Free Poker Slot

How many lines should I play in video slots?

I like to play video slots when I am in Vegas, but I am always stumped by how many lines give me better chances of winning? Does it make a difference? Is there an optimal number of lines to play?

Public Comments

1. Most video slots does not 'punish' you for betting on a smaller number of lines. However, decreasing the number of pay-lines you decrease hit frequency: with 25 pay-lines and 40 winning combinations you can win on almost every spin by betting max 25 lines. If you bet just 1-2 lines out of 25 you will wait for your win several spins, although the odds may be the same. There are also slots, including most progressive ones, that are not recommended to play with lower then max number of lines because top jackpot, especially progressive jackpot, has increased value. For example, playing progressive slots with non-max bets give you 80%-92% payback percentage, while betting max with a big-enough-jackpot may result in 95%-100%+ average payoff.
2. Playing max coin is probably as important, if not more important, then playing max lines. Often the payout is many times on max coins than not. When I was in Vegas I would scout around for the cheapest max coin & max line combination so I woulnd't feel like a dip if a winning line came up that I wasn't betting on, or if I won, but I didn't bet max coin, causing me to miss out on a big payout. The I learned that with proper stragety, video poker machines pay much better than most slot machines (higher return rate), and I could play with less money.