Slot machines are one of the best casino games. It never fails to make me laugh when I go to the local casino with my friends, and as soon as we walk in the door, they make snide comments about all the slot players.
My friends make fun of them for playing games where the house has such a significant advantage or games where luck is the only factor. Then, these same friends go to the blackjack tables to “martingale” away their mortgages.
I don’t get it. What’s wrong with slot machines? The house will win, but it only happens in some games. I want to take a moment to say why slots are fantastic, and here are my top ten reasons:
- They’re easy. You don’t need to sit there and look at a strategy card every five minutes or try to keep track of the cards that have already been dealt in a lousy attempt at card counting. You have to spin the reels and hope for the best. And if you don’t? You turn them around again.
- You can choose from many different kinds of slot machines. Have you ever wanted to play Blackjack differently? You can’t. Blackjack games with side bets like “40-1, you get two jacks of spades” have the most extensive “twist.” You can play slot machines with bonus games, progressive jackpots, 5 lines, 30 lines, 1 line, classic slots, and video slots. There is a massive range of slot machines you can choose from. Oh, and what’s that? You can leave one slot machine and go to the next without thinking about rules or strategies. Just take a seat and spin.
- You decide how much they cost. Most table games have a minimum bet you can make. Not so at slots. With slots, you can sit down at a high roller slot machine and bet $1000 per spin, or you can sit down at a penny slot machine and bet just one cent per spin. Players with any amount of money can play slots.
- Jackpots that keep going up. Some table games have progressive jackpots, but they are far from what slot machines offer. It’s almost easier to find a slot machine with a progressive jackpot than to find one with one.
- In a split second, your life can change. See #4. In a game like Roulette, your life can change only if you bet everything you own on one spin of the wheel. You can play slots the way you usually do, and then BAM! You just won $200,000.
- You won’t get stabbed by a fellow slot player in a dark alley. Ever been tired and a little bit drunk and “hit” when you should have “stood” when you were playing Blackjack late at night? You don’t want to run into that person outside the casino. In slots, on the other hand, if you accidentally hit the “nudge” button, the people around you won’t care.
- It’s a way to relax. It is. Playing slots, either in a traditional casino or an online casino, is such a relaxing game. You can relax, play slot machines, talk to a friend, or watch boxing on the big screen TV. Watch a boxing match while you play craps.
- Good payoffs. Play a few hours at a blackjack table and a few hours at a slot machine, then see which one gives you the best comps. Players who play slots get the best freebies by a long shot.
- It goes fast. No need to wait for other players. No need to wait for the wheel to spin or for the dealer to pay out. Just keep spinning as fast or slow as you want, and you get up and leave when you’re done.
- It is fun. The slots could be quieter and glowing. With lights that blink. And fun pictures. Slots are a lot of fun, especially when the first two BAR symbols line up just right and the one BAR symbol in the third column appears just short of the payline. Then you look down and realize you only have one more push.