Before you head to a casino...
Set your gambling budget
This may seem obvious since we’re adults and do this every day, but it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a casino.
Your gambling money should be the amount that you can comfortably lose A lot of people say this, but it really means an amount of cash you could don’t need for paying rent, buying groceries, spending on your next vacation, etc. Not surprisingly, this is EXACTLY the same advice financial advisors give for investing in the stock market.
Slot machines are NOT a way to earn a living because the expected long-term return is a negative number (-3% to -20%). Don’t forget that. While it’s fun to come home with a tidy profit, the odds are always working against you.
Visit your bank ATM
Withdraw cash from your bank’s ATM before your trip to avoid fees charged by casino ATMs.
Casino ATM fees can be high (typically $5-$9.99). The only reason to use them is if you don’t want to travel with cash.
Anecdote: My bank has delayed processing transactions from a casino ATM multiple times, which prevented me from withdrawing money at the casino for several days.
Bank ATMs are rare on the Las Vegas Strip. The only bank ATM that I could locate is in the MGM Grand’s M&M World on the 4th floor. The closest bank branch is a Bank of America 2.7 miles away, a Wells Fargo 4.7 miles away, and a Chase 9 miles away—not “walking distance” in Las Vegas heat.
Common Slot Questions
We’ve watched 100s of videos about slot machines. These questions pop up the most.
Can I predict when a slot will pay?
No.
But, there’s (sort of) an exception. Some slots have a “Win Before” jackpot, which must be paid before reaching a specific amount. We avoid these slots, but we’ve watched others burn through hundreds chasing the jackpot.
There are three things you are always in control of: 1) where you gamble, 2) how much you bet, and 3) how long you play. We use the M.A.D. Method™. Have I ever made a silly $100 bet on a slot machine with a million dollar grand jackpot? Yes. Did I quickly lose all my money? Yes. Did I win the jackpot? No.
ANECDOTE: Progressive jackpots must be paid out. However, no one knows how many years that might take. When the Mirage casino closed in Las Vegas in 2024, they gave away tens of thousands of dollars from their progressive slots WHICH MEANS NO ONE EVER WON THEM. That specific instance, yes, you could predict one of the hundreds of people there would win. We were there. Nightmare.
Does the bet denomination make a difference?
Yes, on some slots.
While making a bet on a denomination larger than 1¢ doesn’t guarantee a jackpot, on some slots it will increase your chances. A slot’s pay table is included in the instructions for that game. If a larger denomination will improve your odds, you’ll find it there. Reading the instructions will take a few minutes from your play time, but it’s worth a look, even in a cursory way.
Do we always read the instructions? No, but we rarely bet the minimum.
Is there a trick I can use to win more on slots?
No, but…
On some slot machines, increasing the denomination or multiplier can improve your odds of getting a bonus or jackpot. This is unique to each slot, not a blanket statement.
Slot hacks and tricks that appear on YouTube walk a fine line. While they’re categorized at entertainment, it’s easy to mistake them for real advice. If Warren Buffet started an “entertainment” TV show where he gave out “hacks” for picking stock market winners, the SEC might have something to say about it. Have we thought about doing this ourselves? Yes, but we’re not there yet.
What’s most important—regardless of how you play—is determining how much you are willing to lose BEFORE you begin playing a slot machine and then stick to it. This is true of any activity where the odds are against you. Only bet what you’re comfortable with losing and what is within your budget. I’ve also seen plenty of people hit a $200 bonus on a $2 bet after only a few spins. It all comes down to luck.
Anecdote: I watched (in horror) as a man burned through thousands of dollars ($50 per spins) on Dragon Link. He wasn’t winning anything, not even a significant line hit. He didn’t look happy. No fun = move. I played the same machine the man was playing and lost $50 in four spins, so I moved to the Dragon Link just to the left and hit a $500+ bonus on the first spin.)
Is there a difference between “Vegas-style” slots and those in tribal casinos?
Yes, a big one.
Class III slot machines (“Vegas-style” slots): Vegas-style slots are Class 3 machines. They rely on a Random Number Generator (RNG) which determines wins according to a pre-defined pay table. In states where it’s legal to gamble on slot machines, the minimum return is set by a gaming commission. For example, in Nevada the minimum is 75%; in Louisiana and Mississippi, it’s 80%.
Close II slot machines (bingo-based slots used many tribal casinos): Many but not all tribal casinos use Class 2 machines, which are bingo games. Despite what the slot machine looks like, it’s bingo. You are assigned a virtual “bingo card”, numbers are selected, and if you complete a pre-defined pattern, you win.
Some Class 2 slot machines are almost indistinguishable from Class 3 slots, but the inner workings are still based on bingo. On some slots, you will literally see the bingo card you are playing; on others, it’s more subtle or non-existent. The Return to Player (RTP) of tribal casinos are largely unregulated, but it’s unlikely they would be set to pay less if they want to stay in business.
Tribal casinos can also use Class 3 slot machines. From my own experience here in California, they seem on par with pay outs from Las Vegas Strip slot machines.
Class 1 Games: “Class 1” games are traditional Indian wagering games. There are no Class 1 slot machines.
How do YouTube slot influencers never lose?
They edit out losses. But, that’s okay.
Here’s why. Slot videos are meant as entertainment. Hollywood movies end on a happy note. No actor ever flubs a line. It’s the same idea.
SlotBear videos are different because we take a documentary approach; we try to show exactly what we’re experiencing—the wins, the losses, and the hand pays. Any “method” we promote is what we are using ourselves, not clickbait. Each of our slot videos costs between $800-$1K to produce, so we take a chef’s snout-to-tail approach—we use everything in hopes that our videos will cover the expected 15% loss over time. Everyone wins.
While we have learned a lot from watching YouTube videos, we’ve also been burned by bad advice. If you’ve ever actually attempted a recipe that you found on YouTube or TikTok, then you know what I mean.
Should I play the exact machine I see someone win on in a video?
You can, but don’t get your hopes up.
Playing the exact same slot machine that a slot influencer won on is always an option, but it doesn’t guarantee you will be as lucky. I’ll admit that I did this. I tracked down the exact same machine I saw Jackpot Judo playing at the Horseshoe casino, and tried it myself. I lost. What you might consider instead is playing the same TYPE of slot they played (e.g., reel-based slots vs. video slots), the same game, and the same bet. The latter is how we’ve gone from consistently losing to winning.
Do slot odds change based on a casino's location?
Yes, a surprise (and a letdown).
The Return To Player (RTP) percentage can be significantly different from one geographic area to another. For example, the 25¢ slots in North Las Vegas have an RTP of 96.27% on average; the 25¢ slots on the Strip have an RTP of 89.34% on average.
Here’s the catch: RTP measures the return over the lifetime of the machine ON AVERAGE. Those two words at the end are important. If you go a casino and play a 25¢ slot with an RTP of 96.27%, there’s no guarantee you will get 96.27% back or even anything at all.
ANECDOTE: At Circus Circus in Las Vegas, we played the “guaranteed 97.4% RTP” coin slots. We literally got nothing back, not even a line hit. I’ll admit that we didn’t play for long because we grew tired of losing and feeding coins into the machine, but no one else that was playing in that bank of machines was winning either.
American Casino Guide has an excellent listing of slot payback statistics by state.
FYI: Nevada requires slot machines to pay a minimum of 75% back (see image below), but most casinos pay back significantly more because they compete against each other.
Find A Slot
We found these by accident while looking for a fun but obscure slot (Kung Fu Empress). I don’t know how often these are updated, but they give you an idea of the variety of slots a casino has to offer. The more variety, the longer it takes to get bored.
Caesars Slot Finder
Difficult to use, but extensive. This has been “under constuction” since at least May 2024. This is the #1 reason we don’t always read the instructions on every slot. CLICK HERE
Aristocrat “Where to Play”
Easier to use, but of course it only shows Aristocrat slots. You must be 21 years old to use this website. CLICK HERE
You can also find where a particular slot is available, e.g., Buffalo Power Play or Aqua Dynasty.
