Earn A Living Playing Slot Machines
- The number one rule for making money on slot machines is to be wise about how much you play. While the right strategies can give you an advantage over the average gambler, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to maintain any kind of steady income from playing slot machines.
- The same is true for video slots where you will see the low paying symbols appearing multiple times on the reels. Myth 8 - It's possible to be a professional slot player. This depends on what you consider a professional. If you think you can make a living by playing slot machines you are very likely to succeed.
Some times of day are better than others. This isn’t true. Casinos aren’t able to reprogram the.
Most routes to becoming a pro gambler are well known. Daily fantasy sports (DFS), card counting, poker, and sports betting are all common forms of professional gambling.
Slot machines, on the other hand, seem like the last type of gaming that would offer an opportunity to become a professional. Aren’t these the games that people mindlessly play for hours and lose lots of money? Yes, to a degree.
However, slot machines can offer a chance to win profits under the right circumstances. That said, I’ll discuss different ways to win with slots and if this career choice is ultimately worth the effort.
What Are the Different Ways to Beat Slots?
You might think the only way to beat a slot machine is by praying to the heavens. If so, you’ll be surprised to find there are actually three different ways to win with slots.
Banking Slot Machines
A banking (a.k.a. accumulator) slot machine features a bonus meter that gradually fills as one collects special symbols. A bonus feature will be triggered once the meter reaches the top.
The premise behind these games is that they entice gamblers to play longer in order to unlock bonuses. But some players don’t manage to trigger the bonus, because they either run out of time or money.
Assuming they leave, you can swoop in and take advantage. You can theoretically gain an edge with accumulator slot machines when the meter is nearly full.
What’s more is that many gamblers continue playing so that they can earn the bonus. In these cases, you may need to build up the nerve to persuade a gambler off their slot machine beforehand.
Those who engage in this practice are often referred to as slots “vultures.” They hang around games and do anything possible to get a seat when the bonus is set to come.
Can You Make Money Playing Slot Machines
Therefore, you not only need the time to find nearly full meters, but also need the nerve to talk somebody off a slot.
Mystery Jackpots
A mystery slot machine offers a progressive jackpot that pays out at a specific point. For example, a game may deliver its top prize at exactly $250.
Much like with accumulator slots, some gamblers leave a mystery jackpot slot machine before it’s set to pay out. This creates another opportunity where you can gain an edge by stepping in at the right moment.
Can You Make A Living Playing Slot Machines
The biggest challenge in getting this advantage is knowing when to play a mystery jackpot slot. Here’s a formula via Michael “The Wizard of Odds” Shackleford for calculating a mystery game’s most-profitable point.
- Formula: t = m × (h + r) / (h + 2r)
- t = Target point
- m = Max jackpot
- r = Rise of meter (percentage of each bet that goes into the jackpot; e.g. 2%)
- h = House edge (including average value of progressive jackpot)
This formula isn’t perfect. After all, you may not know the house edge and/or jackpot contribution for the game you’re playing.
But you can at least guess these variables and come up with a reasonable target point. For example, most games see around 2% of every bet go towards funding the progressive jackpot.
Here’s an example for using these variables to determine when you’ll have an edge:
- Formula: $250 jackpot x (0.05 + 0.02 rise in meter) / (0.05 + 0.02×2) = $194.44
- You should begin playing when the jackpot reaches $194.44.
Progressive Jackpots
Progressive jackpots play a huge role in the popularity of slot machines. After all, some of these prizes can be worth seven or even eight figures.
For example, somebody won a jackpot of $21 million through Microgaming’s Mega Moolah in 2019. This prize is an exception to the norm, but it shows just how large slots jackpots can get.
You definitely can’t expect to win profits on a game with 88% payback. This RTP is as bad as it gets in the slots world.
However, Mega Moolah’s payback grows along with the jackpot. At a certain point, this slot, or any other progressive game, can feature such a large jackpot that the game itself offers over 100% payback.
Assuming you play progressive slot machines at this point, you’re theoretically earning profits. But this is a huge “theoretical,” because you’d have to actually win the jackpot at some point to eventually be profitable.
The odds of winning the biggest slots jackpots can be 1 in 10 million, or even greater. You certainly don’t have any guarantees with these games.
Why You Should Chase Slots Profits
You can see from the above description that slots winnings aren’t easy to come by. However, you may still find this pursuit worth the effort for a few different reasons.
Make Money With Entertaining Games
Millions of people around the globe play slot machines on a daily basis for the entertainment value alone. Now, just imagine if you could also make a living while enjoying these games.
Professional slots play gives you this opportunity. You can hang out in casinos and play different slots for hours while earning a living.
Pick up Comps on the Side
The profits that you accumulate from slot machines aren’t the only benefits to this profession. You can also earn rewards on the side of your play.
You simply need to sign up for a slots club card at any casino where you gamble. From here, your bets will be comped based on each casino’s formula.
Generally speaking, you often receive 0.01% of your total bets as rewards. Remember, this money is on top of the profits that you’re already making.
Make Your Own Hours
Many people dream of working a job where they can make their own hours. Professional slots play offers this very chance.
You decide when to visit the casino and how long you want to play. You can also choose which holidays to work and which ones to enjoy.
Of course, you may have to play at the busiest hours to truly capitalize on these opportunities. But you always have the choice of when to gamble.
Visit Different Casinos
If you want to be a professional slots player, chances are that you’ll have to move to Las Vegas to do it. After all, Sin City offers the most accumulator slot machines, mystery jackpots, and progressive jackpots in the world.
Assuming you enjoy visiting different casinos anyway, then you’ll love this aspect of being a slots pro. Vegas, for example, offers well over 100 different casinos.
Not all these gaming establishments offer great opportunities to make profits. But you may include over a dozen different casinos in your rotation.
Why You Shouldn’t Try to Be a Slots Pro
Professional slots players aren’t very common. One reason why is because there are a number of downsides to this job, including the following.
Inconsistent Income
Even if you have an advantage with slot machines, you’re never guaranteed profits on a given day. You’ll have a very small edge in any game and must rely on the luck of the draw in some cases.
If you’re playing an accumulator slot with a nearly full meter, for example, you still need to collect the one to two required symbols to trigger the bonus. Sometimes, you’ll get the required symbols very quickly. Other times, you’ll have to wait and lose money in the process.
Assuming you keep playing slot machines with an advantage, then you’re going to make profits. But you never know how much you’ll earn during each day or even week.
Limited Opportunities
Accumulator slot machines used to be more common over a decade ago. However, many casinos found out that these slots caused major problems.
As covered before, vultures try to persuade gamblers off of machines with nearly full meters. Fistfights sometimes break out when vultures are too persistent or even downright rude.
Mystery jackpot games aren’t heavily prevalent in casinos either. They’re just not as popular as standard progressive jackpot slots.
Deal With Slots Vultures
Slot machine vultures are one of the ugliest parts of the trade. If you pursue accumulator bonuses, or even mystery jackpots, then you’ll be competing with these very same players.
They may harass you for infringing on their turf. Furthermore, they’ll try beating you to the punch when a favorable opportunity exists.
You may have no problem with this competition. But more competitors mean you’ll have a tougher time making profits.
You May Become a Vulture Yourself
In the end, you might discover that the only way to earn consistent profits is to become a vulture. Are you prepared to try and trick gamblers off of slot machines just so you can profit?
If the allure of being a professional slots player is that great, then you may answer “yes” to this question. On the other hand, you might hate the idea of bothering other players just to get their seat.
Conclusion
Slot machines aren’t my favorite route for trying to win gambling profits. Nevertheless, they can be beaten under the right conditions.
Banking slots, mystery jackpot machines, and progressive jackpot games can all offer an advantage. You just need to go about playing them in the correct manner.
Accumulator slot machines have meters that trigger a bonus when filled. If you continually play these games right before the meter fills, then you’ll have a long-term advantage.
Mystery jackpot games pay their top prizes at a specific point. When you play these slot machines near the payout point, then you can boost your chances of winning.
That said, accumulator slot machines and mystery progressive jackpots are the most feasible paths to winning. But they also have their downsides.
Both types of games are available in limited supply. With banking slots, you also have to worry about vultures swooping in to steal profitable opportunities.
In summary, becoming a slots pro is far from easy. But you may still consider this path if you really love slot machines and want to profit from them full time.
Can You Get Rich Playing Slot Machines?
Can you get rich or make a living playing casino slot machines? Here's the REAL scoop...
by Paul Ace Diamond 'Huggy' Blow
A Megabucks slot machine with a ten million dollar jackpot
People often ask me if it is possible to get rich playing casino slot machines, or if it is possible to at least make a living playing slot machines (i.e. be a professional gambler). Here I will discuss my own theories on making the big score on slot machines that will make you rich and allow you to live in luxury, or at least how to consistently win on casino slot machines often enough to actually make a decent living playing them. Read on, dear gamblers...
Can you get RICH playing slot machines?
Anything is possible, of course, and it is technically possible to hit the big score and get RICH playing on casino slot machines. The question is, how much money would you have to win to technically be 'rich'? There are many slot machines you will find in casinos that offer progressive jackpot amounts over $20,000 (for instance the 88 Fortunes slot machines in the casino I frequent offers a top jackpot of over $30,000), but winning those huge jackpot amounts -- while being a very nice chunk of change -- will NOT make you rich enough to buy a nice house or retire from your day job.
Your best bet for winning enough money on a slot machine to retire and live in luxury is on the slot machine games with million dollar jackpot amounts, which you can find in Las Vegas/Nevada casinos. This includes the Wheel of Fortune slot machines that offer jackpots over a million dollars, and the world famous Megabucks slot machines that offer jackpots of ten million dollars and up! Bear in mind that these multi million dollar jackpots are won only a handful of times a year, and the odds of hitting one are about the same as winning a million dollar state lottery. The odds are NOT good! However, it is possible, and I too dream of hitting the big score on a slot machine that will allow me to retire and live the good life. (For more info on slot machines with million dollar jackpots read this article.)
Can you make a living playing slot machines?
While winning a huge jackpot on a slot machine is a real long shot, it is more realistic to try to win consistently enough on casino slot machines to actually make a living, or at least to supplement your income. To do this -- to be a 'professional' gambler -- has a few requirements. First of all, it's best to stick with one or two casinos you are familiar with that have better than average payout rates on their slot machines. Secondly, you should stick with just a few slot machines that give frequent big wins, and to familiarize yourself with those games enough so you have a good understanding of how they work and can recognize when they are running 'hot' or 'cold.' Thirdly, you need to play these slot machines not like an amateur, but like a scientist. That means testing the games to see if they are paying out or not, and moving from machine to machine looking for the 'hot' game. Playing like a scientist can take the fun out of playing slot machines, but then again it is much more fun to win money than it is to lose. Lastly, you need real discipline (which quite frankly most gamblers do not have) to consistently win on the slots. That is, if you win enough to put you ahead a couple hundred dollars, you should cash out and leave instead of staying and possibly losing it all, or in the case of a bad session when you just can't find a 'hot' slot machine you should have the discipline to leave (even if you are behind) instead of staying and losing more money.
Playing like a 'scientist' on slot machine games you really know and understand at casinos with higher than average payout rates can give you a much better chance of winning. To actually win enough to make a living, you would have to go to the casinos 2-4 a week, with the goal of winning at least a couple hundred dollars (or more) each time. The key is you need to win consistently, but in the real world that is hard to do. If you could win three out of four times, that may be enough to make a living, unless you lose everything you won on the one losing session (which can easily happen if you lack discipline).
Quite frankly, the odds of consistently winning enough to be a 'professional' are against you. The average payout rate on casino slot machines is 90-92%, so the odds are that over time you will lose. Most people who play slot machines just for fun will lose. Using my slot machine strategies can help improve your chances, but you will NOT win every time. I personally had great winning streaks, followed by losing streaks, followed by another winning streak, and so on. I am still working on fine tuning my techniques, strategies (and my discipline), and you can read all my slot machine tips and advice articles right here on the Paul Diamond Blow VIP Casino Lounge homepage.