Advantage Play Slots: The Insider's Guide to Boosting Your Odds

Advantage Play slots has been around in many forms for the past 10+ years. Slots today have settings in that can help you find times when the edge is in the favor of the player over the house. 

In this guide, we will explore insights collected from advantage slots player Bob Lauria, including:

• What Exactly Are Advantage Play Slot Machines?
• What Does Advantage Play Mean in Slots?
• Most Popular Advantage Slots
• Key Features in Advantage Slots
• When Advantage Play Stops Working
• Tips for Advantage Slot Players 

Let’s get started!

What Exactly Are Advantage Play Slot Machines?

Since the inception of the slot machine in 1894, the popularity and lore of the “one-armed bandit” has never diminished. 

Slot machines remain the biggest overall money-maker for casinos worldwide - and by a considerable margin. 

Over time, technology increasingly improved, and manufacturers implemented more complex and creative features than weren’t available in old-school slot machines. 

As time continued, slot machine makers began introducing games that had a persistent state feature associated with the bonus games.

In short, “progressive state” simply means that as the base game is played, there is something banked or retained unto a certain point in which the game triggers the bonus. 

Why Do These Games Even Exist?

These games were initially introduced to keep the player entertained for a longer time and therefore, coining in more money to reach the desired result of achieving the bonus game feature. 

This would leave the player chasing progressives, free spins or wild symbols that had accumulated over a set amount of time and became quite popular on casino gaming floors. 

As time passed, slot-savvy casino guests realized something. 

If you play these games in a state in which the symbols, dollar amounts, or spins have already been accumulated by previous players, then they can, at a certain point, gain a mathematical edge (+EV) over the house.

This insight caused an influx of guests that would walk around the casino and look for machines that were abandoned by ordinary slot players which had already accumulated over time and were “due” to bonus quicker than if they were begin playing it from scratch.

What Does Advantage Play Mean in Slots?

Most simply, Advantage Play means taking a slot machine at the point in which the odds are in the player’s favor over the house. 

This is similar to when the house has a huge edge in most casino game, you can still win. So this holds true for advantage slots as well. 

The odds may be in your favor, but in the short term you may have losing sessions. 

Like any form of professional gambling, it’s a game of swings. Still, over the long run, advantage slots will be very lucrative for the savvy player. 

Most Popular Advantage Slots

Early advantage games such as: WMS Piggy Bankin’, Bally S&H Green Stamps, and Golden Monkey gained popularity amongst many advantage players.

As years passed, slot machine manufacturers continued to introduce new games which could often be found in an advantageous state. 

Games such as IGT’s Scarab introduced a 10-spin cycle feature. During this cycle, symbols are collected during spins 1-9. On the 10th spin, these accumulated symbols turn wild. 

This cycle then repeats, making it a popular feature in many slot machines.

Casino gaming floors are now laden with machines offering these features, and new machines are released year after year with new and exciting persistent state features.

Key Features in Advantage Slots

Here are some of the most exciting features you will encounter:

Legend of the 3x 2x Phoenix: Progressive Free Games by IGT contains a “must-hit by” 15 free games meter. 

Games with “must-hit by” progressives such as Konami’ G+, G+ Deluxe or Ainsworth’s a640 cabinet have an obligation of hitting a progressive within a certain threshold. 

The progressive jackpot number increases incrementally based on the player’s bet size. 

Many players, understanding these features, would simply do basic math to generally understand how many spins would be needed to achieve the win. 

Generally, the closer the progressive is to the “must-hit by” number the easier it will become to have a profitable session. 

When Advantage Play Stops Working

Being able to know when the “play” is over is an integral part of being successful when hunting for Advantage Play slots. 

One common mistake that is made by would-be advantage players is developing or falling back into gambling habits when there is nothing worthwhile to play. 

Walking around a casino aimlessly for hours and not finding any +EV plays can be quite disheartening and quite boring for many slot players, which can lead to players taking numbers or playing machines that they normally wouldn’t. 

Tips for Advantage Slot Players 

The market for slots is always changing. You must research and study new games, as they come out to determine if they have any advantageous features. 

Practicing and learning new games is an integral part of being an astute Advantage player.  

I have a team and together we study and exchange information on a daily basis. This helps us learn exactly at what point each game becomes positive. 

Bankroll management is one of the most important aspects in any gambling. It’s important for many advantage slot players to track.

With any professional gambling a player should stick to tight bankroll management. One should never play above their means due to the fact of the risk of ruin gets much higher. 

You should always play with your head, and never take plays that can cost you financial hardship if they go wrong. 

Always stay ahead of the game and research new games as they hit the casino floor. 

Conclusion 

Advantage Play slots can be a very lucrative avenue for you to make money. There are games ranging from the smallest bankrolls to 100s of thousands of dollars. 

As you grow your bankroll, you can move up to higher plays and bigger bets, flourishing in the glory of making money from the one-arm bandits. 

In some of these slots, you can have as much as a 15-30% house edge over the casino when the numbers are right. 

As playing builds up, the edge of the machine leans in the favor of the player by awarding larger jackpots and better payouts. 

Games that have features such as “must hit by X number” can easily be mathematically figured out and determine when the game odds will actually be in your favor. 

With these tools, you can spot these plays and come out a winner almost every time, but make sure you stay informed about slots and make the right choices.