Top 5 Online Slot Tournament Tips

You may only be aware of slot tournaments offered free by local casinos to reward loyal gamblers with a chance to play and win some fair to decent prizes. But brick-and-mortar and online casinos offer tourneys that feature much larger prizes.

Sure, there’s an entry fee, but remember that the World Series of Poker also offers a huge cash prize, which is built on the players’ entry fees.

The local casino may offer a respectable top prize for the free roll slot tournament. It runs monthly for maybe a hundred slot club members. On the other hand, online casinos offer their patrons more frequent opportunities (daily, in many cases) to compete for similar or even larger prizes—and the entry fee is quite reasonable. Is it worth a buck—or even five bucks—to play in a slot tournament from the convenience of your home, office, or phone?

It beats traffic, parking, and the inevitable 20 bucks you spend on the regular slots while waiting for your 3-5 minutes of local casino slot tourney madness.

By the way, remember that how to win a slot tournament is with your understanding and acceptance of the fact that you are not competing with the casino or the slot machine. You are competing against other human beings. And by following five simple tips, you can outplay every single one of them.

Want to how to win a slot tournament? Read the rules. Okay, this one seems obvious and should go without saying—but the truth is that everyone agrees with the sentiment but ignores it in real life. Fine print? That’s what lawyers are for, not me, pal. I’m a competitor.

Yeah? Unless you plan to sue every casino offering slot tournaments, no lawyer will read the tourney rules for you and stand at your side to give you legal advice as you slap the SPIN button like a rented mule.

In most cases, you have limited time and credits to win the most you can. Be aware that the credits you receive to play the tournament are not playable anywhere else on the site or at any other time except during the tournament–and on the specific game you’ve been assigned to play.

An excellent way to familiarize yourself with the general rules and regulations of slots and slot tournaments is to check out the best online casinos.

One important item is whether you must play with your money or casino-provided credits. That’s right: The slot tournament may be a “freeroll,” but you’ll be playing with your own money during the competition. What you lose is real money.

That’s not usually the case with slot tournaments that charge an entry fee, and I say “usually,” but you’ll know for sure if you read the tournament rules.

Different tournaments use different slots; some of these will pay off differently depending on whether you have bet max coins.

Remember that you have a certain amount of tournament credits to play here, and any credits remaining at the end of the tournament disappear. You want to play max coins and max pay lines to ensure you will have the best.

My slot machine tournament strategy is to remember you are not competing against the machine. You are competing against others who have an equal chance of hitting (or missing) a jackpot as you do.

The difference is that you know the slot machine is not your adversary. It wants you to win, so give it every chance to do so.

Of course, there is more to discuss here. For a deeper look at max betting with slots, check out the following post.

Should You Always Max Bet When Playing Slots?

The max bet for slot machines is the highest amount you can play per spin. You should consider max betting on slots when they offer better rewards. Don’t max bet when the price is out of your price range, and there are no other benefits. Slot machines are...

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Okay, maybe you’re not going to win any gold in the Summer Olympics (well, I know I’m not), but a slot tournament is still a competition. More importantly, you’ve got money on this game, and you’re betting on yourself.

This is Thunder Dome.

What’s that, you say? Are you not ready for that level of commitment? No worries. If you’re starting the whole slot tournament thing, you’ll want to try some free rolls or very low-entry fee tournaments.

You want to win even in those first few tourneys, but it’s more important to learn how the tournament structure works, how you handle the pressure, and what you need to change to improve your tournament performance.

Nobody came from the womb and signed immediately with an NBA team (okay, maybe Michael Jordan, but still, you get the point).

Knowing how to win a slot tournament depends on how well you understand the various slots used in the competition, so it’s a good idea to study real money slots as much as possible.

Additionally, you’ll want to be in the best slot-playing shape you can be for the challenge. That means getting plenty of rest the night before the tourney. And eat a nutritious breakfast (the most important meal of the day, you know).

Playing in a slot tournament isn’t for the easily distracted. Just like your dog’s job is to run after that tennis ball and bring it back—not to go bounding off chasing that rabbit instead.

My slot tournament advice? Your job at the tournament is to win the tournament, not to leer at the cocktail waitresses, eavesdrop on the drunks nearby, or watch the basketball game as you hit the BET button.

Playing a slot tournament like you’re phoning it in is a sure-fire way to lose—and since most tournaments charge entry fees (at least those that offer the B-I-G prizes), you must remember that you have one job to do here, and that makes all the other competitors weep with frustration and despair.

Oh, and unless you’ve got “Flight of the Bumblebee” on an endless loop with Spotify, don’t listen to music while you play in the tournament. Sure, the music might keep you from listening in on nearby conversations, but the tempo of the music can have a deleterious effect on your play.

For more tips and strategies, check out this slot machine strategy guide.

The best way to win a slot tournament is to go fast and win. Here is where you cash in on all that training, elimination of distractions, and practice.

According to slot maven Mark Pilarski, speed is the most important attribute a winning player of slot tournaments can possess. If you’re not beating that MAX BET button like a screen door in a Mississippi hurricane, you’re not taking this very seriously.

But you’re with me so far, so I’m going to guess that you are already limbering up to start-smacking SPIN buttons like a boss.

Remember that while physical slots take some time to reset for the next spin, online slots don’t need more than a few milliseconds to do the same thing. So, if you’re online, rock and roll. If it helps to imagine you’re playing the drums to a remake of “Wipe Out,” then do so.

Incidentally, don’t drive while listening to that song. I won’t be responsible for what happens when you do. Also, incidentally—that song lasts half a minute longer than most local casino slot tourneys.

Back to how to win a slot tournament. If you follow all my tips for slot tournaments, sure, your hands will be sore from all that pounding. But if you see 20 more spins during the tournament than any of your competition did, you improve your chances of winning.

That’s going to wrap up my slot tournament tips, but if you want to find the best slot tourneys online and how to play them, we’ve go you covered.

Footnotes:

• “Strategy for Slot Tournaments” SlotTournaments.com
• “Pilarski on Gaming: Spin volume is key to winning slot tournaments” Reno Gazette Journal