Being a winning slot machine player is impossible. All slot machines are created in order to give the house a long-term edge, so the home will always come out ahead if you play long enough. The only real way to counteract the house 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 when you do hit the really big jackpot, guess what you do next? Stop playing that game.

Do not get me wrong. I am not proclaiming 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 head that mathematically, what you are doing when you are playing a slot machine on a long term basis is paying for entertainment. You may calculate just how much you are paying for that entertainment by multiplying the home edge times your average bet times your range of spins each hour.

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

Another thing to factor into your calculation is the amount the perks and bonuses you’re getting back from the casino are worth. In case you are playing in a land-based casino where you are getting free drinks while you play, then you can subtract the expense of those drinks from you are hourly cost. (Or you can add the cost 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’re receiving. A Heineken can cost $4 a bottle in an excellent restaurant. Drink two Heinekens per hour, and you’ve just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.

Slot clubs also give back a portion 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’s 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 are spending each hour that you’re playing on their own machine.

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