Last updated: January 11, 2024
We’ve heard it all before: those casino players who say you should “always” play a max bet. Or is it a min bet?
There’ll never be any kind of agreement, with each side engaging in long debates, trying to convince the other that they’ve unlocked the one true strategy to win.
But, that’s too much for us. We’ve done a deep dive into the truth, to come up with the conclusive answer as to which is the best: is it best to bet max when playing slots? Or is that minimum bet the way to go?
Here, Casino Today presents you with our investigation. Make sure you’re sitting comfortably!
Firstly, and foremostly, we all know that slots are the most popular game at any online or land-based casino. Not only are they super fun, but they also have the worst odds of any game in the industry.
That’s evacuee slots are games of pure luck. There’s absolutely no strategy to them, with very few options to change the way you play (this is where the max bet vs min bet slots argument comes in, but more on that later).
Especially in the United States, and also across Australia and Europe, slots are well-known at having terrible odds, with most returns going straight to – you guessed it – the house.
Because there’s no strategy to playing slots, the question “is it better to play max bet on slots?” takes a whole new turn.
Let’s take another step back, and discuss the face of the slot machine itself.
You’ll find only a “max bet” button on your slot machine, with no “min bet” button in sight. Most players would think this would tell you something, but actually, it’s telling you something else entirely: that this is an older style slot machine.
Now that there are “243 ways to play” and even more besides, the “max bet” button is a bit unnecessary.
Let’s talk a bit about the min and max bets. When It comes to the question of should you bet max on slots, the answer is always “it depends”.
First, you need to know that you understand the way the paylines and the game itself works. If you find yourself wondering how to play the game, then definitely don’t play the max bet! That’s where the minimum bet comes in, as it allows you to test the waters.
Psychologically too, you may be tempted to jump straight into the game with all guns blazing, max bet button pushed on every turn. But, is it better to play max bets on slots, when you don’t understand how the game works? Definitely not.
There’s one answer, and one answer only: when you’re playing a progressive jackpot game.
That’s because some of the progressive jackpots only enter you for the possibility of playing to win that life-changing sum of money when you play the max bet. If that sounds tricky, or annoying, then know that just by being eligible, you might win the jackpot on any spin, even one that doesn’t win anything.
But, remember, this can also rinse your playing budget, so even the question of is it better to play max bet on slots does not necessarily apply to progressive jackpots either.
Q. So is it best to bet max when playing slots?
A. Your playing choices are your own, but we would advise you to play a min bet when you start playing any new slot game, at least until you’ve got the hang of it, and have enough budget to bet max on slots.
Q. Can you win on slots with a minimum bet?
A. You can indeed, and in fact, you might even see your playing budget last much longer when you do! The idea that you go slower, with lower bets, means you have a longer time frame to send your budget in.
Q. Why do slots have max bets?
A. That’s because they’re either a progressive jackpot slot, or because the slot game developer knows that some plates enjoy using the max bet button. After all, it’s fun to bet something to the max, but you do have to keep an eye on your player budget to make sure it’s not getting rinsed.
Q. Does playing a max bet increase your odds of winning?
A. Well, yes and no. Yes, in that you can win more if you do hit a winning payline, but not in that your budget will reduce much quicker, and so reduce your odds of winning in the long term.
Hands down, we say that there’s no real answer to this question, but that a good way to look at this debate is to start off with min bets, and then, only if you have the budget and you know how the game works, you increase your bet.
If you’re comfortable playing a max bet on slot games, then go for it. If you find it’s wasting your budget and you’re not winning, then smaller bets will be a good idea for you.
So, is it best to bet max when playing slots? That depends on you. Do we bet max on slots every time we play? Only when we know what we’re doing.
Should you bet max on slots? That’s totally up to you.
Jerome oversees our editing and content team and absolutely loves blackjack. So much so that he was a professional player for more than a decade before joining us at Casino Today. He’s written several books, mostly on the subjects of card counting and the different blackjack systems he employed over the years. He also runs a successful YouTube channel where he showcases different blackjack scenarios with beginner tips on how to beat the dealer.
