, the highest payout return is the $1 denomination, non-Megabucks slot machines. The lowest payout returns are the Megabucks progressive slot machines with a $1 denomination.

But, the refinement to my previous understanding relates to the consistently relatively high actual payout returns for progressive slot machines with relatively small networks and therefore non-huge progressive jackpots. These are simply the facts.

These available facts are from, naturally, publicly available payout return statistics from a U.S. state government. Take a look at the actual payout return statistics for Mississippi.

The Mississippi Gaming Commission separates out monthly payout returns by slot machine denominations. Several states do this, as reported in Benefits of Slot Machine Payout Returns.

However, what is special about the Mississippi Gaming Commission monthly Win Percentage Report is, not only do they separate out payout returns by slot machine denomination, they also separate them out by whether or not the slot machine is progressive.

Here’s what’s interesting: The average payout return for progressive slot machines of a particular denomination are significantly better than non-progressive machines of the same denomination.

This is shown in the January 2018 report for all denominations having progressive slot machines, separately shown across all 3 gaming regions of Mississippi.

Let me repeat that. In Mississippi, all actual payout returns within all three regions as well as all denomination for progressive slots are higher than non-progressive slots. That’s pretty convincing data.

Given this single state-wide example, I am now willing to revise my previously low opinion of progressive slot machines. I now say it is reasonable to assume all progressive machines have better payout returns than non-progressive slot machines.

As I have previously discussed, improved payout returns come from several sources, and starting with the highest baseline amount is accomplished by careful selection of both casino and slot machine.

A progressive slot machine should be considered to have a relatively higher payout return relative to slot machines of the same denomination.

Simply put, based on Mississippi stats, and all other considerations and strategies aside, playing a progressive slot machine is likely to add 1% to 2% of payout return percentage to your baseline odds of winning.

Just, remember to avoid progressive slot machines with truly large, even life-changing, progressive jackpots. Those typically have the lowest odds of winning.

Strategies for Winning on Progressive Slot Machines

Now, let us consider a strategy specific for winning on progressive slot machines, rather than just if they should be played at all. In general, winning the maximum jackpot on a slot machine is a truly rare event.

Unless a specific strategy is being employed, a slots player should more-or-less ignore this possibility as nothing other than a once-in-a-lifetime event.

But, the key here is “unless a specific strategy is being employed.” Earlier, I stated:

“As bets are placed on the machine and the progressive jackpot increases, it approaches the amount of this new winning progressive jackpot. When a player’s bet increases the progressive jackpot to that randomly chosen amount, that player wins the progressive slot machine jackpot.”

This is the key to winning the progressive jackpot on a progressive slot machine: Play it when it approaches the maximum progressive jackpot allowed, when it must pay out.

Advantage players makes sure they are playing a progressive slot machine as it approaches the set maximum limit, pushing it towards and over to win.

There’s really only one problem with this strategy. What’s the maximum limit? For stand-alone progressive slot machines, it’s fairly easy to figure out. Simply look at the progressive jackpot amounts on progressive slot machines at your casino.

How much do they never go under? How much do they never go over? Those are the initial and maximum progressive jackpot amounts, respectively. Based on observations at my local casinos, a quarter machine might reset at $1,000 and reach its maximum at $1,200.

You can observe progressive slot machines yourself, and should if you want to make the most of this strategy. What you want to watch for is someone winning a progressive jackpot on what I describe elsewhere as a candidate slot machine.

That’s how you determine the reset or initial progressive jackpot. This initial jackpot provides a useful clue to the maximum progressive jackpot.

Further observations of players winning progressive jackpots on your candidate slot machines will also help you determine how large the maximum progressive jackpot might be. Eventually, you’ll have a reasonable guess for the maximum jackpot.

Once you do have that reasonable guess, only play that progressive slot machine when it is closest to its best-guess maximum jackpot and furthest from the initial jackpot.

Remember, the progressive jackpot can be won anywhere between the initial and maximum jackpots, but it is “due for a win” when it gets closer to the maximum jackpot. That’s your advantage play.

This strategy can also be applied to non-stand-alone progressive slot machines. However, doing so will require a team of 2 or more people. Networked progressive slot machines located within a casino are currently being grouped together by casinos, as discussed, so having someone at each is quite possible.

The strategy here is to have someone sitting at each of these networked slot machines when the maximum progressive jackpot is being approached, then play those machines until the progressive jackpot is driven over the maximum jackpot.

There are a couple of logistics concerns to watch out for, of course. First, these should be people you both trust and have an agreement with to share the jackpot. Who is going to pay the taxes on the jackpot, assuming it is over $1,200?

In other words, whose name will be on the W-2G? Keep in mind, agreement or not, the actual winner doesn’t legally have to share any winnings unless they choose to do so.

Second, you could just have a single person playing one of the networked slot machines, while everyone else at the other machines are not playing.

But, this will look suspicious to the casino, and should be avoided, given the lengthy time it will take for one person to add enough money to sufficiently drive up the progressive jackpot.

Third, the highest value progressive jackpots are on the greatest number of networked progressive slot machines. Winning a $4 million progressive jackpot would mean having a very large team located at several casinos, probably across several states.

Given the inherent difficulties, such as large cash investment and team management as well as travel costs, it is perhaps more reasonable to try this strategy on a smaller bank of networked progressive slot machines.

If you don’t have a team available, or your team is fewer than the progressive machines networked together, try being the only people playing them. You’ll still win if the other machines are sitting idle. However, this may require visiting the casino at odd hours when attendance is at a minimum.

Even then, a stranger could still swoop in at near the last moment to potentially win and take your investment of time and money. On the other hand, maybe you’re the stranger doing the swooping? Either way, it is something to watch for, or plan to implement or avoid, with this strategy.

Long-Term Playing: A Cautionary Tale

I was recently told a story by an entertainment slots gambler about his brother-in-law winning a top progressive jackpot for $375,000 after 15 years of playing that and similar high limit progressive slot machines.

I was initially impressed, perhaps because of the fervor with which he told the story. But then, I got to thinking about the math.

If $375,000 was a total gross salary for 15 years of work for a job, it’d be an annual gross pay of $24,000. That would be a full-time job at a rate of $12.50 per hour, which at this time is more than any U.S. state’s minimum hourly wage.

While I didn’t get a chance to ask this during the conversation itself, later I wondered how much this brother-in-law spent on gambling per year. As a reminder for both of us, an upcoming post will be about how to and the value of keeping good gambling records.

How much did this individual with the $375,000 progressive jackpot spend gambling on the progressive slot machine each year? If he lost $25,000 per year in gambling losses, he only broke even over 15 years. Of course, this does not include any income taxes on his progressive jackpot.

Let’s say his overall tax rate was 25%, and his gambling losses in the year of the progressive jackpot was insignificant compared to $375,000. In this case, his winnings after paying income taxes was just over $280,000. Over 15 years, that is $18,750

Was this “winner” either breaking even over the long run, or losing money? How much profit, annual revenue minus annual gambling losses, had he actually gotten? One hopes that he at least broke even after 15 years of effort.

Summary of Winning Strategy 2: Progressive Slot Machines

In summary, Winning Strategy 2: Progressive Slot Machines provides the necessary background understanding to subsequently apply the provided realistic strategy for winning on progressive slots.

I first identified what a progressive slot machine is, then helped you to identify networked progressive slot machines.

This was followed by the usual question always to be asked about slot machines, which was to identify what is known about actual payout returns for this type of slot machine. Mississippi’s Gaming Commission was very helpful with this.

I next went over the strategy for winning at progressive slot machines, making use of the advantage play available due to progressive slots having a minimum jackpot at reset as well as maximum progressive jackpot which it cannot exceed.

I also talked about how to best go about teaming up to apply this strategy on small networks of progressive slot machines.

I concluded with a cautionary tale about winning a big progressive jackpot after many years of attempting to do so, and how the annual cost may well exceed, in total, what might eventually be won with a single large jackpot.

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By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
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