Understanding slots and maximising your win potential

When you enter any online casino, you will find hundreds of online slots to choose from. Each of these slot games brings you the excitement of different themes, a range of fun features, and of course, different maximum payouts.

Before you decide which slot you want to play, you must fully understand the pay table and the maximum win potential it offers.

What is the maximum win potential?

With any online slot you play, you will notice that software providers or game creators tend to publish a maximum payout. This is the maximum amount the slot can potentially payout to any winning player.

In most cases, the maximum payout amount will be posted as a multiplier. For instance, the slot will say the maximum win is 5,000x your stake. This tells you that the maximum win will be about 5,000x the amount you wager.

Over the last few years, online slot games have drastically increased the average max win amount. Back in 2016, the average max win of a slot game would often only range between 700x to 1,500x.

Plenty of slot games offer you incredibly high maximum wins, including Dead or Alive 2 from NetEnt or San Quentin xWays from NoLimit City.

Where to start

If you have hopes of successfully hitting the maximum win potential of your favourite slot, then there are a few things you need to do. The most important place to start is with the slot pay table. Before you get started playing the game, take time to familiarise yourself with the different symbols of the slot and how much each pays.

The pay tables of the slot are there to show you how much all the symbols are worth, along with the different paylines the slot has available. It will also show you the special symbols, including scatters, wilds, and other bonus symbols.

If these come with a special bonus cash payout, this will be stated. You can also get a quick lowdown on the different features and how they work.

Ensure you understand the pay table and features before spinning the reels. With the graphics and detailed designs, the pay tables today are easy to understand and designed to give you instant access to the most important information.

Pay tables show you the number of paylines, the symbols available on the reels, the betting requirements, the prizes available, and the payouts you can get. You will need to study the pay table to fully understand a slot or how to get your hands on the maximum payouts.

Don't forget about your bonus symbols

You know the pay table now but don't forget your bonus symbols. These treasures come linked to the slot bonus features, which can be anything from free spins to jackpot rounds, re-spins, or multipliers.

The bonus features will add higher value to your bets while increasing the game's entertainment value. In most cases, slot games with more bonus symbols will be higher variance games which will increase your chances of winning.

Some special symbols you will find include the Wild, the Scatter, or a Bonus symbol. The Wild symbol can generally substitute for any other symbol to increase your payout. The Scatter symbol can award an instant cash prize and trigger one of the slot bonus features. Then there can be more special bonus features that trigger the slot bonus feature. These features are often where you will find bigger payouts.

Bonus Features

Online slots come with bonus features for a reason. They are a lot of fun to play and can also be extremely rewarding.

Free Spins are a common and highly rewarding bonus feature you'll find in many online casino slots. These can often give a bigger payout, if not the maximum payout.

In most cases, you'll get to pick from symbols or icons on the screen. This, in return, will reveal a prize. It can be smaller prizes or even lead to the maximum payout.

The max bet conundrum

There might be slight hiccups when it comes to online slots and the maximum payout potential. If you're not familiar with the game or its rules, you might keep playing without ever really standing a chance of hitting the big wins. An important thing to take note of is that many big win slot games will require you to bet the maximum to win the maximum.

If you're making small bets or anywhere in-between, you have no chance of hitting jackpot wins or the maximum payout potential. To be eligible to trigger the maximum payout of the slot, you will need to bet the maximum.

The benefit of Megaways slots

There are different online slot games to choose from, including Megaways slots. The max win potential of Megaways slots has drastically increased over the last few years, with Blueprint Gaming releasing games that reach a full win potential of 50,000x your stake.

With Megaways slots, your win potential increases significantly, and while it is not a cakewalk to reach these higher wins, it's worthwhile. This is seen in numerous slot games from some of the best providers, including:

Big Time Gaming

Big Time Gaming is focused on an intricately detailed high-end and innovative game selection. They definitely offer us quality over quantity, for all the casino connoisseurs.

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Microgaming

Microgaming was the first and is still among the best providers in the market. They have the knowledge and experience to provide us with great casino games.

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NetEnt

Having to work with over 200 of the best online casino operators in the world, NetEnt is among the leaders in the industry. Enjoy their games made with the most modern technology.

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If you want to play a slot game with increased win potential in even the most basic spins, then the Megaways slots are always at the top of the suggestion list.

Bonus buy features, wins, and the cost to consider

One of the latest features you find more and more in online casino games is the Bonus Buy or Feature Buy. This enables you to get instant access to the bonus features where big wins are possible. To do this, you need to buy the feature. With most slot games, you will have to pay 60x to 100x your original stake to enter the feature.

While this is a great way to shorten the time you have to wait to trigger the bonus feature, it can also drastically affect your wins. Often using the feature will decrease the number of your winnings or even put you into a deficit. When maximising your slot win potential, the bonus buy feature is not always the most viable option, especially at max stake.

If the feature buy comes at a reasonable price, then you might be able to consider it, but in most cases, it is best to spin your way through the base game and wait to trigger the free spins or other bonus features the usual way.

Understand the payout percentages

With every online slot, there will be a maximum payout potential and a slot payout percentage. This will be the return to player percentage, and it is essentially the odds of you as a player winning.

Again, the return to player percentage is not calculated based on the player but rather based on the lifetime of the slot.

The percentage should be used as a guideline rather than an indication of what individuals will get in return for their gameplay.

How likely is it to take home a big win?

With such high maximum payout potentials linked to slot games today, the question on many players' lips is whether or not they have a chance of winning. The truth is that online slots are and always will be games of chance. This means that there is a chance of winning but even more so of going home empty-handed.

With big payout slot games, the odds are relatively slim, so it is always important to consider other factors, such as the slot variance. For instance, high variance slot games tend to award bigger payouts but don't pay out too frequently.

Random number generator software is used to determine a fair outcome, and the fact of the matter is that there can be millions of different outcomes. Some software providers will have statistics to show you how often the max win of a slot game is paid out. This is generally average and not accurate to the date. So, it will estimate how many spins it would figuratively take for the slot to trigger the maximum payout.

Overall, it is always a possibility to trigger the maximum payout, but you can't manipulate the outcome or force the outcome in your favour. You can play games that are more favourable and provide better winnings even if they are smaller, but for the big payouts, you're going to have to wait for Lady Luck to smile upon you.

Always play responsibly

When you are playing online slot games for a chance to trigger big wins, there's always a risk that walks hand in hand with getting the rewards. While you might be eager to keep spinning or even make bigger wagers to win, playing responsibly is essential.

1. Choose high RTP Games

You don't want your bankroll to run out too quickly, so it is advisable to opt for higher RTP slot games. When you go for higher RTP slot games, you can get bigger wins and fill up your balance more easily.

2. Set Your Budget

While it's not a fun part of playing online casino games, it's important to set a budget and stick to it. It can be tempting to keep playing, but you have control over your spending with a set budget. If you're concerned about sticking to your budget, you can always use the deposit and spending limit tools that most online casinos have available today.

3. Try slots in Free to Play mode

Before you start playing for Real Money, why not test the slot games out in Free to Play mode first. This allows you to see if you enjoy the slot games. It also gives you a preview of how it pays and what to expect in terms of the flow of wins and losses.

4. Don't chase your losses

An important tip with any online casino game is to know when to quit it. It might be best to call it quits for the day if you're having a bad day and the losses are more frequent than the wins. Don't chase the wins when you're on a losing streak.

5. Set your personal loss limits

Always make sure you set up your personal loss limits as online slots are highly entertaining, but they can also be addictive. Most casinos allow you to set up daily, weekly, and monthly loss limits. To maximise your winnings, you need to minimise your losses.