New slot machine players are going to find a lot of advice for beating the slots. Have a healthy skepticism when a slots expert tells you they know how to beat the slot machines. Among the games in a casino, video slots (in general) have a high house edge. Besides finding gaming machines with high jackpots and a low house edge, no skill or strategy is required to play slots. That means you can’t expect to increase your odds of winning in most situations.
Read through the advice below to optimize your chances of winning at slots. None of the advice assures winning sessions. Instead, it helps you stretch your bankroll, so you enjoy playing the slots longer. Also, the longer your bankroll lasts, the more chances you’ll have of hitting the big jackpot every slots player wants.
This was a huge win on the enforcer slot machine. This is one of the newer dollar slot machines called the enforcer.This slot hit a feature and won over $1,800 for a 5 dollar bet.I try dollar slot machines sometimes for a few spins.This was a huge slot win on the enforcer.The feature kept hitting extra free games and paid big. Casino big wins.
Use a Slots Card
Upon entering a live casino, sign up for a slots card. This provides comps and cashback, which automatically lowers the house edge by a bit. Never play a spin without using your slots card. In an online casino, accept the highest slots bonus and play according to the terms and conditions until you meet the wagering requirement. Once again, this lowers the house edge on online slots.
Make Max Bets
Look at the payout chart on a slot machine to determine how jackpots are paid. On many slot machines, the 5-coin bet pays out a higher percentage on the top fixed jackpot. For instance, a 1-coin bet might pay $200, a 2-coin bet might pay $400, a 3-coin bet might pay $600, and a 4-coin bet might pay $800. You might expect the 5-coin bet to pay $1000, but many slot machines pay out $1200 or $1500 in that case, trying to convince bettors to make the max bet.
If the jackpot increases a bigger percentage with a maximum coin wager, then it makes sense to make the max bet on a slot machine. If the bet size is too high for your tastes, then lower the coin denomination and make a max bet at that level. Of course, if there is no additional jump between the 4-coin and 5-coin bet, then you can wager a single coin and max out the coin denomination to the bet size you like.
Read the RTP Information
If an online casino or land-based casino publishes its return-to-player information, read through the RTP percentages to find the video slots with the best RTPs. Return-to-player or expected return is the percentage of a theoretical $100 you expect to see returned to you. It is a theoretical percentage based on probability, so an RTP of 95% does not assure you’ll be paid $95 for every $100 you put in the machine. You might lose $50 or you might win $150, or you might win a progressive jackpot and go home rich.
The point of the RTP percentage is to give a player an idea of their expected return. If two slot machines sit next to one another and one has an RTP of 93% and the other an RTP of 95% (and both have similar jackpots), then it pays to play the game with the higher percentage. Over time, this leads to you maintaining a higher percentage of your bankroll.
Money Management Techniques
Read about bankroll management techniques. “Money management” or “bankroll management” is a series of steps you take to lock on winnings when good luck happens and limit your losses when a bad streak occurs. These do not assure that you’ll win, but it optimizes your bankroll.
Players should know three core bankroll management methods: percentage betting, win goals, and loss limits. Learn to calculate your bankroll and divide this into percentages. Then bet between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on any given hand, depending on your capacity for risk. This limits the amount of your stake you lose on any given session, keeping you playing for longer throughout your vacation. It is a given that people go to the ATM machine or credit card when they lose their whole bankroll — which means you spend more than you intended. The point of percentage betting is to assure your bankroll last through your whole trip, so you never have to replenish.
What Is a Bankroll?
“Bankroll” is not defined as your entire bank account. It isn’t defined as your discretionary spending budget or the money you have earmarked for entertainment expenses. Instead, it is a part of your discretionary spending cash and entertainment budget which is set aside specifically for gambling. In this case, a bankroll is less than your entertainment budget.
Once you have your bankroll figured, divide this into easy to understand percentage. If you have a bankroll of $1000, then divide this into percentages. These are simple calculations, but you should have an understanding of 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of your bankroll. In the earlier example, 1% would be $10, while 2% would be $20. 5% would be $50, 10% would be $100, and 20% would be $200.
Now that you have these, decide whether to bet 1% to 5% of your bankroll. Most experts suggest betting no more than 1% to 2% in order to maintain your bankroll throughout your casino trip or online slots session.
Setting a Win Goal
Next, set your win goal. This is the amount of winnings you set as your goal for any given slots session. If you have a win goal of 10%, then your win goal would be $100 for any given slot machine sessions. As soon as you hit that goal, you walk away from the slot machine — no matter what. A win goal is a hard-and-fast rule, because it locks in winnings. One of the biggest mistakes players make is losing back their winnings, because they think they’re on a hot streak.
Setting a Loss Limit
Even more dangerous is trying to win back cash you just loss. To protect against this tendency, set a loss limit. Once again, make this your hard-and-fast rule. Typical loss limits can be 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% — though 20% means you could lose the entire bankroll in 5 slots session. 10% to 15% is a good middle ground. Once you’ve lost that amount, walk away from the slot machine under all circumstances. The slots game is not “due” to pay out, so step away from the machine and clear your mind.
Win goals and loss limits guard against gambler’s fallacy. Gambler’s fallacy is the idea that the law of averages assures or weight the odds in your favor. Slots use random number generators and every spin is entirely separate from the previous spin. Losing the last spin does not make it more likely you’ll win the next spin. The odds stay the same, no matter how many wins or losses in a row you’ve had.
Avoid Progressive Betting
Big Wins 500 Dollar Slot Machines
For that reason, avoid progressive betting systems like the Martingale system, D’Alembert system, Fibonacci system, and so on. Betting experts have used computer simulations to track the progressive betting methods against flat betting (same bet each spin). Flat betting beats all of the progressive betting schemes over 1 billion spins.
Progressive betting seems like it’s working, because it leads to a lot of small winning sessions. The problem is that it also has a handful of huge losing sessions which wipe out all the wins — and then some. You can’t beat the house edge with the Martingale system, however it might look to the naked eye. The Fibonacci numbers are incredible, but they are not a magical way to beat the casino.
The reason progressive bets are bad is they increase the size of your bets (in some systems exponentially). If you start with $5 or $10 bets, a streak of bad luck has you betting hundreds of dollars on one spin. That’s busts your bankroll and leads to a “risk of ruin” — meaning you’ll lose your whole bankroll if you hit a bad luck streak. No matter what you read online, flat bets are better.
Take Breaks for Rest and Refreshments
Play when you are at your best physically and mentally. Don’t play when you’re tired or sleepy. Don’t play when you’re hungry or thirsty. Take frequent rest and restroom breaks. If you get bored, take a break and walk the casino. Play another game to change up the betting pattern.
When you are rested and engaged, you won’t have distractions that might lead to bad decisions. The idea is to have fun, so if anything is causing you to lose focus on the entertainment aspect of the game, walk away and save your bankroll.
Don’t Go on Tilt
Tilt is a concept in poker where a player makes decisions based on emotional responses instead of solid strategy. It can cost a player a lot of money if they make bets based on anything but rational decisions. While going on tilt is not a concept in slot machine gambling, every game of chance has a personal component.
In short, don’t play when you’re agitated. Take stock of your inner thoughts. If your ego or anger is causing you to make irrational decisions, take a deep breath and calm down. If that doesn’t work, walk away and clear your head. It stinks to lose a series of bets, but what stinks more is to lose a series of bigger bets when you’re trying to make up for lost bankroll.
Slots are hands down some of the most popular casino games, with players sinking millions of dollars into slot machines every day. With all the flashy lights, $$$ signs all over the place, and click-clack sounds, slot machines can be very enticing.
Slots are easy to learn and play too if one is interested. Being a game of pure luck, there’s not much of skill required when playing slots. However, when lady luck dances in your favor and you strike a huge progressive jackpot, you can be certain that your fortunes will be changed for good.
Stories of big slot wins are all over the internet, and they happen frequently in both land-based and online casinos. In this post, we are going to walk you down the hall of fame of the 18 biggest slot wins in casino history you should know about.
WWII Veteran Scoops a Total of $25.6 Million in two Unbelievable Wins
Stories of humongous progressive jackpot payouts are not exactly rare, but the chances of winning the jackpot twice are the same as the probability of lightning striking the same spot twice. However, that didn’t stop WWII veteran Elmer Sherwin from knocking on the doors of the gambling gods twice!
That’s right; Sherwin scooped a $4.6 million-dollar jackpot on the IGT slot Megabucks in Las Vegas soon after The Mirage swung its doors open. He was then 76, which is why he used most of his windfall to satisfy his wanderlust.
Funny enough, he never stopped playing his favorite slots hoping that he will strike it rich once more. And indeed he did. 16 years later, Sherwin struck another massive Megabucks jackpot win of $21 million, entering the books as one of the handful second-time mega jackpot winners! The soft-spoken veteran gave away the biggest portion of this win to several charities.
Biggest Slot Machine Wins Video
British Soldier Wins close to $20 million-dollar Mega Moolah Jackpot
Mega Moolah has over the years gained a reputation for delivering big slot wins, particularly massive progressive jackpot payouts.
In October of 2015, Jon Heywood, then a 26-year old UK soldier walked away with close to $20 million (or €17,879,645 to be precise) after hitting Moolah jackpot while playing at Betway Casino. It goes without saying that this still stands as the biggest progressive jackpot ever won online.
The Brit went on to buy flashy cars, pay off medical bills for his relatives, and he is currently living a large life. Who wouldn’t splurge after striking such a big slot win, right?
25-Year-Old Wins $39 Million at Excalibur Casino in Vegas
Although the identity of the winner was never revealed, this massive slot payout is worth a mention. What’s funny is that the unidentified 25-year-old from LA was waiting for a basketball game to commence, so he decided to spin the reels to pass the time. Little did he know he would scoop one of the biggest wins ever recorded in Vegas.
After winning a whopping $39 million at the Excalibur Casino, the lucky man opted to take $1.5 million-dollar cut every year for the next quarter of a decade.
Lucky Finnish Slot Player Turns 25 Cents into $18.7 Million
If you don’t know the definition of luck, then listen to the story of one Finnish slot player. He converted a 25-cent bet on NetEnt’s Mega Fortune slot into a staggering $18.7 million (or €17,861,800, to be exact). This happened on January 20th, 2013 at the Paf Casino.
After playing slots for many years, luck shone brightly on the Finnish player. He is one of several players who made bank big time with Mega Fortune slot.
Postal Worker Walks away with an $11 million Win at Megabucks
Slot big wins have been around, and this is a classic example of how slot machines can turn a player’s fortune. While vacationing in Las Vegas in 1991, John Tippin, a postal worker, landed a humongous $11-million-dollar Megabucks jackpot.
Mr. Tippin went on to publish a book ( I Did It! My Life After Megabucks) about his win and travel to Vegas. In this book, he talks about his Vegas trip, Megabucks win, and how it turned his life upside down.
Norwegian Wins $12.9 Million at Mega Fortune
The day was September 24, and the year 2011. The Norwegian slot player spun the wildly popular NetEnt slot Mega Fortune and banked an outstanding $12,922,312 in the middle of the night. This time around the mega win happened courtesy of Betsson Casino. The Norwegian has also entered the World Guinness Book of Records for gambling greats.
60-Year-Old Lady Wins $680,000 then over $27 million
Vegas is the place where the magic happens, and one grand discovered that the sweet way. She won a staggering $680,000 while playing The Wheel of Fortune slot machine at the Palace Station Hotel. Rather than go on spending free, the 60-something-year-old decided to continue spinning the reels. As luck would have it, she hit a $27-million-dollar Megabucks jackpot a couple of months later.
Swedish Player Wins $8.4 million at Unibet Casino
In November 2012, a lucky Swedish player scooped around $8.4 million after landing Hall of Gods jackpot. The NetEnt slot has since then turned several other players into millionaires. The Swede use the money to pay off his home loan, buy a new ride, and improve his lifestyle. Up until November of 2012, this was the largest casino payout, and still is one of the most notable big slots wins.
Online Mega Moolah Player Enjoys a $7 Million Payday
As you have already seen, Mega Moolah progressive slot by Microgaming is a notorious payer when it comes to slot big wins online. Fast forward to March 2009, when a River Belle Casino player from Greece made away with a $7 million-dollar Mega Moolah jackpot. To be exact, he won €6.3 million.
Australian Billionaire Banks Between $20 Million and $40 Million in Vegas
Massive slot payouts are no news to high rollers, but Kerry Packer, an Australian Billionaire redefined slot big wins. His 1997 luxurious trip to Las Vegas ended up with him become $20 million-$40 million richer after several major wins in baccarat and blackjack.
This didn’t come as a big surprise for the Aussie, but let’s be honest 40 million bucks is a helluva lot of money. It is rumored that the Aussie gave a tip of a whopping million to his doorman. Sadly, he lost a staggering $28 million in a high-street casino in London. Even still, his win is still one to write home about.
Hawaiian Grandma Wins $9 Million on Vacation in Vegas
At the age of 71, Amy Nishimura hit an 8.9 million dollar jackpot while playing a slot machine at the Fremont Hotel. The 71-year-old had a bankroll of $100 that she played with for about three hours before she hit her big payout of close to $9 million. This goes to show that persistence can pay off big time when it comes to playing slot machines.
The Win that Never Was – $42.9!
They say luck and misfortune go hand in hand. For one Katrina Bookman, a New York, it was joy then tears all in the same day. Bookman was spinning slots at the Resort World Casino when the machine told her that she’d won a whopping $42.9 million.
Unfortunately, it was later found to be a glitch in the machine. Had it been true, this would have gone to the books are the biggest slot win in history. Sadly, it was just a malfunction because, for one, the slot machine had a max payout of $6,500. To add insult to injury, Mrs. Katrina Bookman was offered only a steak meal.
Cynthia Jay – $35 Million
If you play slot machines, the chances are fairly good that you have asked yourself: “Is this the day that the machine will finally deliver a mega jackpot?”
Biggest Win On A Dollar Slot Machines
That’s the question that run through Cynthia Jay’s mind in one fateful 2000 day, and her wish came true. While playing highly popular Vegas slot Megabucks at the Monte Carlo Casino, Jay won close nearly $35 million. Unfortunately, she was involved in a tragic car accident that took the life of her sister less than 2 months. She survived but not without major disability. Talk about an eventful year!
Fred S. from Florida – Two Big Slot Wins
While this may not make it to the Guinness Book of Records as one of the largest slot wins, a man identified as just Fred S. made not just one but 2 slot jackpot wins in 2018. The Florida man made the winnings minutes in between.
In the first jackpot, we won an incredible $1,291,918 with a bet of 20 bucks. While waiting eagerly for Hard Rock Biloxi casino to verify the jackpot win, the lucky Floridian made another decent win of $14,000, bring the sum win to more than $1.3 million.
German wins $3.85 Million Playing Mega Fortune Slot
Online slot players will be glad to know that there are some incredible bi wins to be had on their favorite online slots. In 2018, a lucky German slot player was having a blast playing Mega Fortune with a bankroll of just $2 when he scooped a jackpot win of over $3.85 million (or 3.5 million euros). This massive win was recorded at PokerStars Casino, the biggest payout in the history of the online casino.
Ashley Revell Won $270,000 in Vegas
This big slot win may not compare to others on this list, but it’s certainly one of the most fascinating. Ashley was having fun with her pals at a bar, and they wondered what would happen if they wagered everything they’d in one go.
Ashley took it a step further, and bet everything he had in one spin. He sold off his golf clubs, BMW, and a Rolex watch. The 32-year-old put all his worth on the line at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in Vegas, and boy did he win! His casino expedition was videotaped and shown live on Sky TV.
Anonymous Woman Wins $12.8 million on the Birthday of her Niece
Everyone is aware that the Strip is the place to go if you desire to strike it big when playing slot, and this proved to be true for one lucky lady. Even though she decided to remain anonymous, her win of an astonishing $12.8 million cannot be thrown under the rug. She was visiting her niece who was celebrating her birthday at the Aria hotel.
On her way to the niece’s hotel room, the anonymous lady opted to place a six-dollar bet on an idle slot machine. She couldn’t believe her eyes when numbers and $$$ signs started flying all over the screen of the machine.
With the $6 bankroll, she managed to scoop a whopping $12,769,933.
Johаnnа Huendl won $22 Million in Las Vegas
On her way to an early breakfast in 2002, 74-year-old Johanna Huendl decided to try her luck on the reels. And her instincts were right; she ended up winning the grand Megabucks jackpot of $22 million. It is touted as the 4th biggest slot jackpot in the whole of Vegas history.
This happened while Johanna was vacationing in Nevada area. At first, because of her poor eyesight, she thought the jackpot was worth $2 million. Upon further inspection, she noticed that she had won a mouth-watering $22,618,156. I bet she skipped breakfast!
There you have it – 18 of the biggest slot wins in the history of casino industry. Most, if not all of these big winners, didn’t expect to land on a life-changing sum of money. Some were only trying to have fun, while others like the lucky Norwegian wanted something to beat insomnia. Whatever the case, these slot big wins are a testament to other players who are still trying to strike big.