5 Ways to Improve Your Slot Gameplay

Online slot machines are more popular than ever in 2025, especially those found on today’s most trusted iGaming platforms. The hit titles are brought to you by a handful of market-leading, multi-award-winning online casino software providers and game development studios. 

If you want to know how you can improve your slot gameplay, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know, whether you are new to playing online slots with little experience or consider yourself a seasoned pro with many years of experience playing them on your favourite sites. There’s something for everyone. 

Five ways you can become a better online slot machine player

Each time you hit the spin button in a computer-generated online slot machine on a fully licensed and regulated iGaming site, the result/outcome is, in fact, pre-determined by a highly sophisticated and frequently tested mathematical algorithm program known as a Random Number Generator (RNG). 

In other words, there are no proven strategies that can affect the outcome of any given spin, meaning winning and losing all boils down to luck, unlike in some traditional casino games, such as blackjack and poker, where an element of skill and knowing what to do when faced with certain situations can affect the outcome of the hand and whether you win or lose. 

In other words, the following five strategies that many people use today when playing their favourite online slots are more about responsible gambling than actual gameplay strategies. Being a sensible player who gambles responsibly is the most important thing you can remember when you log in to your favourite online casino accounts to play your favourite titles.

Without further ado, here are five ways you can improve your slot gameplay:

1. Stick to playing online slot machines on fully licensed and regulated (legally permitted) iGaming sites. For example, if you live in South Africa, only play on globally renowned sites like 10bet and avoid playing slots on unlicensed/unregulated sites at all costs. They have hundreds of proven-performing slots with high or above-average payout rates
2. Always remember that mathematically speaking, online fruitys with a high or above average return to player (RTP%) payout rate are more likely to pay than ones with much lower RTP% payout rates. However, with that said, you still aren’t always guaranteed to win more. Consider playing slots with a 97.00% to 98.00% or higher RTP payout rate (although 93.00% to 97.99% is still regarded as good) and perhaps avoid playing ones with a lower than 93.00% RTP payout rate
3. Before depositing to play slots, set a reasonable spending budget based on any disposable income you can comfortably afford to lose. Some sites also provide one or more ‘safer gambling tools’ that help you stay within your spending budget. If your website operator provides things like session time reminders, spending caps, or deposit limits, remember to use them. Limits only take a minute or so to set, and they are the first line of defence for those deemed ‘at-risk’ of developing gambling problems
4. Decide whether you want to play fixed coin jackpot slots or progressive jackpot slots. In fixed coin jackpot slots, the jackpots are typically capped at a specific amount (e.g., anywhere from 500x to 50,000x times your stake maximum can be won on any lucky spin). With progressive jackpot slots, there’s no limit to how high the prize pool can grow. When playing progressive slots, wait until the jackpot is ready to pop instead of playing just after it has been won
5. Avoid playing your favourite slots while tired or intoxicated because playing in the real money mode while in an altered state of consciousness can lead to more risk-taking and unnecessary losses that you wouldn’t have incurred if you were playing in a normal frame of mind

What else can I do to improve my slot machine gameplay?

Some of the other important things to remember when playing online slots are simple things like paying attention to your total currency stake before hitting the spin button. For example, the default value varies from one game to the next. 

You may find that in some slots, the initial stake value is automatically set to R2.00 or R4.00 (approx. $/€/£0.10 or $/€/£0.20), and in other slots from other providers, the default stake value might be set to a slightly higher value per spin, perhaps R20.00 or R50.00 (approx. $/€/£1.00 or $/€/£2.50). 

You can use the in-game player controls to adjust your stake accordingly to correspond with your bankroll, which can extend your average session times to play your favourite slots. 

Also, remember that there are high, medium, and low win volatility slots. Some players prefer highly volatile slots, while others prefer medium or low-volatility ones. You might prefer one or the other or find that you don’t have a preference. 

High volatility slots (the riskiest slots) pay out less often, but when the wins land, they are typically much greater in value, whereas low volatility slots (the least risky slots) pay out smaller wins more frequently. 

Final thoughts

When playing online slots, remember to spend with your means and don’t forget to cash out your winnings each time you land a decent windfall. 

Use the lowest-costing deposit methods to give you more money to play your favourite slots. Also, try to claim as many online slot machine bonuses and other casino bonuses as you are offered because it’s free money, and you could win even more money. 

However, to avoid disappointment when claiming bonuses, ALWAYS remember to read the terms and conditions attached to those offers and pay close attention to the part that explains in greater detail about the wagering requirements (aka rollover, turnover or playthrough requirements) that you must complete before you can withdraw your bonus winnings. 

If you want to know more about any online slot machines you decide to play, all you need to do is click or tap the paytable button for more information.