Being a winning slot machine player is impossible. All slot machines are developed specifically to be able to offer the house a long term edge, so the home will invariably 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 when you do hit the really big jackpot, guess what you do next? Stop playing that game.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not stating that you should not play slot machines. In fact, I think slot games, particularly the good ones, are a lot of fun. But you want to keep within the forefront of your thoughts 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 just how much you are paying for that entertainment by multiplying the house edge times your average bet times your range of spins hourly.

For instance, for anyone 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 if you are average bet is $3, then you are going to pay a normal of 15 cents per spin to the home. (5% times $3.) Assuming you’re making 500 spins by the hour, that game costs you $75/hour to play, which may or may not be a reasonable price for you entertainment. That relies on your bankroll.

Something else to factor into your calculation is how much the perks and bonuses you’re getting back from the casino are worth. For anyone who is playing in a land-based casino where you’re getting free drinks while you play, then you can subtract the price of those drinks from you are hourly cost. (Or you can 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 so that you can 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’ve just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.

Slot clubs also give back a share 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 this meals, show tickets, and free rooms, which all add up to reduce the total amount of money you are spending each hour that you’re playing on their own machine.

Just 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 of the comps and also the perks, and go for the big progressive jackpot.