How to Play and Win Slots Tournaments
This article explains how slot tournaments work, how to play them and gives tips on how to increase the chances of winning slot tournaments.
Slots tournaments are very simple and not difficult to play. Unlike their other counterparts in casino tournaments – blackjack tournaments and roulette tournaments – where a lot of skills and strategic plays are necessary to have a chance to win, slots tournaments are more relaxed and easy to play.
Slot Tournaments: Rules
- Buy-In: You first have to pay the entry fee (buy-in) to participate in a slot tournament.
- Play with free spins: After paying the buy-in you receive a certain number of free spins on a video slot that has already been selected by the casino. Usually between 200 and 300 free spins are awarded.
- Determine the winner: Once all participants have finished their free spins, the player with the highest tournament money is the winner.
It is important to note that winnings during those free spins are not real money winnings but tournament money. You cannot cash out those winnings and they are only used to determine the winners of the slot tournament.
After all players finished their games, they're ranked by the amount of tournament money won and the best players share the prize pool with the winner taking the largest amount.
If you are participating in a slot tournament that requires a buy-in the duration of the tournament depends entirely on the casino you are playing at. On average, it takes about 20 to 60 minutes, but in tournaments with a lot of free spins, it can take longer. Once all participants have used up their free spins, the prize pool is paid out to the winners.
Prize Pools in Slot Tournaments
In some slot tournaments, only the winner or 1st, 2nd and 3rd place get a prize. But in many slot tournaments, the number of positions that are paid depends on how many people participate. The more participants buy in before the tournament starts, the bigger the prize pool and the prize pool is then distributed among more positions. In large tournaments, it is not uncommon for the first twenty positions to receive a prize.
What's Great About Slot Tournaments?
Slot tournaments are a great way to play slots. Players know upfront how much they pay for the tournament and cannot lose more than the buy-in. Those are some of the advantages of slot tournaments:
- Value for money: One advantage of slot tournaments with a buy-in is that you can usually play far more rounds for your buy-in than if you make the minimum bet.
- Every participant can win: Unlike roulette tournaments or blackjack tournaments, which require a certain amount of skill, slot tournaments are all about pure luck. There are no fish or sharks, just pure action! There is no skill required in the game and thus every participant has the same chance of winning. It doesn't get much fairer than that.
- The chance to win big for a small investment: since slot tournaments can attract a large number of players, this also means that many buy-ins contribute to the prize pool. Considering that everyone has an equal chance of winning, there's a good chance you'll make a tidy profit on your investment.
- Discovering New Slots: Since the slots are pre-selected by the casino, you may discover a new slot that you like and even want to play later with your casino credits.
- Perfect for beginners: Slots tournaments can be an inexpensive way to learn how video slots work. Since a buy-in for a tournament is usually good value for money, you'll learn all the features and pay-out behaviour of the slots for a relatively small price.
How to win Slots Tournaments: Be Quick!
There is one small piece of strategy advice we can give if you want to increase your chance of winning a slot tournament: You need to be able to play quickly.
Since you should play with all your credits within a certain time period, you need to play fast enough to use them all. Each winning spin increases your total score, but all unused credits are lost. Therefore, you will be at a disadvantage if you haven't made as many spins as your opponents. To increase your speed, it is best to keep your fingers on the spin button and just tap it lightly. You do not need to press it. Keeping your fingers on it will save you fractions of seconds that you would lose if you took your hand off the button.
Concentrate while playing in a tournament. Before you begin, look at the slot machine's paytable. When the machine adds winning credits to your account, it will not spin until all the credits have been added to your account. If win big, it will take a few seconds to do that. You can take a quick breath, but you need to be prepared to start tapping the button as soon as it's done. Don't get distracted or spend time celebrating when you hit a big win. If you jump up and cheer every time you get a big win, it is unlikely that you will play with all your credits.
Some players get bored or tired when they play in a tournament. It causes them to slow down. This is the downfall of many players who suddenly realize that time has run out and they still have unused credits on their slots. New players often say that 20 minutes seems like an hour to them when you play. However, you should make sure that you are rested and on your toes before entering a tournament. If you're not at your best, your score could suffer.
Curiosity can also affect your point total. It's human nature to want to know how you compare to the other players. You can look around at other tournament players to see their scores, but you should take this opportunity to find out after you've played, not while you're playing. Therefore, concentrate on your own score and on using all your credits. As you participate in more tournaments, you will find that your speed increases and that you have time left after playing your credits. Until then, it is advisable not to take your soda, coffee or water to the machine. You certainly don't want to waste valuable time sipping on a drink.
The simple strategy in a slot tournament is to play fast, stay focused and have fun.
