If you had to name the oldest pastime in the world that you could think of, what would you say? For us, gambling would definitely be on that list. Since the dawn of man, people have liked playing games. And while that is fun enough, actually wagering real money has always brought a special thrill to any kind of social game. Indeed, the possibility of winning big and losing all of your money makes every single kind of move count. But where could you fulfill your need for such excitement these days? Logically, in real money casinos. There, you can indulge in responsible, but still exhilarating gambling.

Though, if you’re not already a gambling aficionado, getting comfortable on the casino floor could be anything but easy. After all, there are lots of games you can play, and many of them require mastering a variety of complex rules. In light of that, you may want to start with something simpler, but still interesting. That’s the primary reason why we want to talk about classic slots — a casino game older than casinos themselves. This game is truly the best choice for any casino amateur. Regardless of that, you could also find many slot players among the most experienced gamblers. The reason for that isn’t too difficult to grasp, as the gameplay and rules of slots are simplistic enough for absolutely anyone to pick up immediately.

So, keeping all of this in mind, where should you start playing slots for real money? Don’t worry, as that’s precisely why we’re here! Through this simple guide, we’ll tell you all about the way slots work, and how to choose the best one before playing real money slots. What are you waiting for? Dive in, and enjoy!

The Mechanics of a Slot

In order to increase your chance to win at absolutely any game, what’s the first thing you need to do? That’s right — study absolutely every aspect of it. Slots are really no exception to this rule. If you want to increase your odds of winning actual money at a slot machine, we recommend that you learn everything you can about the way slots work. But you won’t have to search for very long to find all the answers you seek. We’re about to tell you all that you need to know right here! So, for starters, what does a normal video slot consist of?

 

You’ve got the coin slot, a level or a button with which the player interacts, and a screen on which the winning combinations appear. But apart from the obvious components that we all see, there is one invisible to the players. And yet, it actually represents the most important part of absolutely every slot machine. This is something called the RNG; a computer chip that decides the outcome of every single spin that anyone plays at a given machine. Naturally, your question now is — how does this happen?

The Random Number Generator

First of all, let’s dispel one dilemma that must be torturing you right about now — what does the term “RNG” mean? And what does this arcane acronym stand for? While it seems like something deadly complicated, in reality, it’s a fairly mundane piece of technology. Something you can find in almost every computer program on the planet. Yes, we’re talking about a Random Number Generator. In slot machines, this is a chip that does its eponymous job. For as long as the slot is running, the RNG generates a virtually endless sequence of random number combinations. And these actually represent the combinations of symbols that you’ll see once you pull the lever, or press the button on the slot.

With this crucial piece of tech explained, you’ve probably started to grasp how slots actually work. Just in case though, we’ll give you a quick rundown. You, as a player, only select one of the random number sequences that the RNG generates by spinning the reels. And that combination can be a winning or a losing one. Depending on what kind of RNG number sequence you’ve selected, you will either lose money or win some.

To clarify, there is no way to influence what combination an RNG will churn out. In other words, all the folk tales of casinos cheating players using slots are basically falsehoods. But now that you know all of this, the question is: what slots should you play if you want to earn real money? And where? Stay tuned to find out!

Playing Slots Online

At the start, we briefly touched on gambling throughout history. Naturally, we concluded that casinos are modern gambling hubs, where most of the action happens. But in the age of the Internet, this is not entirely true. These days, online casinos are a much more practical way of gambling. Especially compared to the tedium of going out and physically traveling to Las Vegas or Atlantic City. And why do that at all, when you can play online slot machines without ever leaving your home?

Indeed, if you want to play online slots for real money, that’s definitely the most efficient way of enjoying your slot gameplay experience. The reasoning behind this is obvious. For one, you can play all online casino games on basically any WiFi-equipped device. Whether you want to play on a tablet, laptop or even a phone you can find real money slots online for all such devices. The days of having to sit at an actual slot machine and pull a lever are definitely long gone.

Also, if you’re thinking about how online slots differ from actual, physical machines, the answer is that they don’t. The essence of the game is still the RNG, that’s just a piece of computer code this time, in place of an actual device. And while you may not have the physical slot experience with online games, there are other tangible benefits. For one, online slots have much better graphics than any actual slot machine ever could.

Plus, remember that brick-and-mortar casinos are, at the end of the day, limited by the actual buildings they’re housed in. On the other hand, online casinos are just websites, limited by nothing but the software they have. And that’s visible, once you start looking at the roster of games these two types of casinos offer. On average, online casinos offer a much wider variety of any sort of gambling game. When you think about it, it’s completely logical. After all, there are only so many slot machines you can fit onto even the largest casino floor. But an online casino wouldn’t be hindered by such issues.

And the greater variety online casino establishments can boast with doesn’t end at the different games on offer. Unlike land-based ones, online casinos offer many different free spins bonuses and other promotions, as long as you go through the wagering requirements. In fact, most places offer a hefty deposit bonus for newly registered players. And on top of all that, you can play free games until you feel like spending actual money. Obviously, when you put all of this into perspective — playing online real money slots seems like a much better idea than going to an actual casino. But even if you decide to deposit your money at an online casino and play slots, you still need to figure out which one’s the best.

Choosing the Best Casino

Even once you decide that playing slots online for real money is the best way to experience slot gambling, you still haven’t chosen a specific casino. At that point, you’re only one quick Internet search away from realizing that there are more online casinos than you could’ve ever imagined. Remember how we talked about land-based casinos being limited by buildings, and online casinos just being websites? Well, one of the consequences of that is the fact that online casinos are much, much cheaper to run and maintain. That’s why there’s so many of them in the first place.

So, opening such a casino doesn’t require nearly the same resources as you’d need for a brick and mortar joint. Consequently, there are quite a few dubious online casinos out there. These don’t operate with the players’ best interests in mind, but instead, look to cheat them out of their money in various ways. We don’t have to tell you twice that you want to stay away from these rogue casinos entirely. They use promises of incredible promotions to lure players in, but problems appear once the time comes for them to pay out.

That’s why you want to do a little due diligence before spending your money on gambling in such places. Ask around on online forums, and see what experienced online players have to say about these casinos. Also, browse websites that specialize in casino reviews. From these two sources, try to gain insights about a specific casino’s reputation. Once you do that, you’ll be able to know where it’s worth playing. But even once you make that call, there’s still one looming question — what online slots play real money? Which ones should you play?

Check Out a Slot’s RTP

If you thought we were done with confusing acronyms, you better not get your hopes up. Because, in order for you to understand which slots you should play, you’ll need to learn about RTP. And no, this isn’t RNG’s long lost cousin. In fact, they mean quite different things. When we say RTP, we’re actually talking about the Return to Player percentage. Naturally, you’re wondering what this percentage actually represents.

Basically, the RTP is a statistic that shows the percentage of all bets played on a slot, that this machine will return to its players in the form of winnings. It’s useful for people who are looking for a slot where they have the biggest chances of winning money. Why? Well, the RTP describes your theoretical chances of winning, in the long term. It doesn’t really tell you anything certain about your next spin of the reels, but it gives you a rough outlook on the game in general.

Luckily, finding out the RTP of an online slot is actually quite easy. For most of them, this sort of information is readily available. But how do you utilize it? Well, basically you want to avoid any slot that has less than 90% RTP. This is also another reason why you should play at online casinos rather than traditional physical ones. In land-based casinos, slot RTPs are usually lower.

Should You Play Progressive Slots?

During your reading about online slots, you may encounter a variant called “progressive slots.” Or rather, slots with progressive jackpots. These are usually more expensive versions of the classic slot game, but they also offer you the chance to win far larger rewards.

So, how do these progressive slots work? Well, there’s no discernible difference in gameplay, at all. In fact, the only thing that differs is the jackpot system. Here, every player that makes a bet actually contributes to the huge jackpot, that keeps building until a random player hits it. And at that point, the ultimate reward is reset and starts growing again from the minimum.

If you’re playing online slots in search of a life-changing win, this kind of slot may seem more appealing. But actually, we’d caution against playing progressive slots in most cases. Why? Well, they’re usually more expensive to bet on, while your chances of actually hitting the progressive jackpot are ridiculously low. Considering that, usual online slots may be a better choice.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, you’d be right to surmise that there’s not much you can do to influence your chances of winning while you’re actually playing slots. The entire gameplay is founded on the press of a button, and an RNG you can’t influence in any way at all. But if you do everything you can to pick a good slot beforehand, you’ll have bigger chances of winning than people playing a random online slot on a whim. Knowing all of that, all that’s left is for you to spin the reels — and have a great time!