Being a winning slot machine player is possible. But all slot machines are created specifically as a way to give the house a long-term edge, so the home shall always come out ahead if you play long enough. The only real way to counteract the house edge on slot machine games is to play a game with a really big jackpot, bet the max every time you play, and hope that you hit the jackpot. Then when you do hit the really big jackpot, guess what you do next? Stop playing that game.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play slot machines. In fact, I think slot games, particularly the great ones, are a lot of fun. But you want to keep within the forefront of your thoughts that mathematically, what you are doing when you are playing a slot machine on a long term basis is paying for entertainment. You can calculate simply how much you’re paying for that entertainment by multiplying the house edge times your average bet times your range of spins every hour.

For example, if you are playing a slot game with a payout of 95%, then the home edge is 5%. (The casino keeps 5% of every bet you make long term.) And for anybody who is average bet is $3, then you are going to pay a normal of 15 cents per spin to the house. (5% times $3.) Assuming you are making 500 spins by the hour, that game costs you $75/hour to play, which may or might not be a reasonable price for you entertainment. That depends on your bankroll.

Another thing to factor into your calculation is the amount the perks and bonuses you are getting back from the casino are worth. For anyone who is playing in a land-based casino where you are getting free drinks while you play, rsfpost.com explained in a blog post which case you can subtract the expense of those drinks from you are hourly cost. (Or you may add the cost of those drinks to the value of the entertainment you are receiving–it’s just a matter of perspective.) My recommendation is to drink top-shelf liquor and premium beers in order to maximize the entertainment value you’re receiving. A Heineken can cost $4 a bottle in a nice restaurant. Drink two Heinekens per hour, and you’ve just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.

Slot clubs also give back a share of your losses each hour, so definitely be sure you join the casino’s slot club and ALWAYS use your card to track your play. There is absolutely no reason not to do this. Casinos also reward their larger slot players with comps like meals, show tickets, and free rooms, which all add up to reduce the total amount of cash you’re spending each hour that you are playing on their own machine.

Just how to be a winning slot machine player? I’d sum it up by saying know how much it’s costing you to play each spin and each hour, take advantage of all of the comps and also the perks, and go for the big progressive jackpot.