What Is The Trick To Winning Slot Machines
Below are 5 tips that will help you with finding loose slot machines to hit a jackpot. The first tip that will help you to increase your chances of hitting a jackpot is to time the machines. If you are in a land based casino playing the slots then you can simply sit near the slot machine you are timing and watch the results. Immersive video slots are a huge moneymaker for the casino, so don’t go in thinking you have the same chance of winning on these compared to traditional old school slots. If you’re looking for better chances to win on slot machines, then stick to the classic slots.
Readers ask if quick reflexes are the key to winning
By John Grochowski
I keep a list of questions that I’m most often asked about slot machines. You could probably tick off some of them: “Are games programmed to go cold after a big win?” “Do you get less payback when you use your rewards card?” And the big one, “Can you tell me how to win?”
Those have been standards ever since I started writing about casinos and casino games 20 years ago. But recently, another question has been shooting up the charts. I have it all the way up at No. 2 on the readers’ hit parade:
“I’ve noticed on a lot of video slot games that if I hit the button a second time while the reels are spinning, they stop right away. I was wondering if I could use this to my advantage. If I see the bonus triggers or the jackpot symbols at the top, should I quickly hit the button again and try to stop the reels?”
I had that thought myself the first time I accidentally double-hit a button and saw the reels click to an immediate halt. Could this be an answer to the chart-topping question, “how to win on the slots?”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. In nearly all slot games that allow you to stop the reels, there is no skill or timing involved on your part. The random number generator has already determined your outcome when you hit the button to spin the reels, and you’re going to get the same result regardless of whether you stop the reels early, or let them halt in their own time.
When you play a slot machine, the game isn’t actually being played out on the reels, whether it uses “real” reels or video reels. It’s being played internally, on the game’s random number generator. The reels are just a player-friendly interface, and are told where to stop by the RNG. If there’s a malfunction and the reel display doesn’t match the numbers generated, it’s the RNG that counts. Large jackpots can be denied—and have been denied—if a check shows the random numbers on the internal computer chip don’t match the winning symbols on the reels.
But this is extremely rare. The engineering is good enough that almost all the time, the RNG and reel display are going to match up. This doesn’t change if you double-hit the bet button. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a single bar, then you’re going to get a single bar—regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a “quick stop,” or just let them take their own sweet time.
There are rare exceptions. When I’ve answered similar questions in the past, I’ve mentioned IGT’s Reel Edge games. In their original incarnation, Reel Edge games enabled players to touch and stop the reels one at a time. There was actual skill involved. Your timing in stopping the reels determined the outcome. The reels spun very, very fast, so it was going take a keen eye and sharp reflexes to get better than random results, but it was possible.
I gave it a try, and found my reflexes just weren’t fast enough to generate more than my normal share of winners. In the original three-reel Blood Life game, I identified a green 7 as the easiest symbol to pick out as it whizzed by. I touched each reel individually as I saw a green 7 reach the top of the slot window, and managed to stop 7s on all three reels. Alas, I failed to land them all on the same payline. Some younger folks with quicker reactions may have been able to do better.
I don’t know if any of the first generation of Reel Edge games remain on casino floors. They were never widespread, and I don’t get lists from casinos or manufacturers telling me what games are available in any given casino. The new generation of Reel Edge puts the skill-based portions of the games in the bonus events.
Blood Life’s updated video incarnation, Blood Life Legends, allows you to test your skill with a joystick to guide a bat through the ups, downs, twists and turns of a cave as you try to collect gems for bonuses. There is actual skill involved, but it’s not the reel-stopping experience readers have been asking about.
On most slot games, even in the bonus events you’re getting an illusion of skill rather than actual skill. And when it comes to stopping the reels, it’s the random number generator, not your reflexes, that determines the results.
What about my readers’ other top questions?
To answer another—no, games are not programmed to go cold after big wins. Results remain as random as humans can program a computer to be. As long as the RNG keeps doing its thing, any big jackpot, any hot streak, and any cold streak eventually fade away into statistical insignificance, and the machine comes very close to its expected payback percentage.
No, you don’t get less payback when you use your rewards card. The player rewards system doesn’t interact with the RNG.
And no, with rare exceptions, there is no way to beat the slots except by being in the right place at the right time. There have been opportunities for small profit on games with banked bonuses such as the old WMS game Piggy Bankin’, where the sharpies would start to play only when there were enough coins in the bank to give the player an edge.
Such games are not common. Just as with stopping the reels early, your results are up to chance and the RNG.
Tricks To Beat Slot Machines
Table Of Contents
- This is the most complete collection of Keno tips on the web
- It's a perfect article to know how to win at Keno machines
- It covers the best Keno numbers and the top bonus you can use to play Keno online
Keno is probably the most underrated Casino game out there. Many players still imagine it as a game only played at the elderly home. Or that there is no way how to win at Keno other than being extremely lucky.
Let's get it clear from the get-go: that is not the case.
Contrary to the popular belief, you CAN use your smarts and skills to win at Keno.
And since you're reading this guide on PokerNews (and not some suspicious site promising to tell you how to win at Keno every time), it seems you're already using them to choose trustworthy sources on how to win at video Keno.
The Best Keno Games Online!Use these Keno strategy tips to play the top Keno games online - with a welcome bonus! Sign up for free to reveal the offer.
Play NowGood for you!
You can find plenty of Keno strategies that are created to make you lose every time. That's what many Casinos want, after all.
And while you can't really beat the house edge at any Casino game, I prepared a few tips for you that actually work to win more at Keno.
It's not a betting system with a funny name. Neither it is a strategy cheatsheet what to do every single bet. And it's not the kind of tips that would get you kicked out of a Casino in Las Vegas.
But these are the Keno strategy tips that were proven to work by many players worldwide. And there's no harm in trying them yourself, especially since you start by playing Keno for FREE here.
1. Choose Casinos (and Games) With Better Payouts
This may seem obvious to you but you'd be surprised for how many players it's not.
Even when you have your favorite online Casino to play Slot machines or other Casino games, it may not be the perfect fit to play Keno there.
You need to check how many variants of Keno they have and what are the payouts for guessing the right numbers.
In most online Casinos you can either choose up to 10, 15, or 20 numbers to bet on and 20 numbers out of 80 are drawn.
The best payouts online usually look like this.
How many numbers chosen | How many of them get drawn & Payout |
---|---|
One | One 1 to 1 |
Two | One 1 to 1, two 9 to 1 |
Three | One 1 to 1, two 2 to 1, three 16 to 1 |
Four | One 0.5 to 1, two 2 to 1, three 6 to 1, four 12 to 1 |
Five | One 0.5 to 1, two 1 to 1, three 3 to 1, four 15 to 1, five 50 to 1 |
Six | One 0.5 to 1, two 1 to 1, three 2 to 1, four 3 to 1, five 30 to 1, six 75 to 1 |
Seven | One 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 6 to 1, five 12 to 1, six 36 to 1, seven 100 to 1 |
Eight | One 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 3 to 1, five 6 to 1, six 19 to 1, seven 90 to 1, eight 720 to 1 |
Nine | One 0.5 to 1, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 2 to 1, five 4 to 1, six 8 to 1, seven 20 to 1, eight 80 to 1, nine 1200 to 1 |
Ten | One 0, two 0.5 to 1, three 1 to 1, four 2 to 1, five 3 to 1, six 5 to 1, seven 10 to 1, eight 30 to 1, nine 600 to 1, ten 1800 to 1 |
This progression can follow further if you can choose more than ten numbers. For example, if you can choose 15, for guessing all of the right you'd be paid out 10000 to 1.
Not bad, right?
These are the optimal payouts when playing Keno online. Don't go for anything offering less.
As a rule, online Casinos have better payouts than the brick-and-mortar ones. Thus, it's always better to play online.
And let's be honest, much more easier, too.
The best payouts I've seen are available at Quickfire (Microgaming) Keno platforms. There is a simple classic platform to play. Also, a colorful and cheerful one, called Monkey Keno.
If you play the later one, the numbers are not drawn but thrown to the board by a monkey. And they come in a form of coconuts.
But essentially, both of the platforms have the same payouts and odds of winning, and the return to player ratio is 94.9 percent.
Though, you may prefer Monkey Keno because of a few special features:

- you can choose games randomly instead of selecting individual numbers
- you can choose to autoplay the game
- it shows hot and cold maps (the numbers which were drawn most and least in the game)
2. Play For Free to Get A Hold of The Game
Keno is not a complicated game. Thus, many Keno players dive right into the real money play. And they lose, a lot.
No matter what Casino game it is, always play it for free first to get a hold of the game.
There may be some major differences in payouts or minor differences in the game platforms. Casino may be lagging a lot and thus restarting the game before it's finished.
While it makes little difference when playing for free, it may cost you lots of bets when playing for real money.
And even if you learn the best tips on how to win at Keno and you're 100 percent sure of your skills, still practise for free first. You never know what can happen.
But it's always better if something wrong happens and yoou don't lose your cash in the process.
3. Select Between Four and Eight Numbers
When you have an option to choose up to 15 or 20 numbers with the same wager, the logical question is how many numbers is the right number?
Many Keno beginners believe the more, the better. It makes sense, considering the more you choose, the better chances of getting more of them correct you have.
But keep in mind that the payouts change depending on how many numbers you choose in total.
If you guess five out of five chosen, your payout may be 50 to 1. That's really sweet. But if you guess five out of 10 chosen, that reduces to 3 to 1.
So, what's the optimal number?
Think about it. When you choose less than four, any chance of winning is extremely low. There are 80 numbers in the Keno machine (or RNG), after all.

Then again, if you choose more than eight, you will always need to hit at least four or more numbers to get any extra money above what you've already spent for the wager.
How To Win On Slot Machines
And that's not that easy either.
Though, if there is a progressive jackpot attached to the game, it may be worth to choose more numbers. Especially if you play the the saying win big or go home.
4. Choose Consecutive Numbers or The Cold Ones
The next tip related to numbers is which numbers to choose when betting. A common advice is to choose the consecutive numbers.
What Is The Trick To Slot Machines
When it comes to playing video Keno, the numbers are drawn by a random number generato, thus the outcomes are random. But many Keno players researched the outcomes and believe playing consecutive numbers can help you win a lot more.
Same goes for the cold numbers - the numbers that haven't been drawn the longest period of time.
Does it work betting like that?
Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. If you don't have a different betting strategy, you may as well try it.
If you play for free, you have nothing to lose. And maybe you'll discover what Keno numbers are most worthy of betting on.
When it comes to betting on cold numbers, or opposite, choose a platform that shows what were the most and least drawn numbers in the game.
One of such platforms is Monkey Keno.
5. Play at a Reliable Casino
If you want to know how to win at Keno game, many of your choices need to be related to a specific game platform and Casino. Since we talked about the payouts and platforms already, it's time to cover the Casinos.
The Casino needs to be trust-worthy. Even if you discovered a brilliant strategy on how to win at Keno every time, it's pointless if all your money will go to the illegal Casino and you'll never see your winnings.
My advice?
Not only it has both of the Keno platforms mentioned (the classic game of Keno and Monkey Keno), but there are also great Keno variants you can try for free and for real money - if you are not in the United States.
Yes - you can play all of these games FREE. No registration or deposit necessary.
And once you're ready to play for real money, check out this surprise bonus!
So - you only have one decision to make:
What Keno game will you play first?
Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.
The promotion presented on this page was available at the time of writing. With some Casino promotions changing on daily basis, we suggest you to check on the site if it still available. Also, please do not forget to read the terms and conditions in full before you accept a bonus.