Overview
Winning big on a slot machine is easier than you think…but it’s probably not the answer you want to hear.
Slot machines are simple devices
Contrary to what many people think, a slot machine is a pretty simple device. You insert money, it performs a calculation, and spins the reels accordingly. If the right sequence of numbers comes up, it pays you money. It’s that simple.
Too many slot players attribute human characteristics to slot machines. Slot machines can’t be sweet-talked, can’t be swayed by caressing its buttons or screen, and can’t be fooled into giving a jackpot by making fast spins.
The secret to winning big is to make bigger bets (with some exceptions)
Potential wins on a slot machine increase in size according to your bet. It’s that simple. Put more money in, get more money out. The high-limits slot room exists for a reason.
If you went to the casino with $100,000 and made $100 spins on Dragon Link, I can pretty much guarantee that you will win a handpay. What I mean by that is that your budget and your bet determine whether you will or not.
Note that I’m saying “handpay” and not “win”. Those are two different things. Getting a handpay doesn’t mean you’ll leave the casino with a profit, as many slot videos have shown. If it costs you $3,000 to win a $1,200 handpay, you’re obviously still in the red.
WHAT WE RECOMMEND AND WHY
Step One Decide if you want a handpay or if you want to leave with a profit.
Step Two: Bet accordingly. Our largest handpay $8,500 cost us $300 to get—six spins at $50 a spin. If we had been playing a 25¢ denom slot, we likely would have won $85.
When we started playing slots, we would always bet the minimum and we lost. When we increased our be ($3 spins instead of $0.50 spins), we started to return home with a profit, a trend that continued for 8 months (we’ll talk about the 9th month in an upcoming article). It’s really that simple.
Step 1: Choose the Right Denomination
Penny slots machines almost always have the worst odds. Yes, it’s possible to win a handpay on a penny slot, but they’re comparitively rare (see video above).
The only slot with odds worse than penny slots are “Megabucks” slots, but these fall into another category (wide area progressive slots).
1¢ single-denomination slots have the lowest rate of return of any slot according to the June 2025 Nevada Gaming Control Board report. In Las Vegas, the payback percentage by denomination looks like this.
Higher numbers are better for you, the gambler…
- 1¢: 80.69% (worst odds)
- 5¢: 94.12% (best odds)
- 25¢: 91.80%
- $1: 92.93%
- $5: 93.97%
- $25: 93.01%
- $100: 92.94%
- Multi-denomination slots:
DLucky and Jackpot Judo Concur
We HIGHLY RECOMMEND watching a DLucky video. It shows that someone with zero gambling experience can win a handpay jackpot in a few spins if they’re willing to risk making a large bet.
Jackpot Judo also talks about why more people should be making larger (and fewer) bets on slots. In fact, he repeats this in almost every one of his videos.
Define what "winning big" means to you
“Winning big” can mean a lot of things. If you want a handpay, then make larger bets. YouTube slot videos are a great resource in this case, since most channels show what their bet was and how long it took to get it.
ALWAYS gamble within your budget. Money spent on slots should be money that you wouldn’t miss if it burned.