Jun 08 2009
Slots and Video Poker: Always Play Max Bet
A mistake that a lot of novice gamblers make when playing slots or video poker is playing the minimum bet. For instance, if they want to play 25 cents a hand, or 25 cents a pull, they look for a quarter machine. This is almost always a mistake, and here’s why.
A huge part of the “helpful” odds of machine-based games is bonuses and progressives. And both bonuses and progressives usually require a max bet. Although it is a rare occurance, people do get the three jackpots on slot machines and the royal flush in video poker. When that finally happens to you, do you want the moment to be dampened by the knowledge that had you played two more credits, you would have won $1000, or even $12000? Probably not.
This does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. It just means you need to look for a different denomination machine, or with today’s technology, even just change the settings on the machine you are at. Usually, each denomination’s max bet is pretty close to the next denomination up. For instance, quarters and nickels often have five coin max bets. That means that in order to take advantage of bonuses and progressive jackpots, you need to play $1.25 or 25 cents respectively.
