Slot Bet Size - Your Comments

[hughdal]

I did a search on bet sizing and didn't get any hits so I thought I'd open up a discussion on bet sizing. I'm not a big player, my go to bet is 40 pence UK, around 50 cents US. Years ago I had some big wins at 40 pence, $5000 and £3700 come to mind and I was a happy gambler losing and winning without a major dent in my bank account. Fast forward to reduced RTP and I'm getting destroyed. A £100 deposit is gone in hours instead of days, my wins are miniscule and the only answer is to deposit more and chase any win. I honestly think the big win is not mathematically attainable any more.

My thinking is to drop down to 20 pence per spin. The supreme Casinomeister once replied to one of my post saying that the bet size doesn't impact the RTP outcome and, of course, he is correct. The biggest win I've heard about in the last few years was the 6 million Euro win on Jack Pot Kings and that was a 60 pence bet, true story. I don't mind smaller wins but I need a bankroll to continue gambling.

I am in awe of the big betters who can bet significant amounts or the max bet and gamble for the big money but it's not me. Forget the streamers, that's fantasy land but the average Joe just wants a flutter with the possibility of a win.

What's the Slot Forum members opinion?

 

[orion]

I have been betting 40/60 cent per spin for years, from 2003 when I started playing online till two years ago, when the RTPs drop was forcing me to reduce my bet to 10/20 cent per spin (the minimum bet available).

Actually the new consistent drop of RTP did force me to reduce the betsize from 20 cent to zero.

I am not a football star, nor a streamer. Considering the actual game settings in my market, there is no way to (financially) survive playing slots on a regular base, unless you are a football star, a streamer, or such.

Still doing good on sport betting tho.

 

[goatwack]

I'm not in awe of big betters that use funds beyond their means because some streamer encouraged them to do so, nor anyone wilfully chasing big wins by feeding these companies' and casinos' dire output.

Of course those on larger incomes are more likely to bet big as opposed to 20p bets. Yet back in the day, by and large, wins were relative and not entered into fantasy land, getting 1000-2000x and considering that commensurate with their outlay, unlike today's '20,000x or you're a loser!' pipe dreams being peddled.

The 'thrill' of gambling is in the chase and building up bankrolls. I don't think that's ever going to change, but today's games have made that a near-impossibility, and the reason why slotting's dead on its feet in its butchered sub-94% RTP incarnations.

Trying to chase down any meaningful wins on today's ever-higher-varianced games is a waste of time and money, with the proceedings being sold to players as 'entertainment'. Honestly, you'd get more fun and frolics spending that on Tatiana, the things that woman can do I tell you

 

[Avernite]

I think it boils down to a combination of slowly reducing RTPs (especially newer releases) and increased volatility of games in general.

I personally stick to 40-50c a spin myself, and it either obliterates the balance in about an hour or lasts a couple of days. My budget is typically $200.

 

[slotmaster]

I don't know how anyone can bet big on the regular or at all these days, .40 bets mostly and even that balance goes down quickly most times, I do go to .80 if the slot is hitting, anything $1.00 or more I have had to have a hit or the slot is hot.

 

[sufferinsilence]

I try to keep it between 20 and 40c depending on volatility (and past results). Or on DOA/WTB even on 9c.

I've had some decent wins on higher betsizes in the past but the past months when I just look at them my bankroll disappears...

Lost €600 last month on small betsizes and not even playing that much. It seems that even the games that used to be low to medium volatility all of a sudden changed recently. In the end high volatility and low RTP are going to be the end of my slotting hobby.

 

[Avernite]

I try to keep it between 20 and 40c depending on volatility (and past results). Or on DOA/WTB even on 9c.

I've had some decent wins on higher betsizes in the past but the past months when I just look at them my bankroll disappears...

Lost €600 last month on small betsizes and not even playing that much. It seems that even the games that used to be low to medium volatility all of a sudden changed recently. In the end high volatility and low RTP are going to be the end of my slotting hobby.

I don't know why but I've always struggled playing at 20c, even though I probably should.

 

[satchnz]

My target bet is £0.20 (or $0.20 on crypto). I’ll go as high as 0.30 if a game doesn’t allow a 0.20 bet, but never more, even if I am winning. e.g I’ve never played Buffalo King (non Megaways) as the min bet is 0.40, despite having max won BK Megaways twice.

I’m in this game purely for fun, and want my deposit to last as long as possible. Betting higher stakes wouldn’t allow this to happen.

 

[Lucky Loser]

AUD $3 to $10 dollars per spin. Average bet maybe $5.

 

[The Viking]

my bets for the past 5-6 years are usually between .40 and 1.20
before that they were between .80 and 2 bux

 

[slotmaster]

my bets for the past 5-6 years are usually between .40 and 1.20
before that they were between .80 and 2 bux

crazy isn't it how different it is now and gets worse like every year it seems, man I remember $100 deposit lasting for hours, then it was $200 now I have to do minimum $300 and that is not enough, I find $500 for a deposit for any kind of playing time now.

 

[KasinoKing]

Obviously, people's bet sizes depend on their personal "gambling allowance" if I can call it that, and the types of games they play. Deposit amounts also come into the equation.

I don't honestly know why, but for years now my pattern is to deposit £400 at a time, usually a maximum of once per month. Personally, I don't like the thought of making lots of little deposits. It just seems silly to me.

Bet sizes depend on the variance of the slot I'm playing. I play mostly pretty LOW variance games with bets these days from £1 to £2. On higher variance games I have recently started going down to 60p spins because the reduced RTP's mean the games just do not pay out like they used to
I can't bring myself to bet less than 60p, because I would hate to hit a big multiplier on a small bet.
And I don't increase my bets with a bigger balance - as anyone who has seen my Winner Screenshots can testify! I HATE with a passion, quickly losing any big wins I've had.

Only a few short years ago (before the criminal RTP cuts), my minimum bet was £2 and some games I would regularly bet £5 or even £10/spin on very low variance games!
Now the only game I bet the occasional £5 spin is on Cloud Quest (Very low variance with a jackpot win of only bet x100 - though you can win more than that (VERY RARE) in the base game, as per my screenshot below).

Despite the crap RTPs I have been on an incredibly lucky run at VS: my last deposit was in JULY, but some HUGE wins on several games meant I have been able to withdraw £4,800 and I still have £650 left to play with
(Best ones below as thumbnails, if anyone wants proof!)

KK

 

[winner2021]

I would prefer to stake £1-£2 but they've limited most slots to 80p a line, some are even 40p or less a line on the sites I play. My biggest win is probably only around 2k which is a bit disappointing considering how long I've been playing at a fairly high stake. I actually do better on slingo these days (altho the losses on there can mount up too) and I enjoy it more.

For slots I'm sticking with DOA2 on occasion since reading about it here (mostly demo version tho) and seeing what's possible but I'm putting limits in place when I play for real. It seems like one of the most money draining slots there probably is lol. But I do dream of that life-changing win, just have to be careful not to chase it.

I play to win big, I couldn't get that much fun out of a 20p stake anymore but I envy those who do because I have my issues with gambling and have had to limit myself to the occasional big spend and then nothing for weeks. You have to play what you're comfortable with.

I think I need to find some casinos which allow bigger stakes (currently I play slots on bingo sites) so if anyone knows where they have DOA2 in the UK please let me know-only site I'm on that has it is Boyle. Think I will grind away at that for a bit and then if I get nothing much back I'll be giving up because slots actually bore me now they are so poor.

 

[justdoit]

last week I made deposit $1500 lost all no bonus buys just land a bonus ,from $2 up to $5 bet lot of bonuses nothing was paying, even 5 scatter on big bass paid very bad , I should just stick to DOA2 and forget about other games, special games with extra bets they do nothing, I am happy this year up to August, than slowly every thing stop paying, to me looks like they switch RTP off, got one max win on new nolimit slots 9 to 5 on bonus buy made like $1300 profit on November rest nothing happen..maybe just bad luck....
Big win was July all from 2 games Merlin (bet $1 up to $4) and DOA 2 (bet from 9cent up to 90cent) I won like $21k all month from $3k deposit
I played 3 casinos but other 2 dont show my wagering only BC, all red part was June July, slowly down down down

 

[justdoit]

I would prefer to stake £1-£2 but they've limited most slots to 80p a line, some are even 40p or less a line on the sites I play. My biggest win is probably only around 2k which is a bit disappointing considering how long I've been playing at a fairly high stake. I actually do better on slingo these days (altho the losses on there can mount up too) and I enjoy it more.

For slots I'm sticking with DOA2 on occasion since reading about it here (mostly demo version tho) and seeing what's possible but I'm putting limits in place when I play for real. It seems like one of the most money draining slots there probably is lol. But I do dream of that life-changing win, just have to be careful not to chase it.

I play to win big, I couldn't get that much fun out of a 20p stake anymore but I envy those who do because I have my issues with gambling and have had to limit myself to the occasional big spend and then nothing for weeks. You have to play what you're comfortable with.

I think I need to find some casinos which allow bigger stakes (currently I play slots on bingo sites) so if anyone knows where they have DOA2 in the UK please let me know-only site I'm on that has it is Boyle. Think I will grind away at that for a bit and then if I get nothing much back I'll be giving up because slots actually bore me now they are so poor.

you cant play DOA2 on demo it show is demo, every casino will let you spin on max bet £10 some slots £100, I am sure they will ask you for SOW but if you can afford to spin high stake I dont see you have problem doing SOW, £0.80 or £0.40 max bet never see a slot on that low bet
try AllBritish they have lot of slots include DOA2

 

[slot_zombie]

I was looking back over screenshots from 10 years ago and was surprised to see that my stakes were all around £1.60-£2 a spin.

Somehow I gradually drifted down to playing mostly 40p in the 2020s. Sad but it's been the only way to maintain playing time.

 

[jasonuk]

My stakes haven't changed that much - I used to play mostly 20-30p spins and I still do. In my case, the major change has been to be much stricter on games that I play, some providers I refuse to play for real money and others I'm very cautious about.

I don't mind higher variance - I used to play DoA and BDBA after all - but it has to be framed and designed properly. As someone who has enjoyed discussions about game design (be it modern slots or emulation), I like to look "under the hood" at how it ticks - and of course the major cop-out of the scratchcard slots we see now-a-days is you get no understanding or feel for that while playing, beyond a plummeting bankroll.

The supreme Casinomeister once replied to one of my post saying that the bet size doesn't impact the RTP outcome and, of course, he is correct.

Now-a-days it's usually true but always check the game rules. While randomness isn't influenced by bet size, the math model (and thus RTP) may be.

Enhanced bets and bonus buys are the obvious example (and not necessarily in the direction you expect, there are some enhanced bets and bonus buys out there at lower RTP than the base game), but a small number of slots - particularly those by Barcrest/SG - have tried using multiple RTP models in the same slot differentiated by bet size alone (e.g. 94% 20p-£1.80, 96% £2.00+).

Yet back in the day, by and large, wins were relative and not entered into fantasy land, getting 1000-2000x and considering that commensurate with their outlay, unlike today's '20,000x or you're a loser!' pipe dreams being peddled.

Very true, we used to celebrate 1000x wins because those "big bastard wins" - to reference the recent Degsy reupload - were suitably rare and were substantial boosts to a balance. Now there are plenty of people that don't even consider that a meaningful win because they've been duped into the monopoly lifestyle.

I don't mind the terminology "base stake" when players are utilising both base game spins and bonus buys, but the problem is none of these monopoly streamers play the base game (or indeed, real money ) - so referring to a "9217x" "max win" glorified pie gamble as anything other than the 6.7x it is should be considered dishonest and misleading. Indeed, if someone came up with a parody of bonus buys... that NLC slot would pretty much be the parody.

The 'thrill' of gambling is in the chase and building up bankrolls. I don't think that's ever going to change, but today's games have made that a near-impossibility, and the reason why slotting's dead on its feet in its butchered sub-94% RTP incarnations.

And the social aspect was the story-telling... the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the unusual game rounds, the different play styles. Otherwise you have numbers on a screen that are meaningless - which pretty much sums up that side of the content creation landscape, it's nothing but smoke and mirrors.

 

[winner2021]

you cant play DOA2 on demo it show is demo, every casino will let you spin on max bet £10 some slots £100, I am sure they will ask you for SOW but if you can afford to spin high stake I dont see you have problem doing SOW, £0.80 or £0.40 max bet never see a slot on that low bet
try AllBritish they have lot of slots include DOA2

Great thank you I'll have a look at that site. I wouldn't send in SOW in any case, I'm totally against all that so I guess I'd just move on to another casino if I got asked for that-or join enough sites that I don't reach the limits on one-depends what they are I guess, I assume quite high on casino sites.

 

[electronictonic]

Lowered my betsize over the last few years so it is a slow rip, the slots are far too scripted these days to the point I am bored shitless of being able to predict the outcome time and time again because they are so tightly scripted to within an inch of their life so I am bored with slots, unlike pre 2016.

 

[toms596]

I'll usually play at 20p to £1 depending on how the session has been

Used to play a lot at £1 but switched to 20p due to play time even then it's easy to lose a £100 balance pretty quickly

 

[hughdal]

I would prefer to stake £1-£2 but they've limited most slots to 80p a line, some are even 40p or less a line on the sites I play. My biggest win is probably only around 2k which is a bit disappointing considering how long I've been playing at a fairly high stake. I actually do better on slingo these days (altho the losses on there can mount up too) and I enjoy it more.

For slots I'm sticking with DOA2 on occasion since reading about it here (mostly demo version tho) and seeing what's possible but I'm putting limits in place when I play for real. It seems like one of the most money draining slots there probably is lol. But I do dream of that life-changing win, just have to be careful not to chase it.

I play to win big, I couldn't get that much fun out of a 20p stake anymore but I envy those who do because I have my issues with gambling and have had to limit myself to the occasional big spend and then nothing for weeks. You have to play what you're comfortable with.

I think I need to find some casinos which allow bigger stakes (currently I play slots on bingo sites) so if anyone knows where they have DOA2 in the UK please let me know-only site I'm on that has it is Boyle. Think I will grind away at that for a bit and then if I get nothing much back I'll be giving up because slots actually bore me now they are so poor.

Poker Stars has DOA2 on the web version but not on the Pokerstars.exe platform nor the app versions.

 

[hughdal]

Thanks to all the posters who have responded to my bet size post. I'm relieved that my analysis and bet sizing is shared by at least some of the forum members. I too will be dropping to 20 pence spins. The only other option is to stop slotting altogether and If I did that there would be no need to follow Casiomeister any more and I can't do that!

Hughdal