Should You Always Max Bet When Playing Slots?

| Last Updated: August 11, 2023 9:48 am PDT
Max Bet on slot machine with question mark
  • The max bet for slot machines is the highest amount you can play per spin.
  • You should consider max betting on slots when they offer better rewards.
  • Don’t max bet when the price is out of your price range, and there are no other benefits.

Slot machines are simple to play by themselves, but you still have to answer a few important questions. Is it best to bet max on slots, or should I stick to lower amounts? If I do spin at the maximum amount, what good does that do for me?

The truth of the matter is that it completely depends on the slot machine you are playing.

Certain slots require you to play for a certain amount so you can be eligible for jackpots, free spins, bonus games, and other rewarding features. However, not all slot machines require you to do this.

So, is it better to bet the max on slot machines? Let’s find out.

What Is the Max Bet on Slots?

Before we answer, “Is it better to bet the max on slot machines,” let’s make sure we all know what we are talking about.

As you might know, slot machines are rather simple to play. All you have to do as the gambler is to hit the “spin” button and the machine does all the work.

Is that all it takes to win big when it comes to slots? Of course not. It’s your job to decide which game to play and how much you are playing for.

If you’re wondering, “What is the max bet on a slot machine,” well, the answer is different for all of them. You can play for astronomical amounts on some slots, while others only have a max bet worth a few dollars.

So, this means you should be more focused on what slot machine you are playing, rather than what the max bet is.

What does betting max on slot machines do, you ask? Again, it totally depends on the game.

Slot machines offer a variety of rewards. They offer jackpots, free spins, bonus games, maximum wins, and more. In order to qualify for these prizes, you’ll have to bet the max for a lot of slots.

It’s important to read the slot machines description before you start spinning all your money away. If you’re completely lost, I recommend reading a detailed beginner’s guide to online casinos before moving on.

When Should You Max Bet on Slots?

If you know a slot machine would pay off on the 99th spin, would you bet max coins on the first 98 spins? Of course not. You’d only bet the minimum, hitting the MAX BET button on the 99th spin.

Unfortunately for us, the world of slot machines isn’t filled with those sorts of decisions. Still, in terms of payouts (and pay tables—which should be the first thing you look at on any slot machine you want to play), there are four basic types of slot machines.

Some of these warrant a max bet, while others are clever ways of convincing you that you should bet max coins in (when you have no good reason to do so).

Let’s look at the different types of max bet slots.

Multipliers

Multipliers

Look at the pay table for your chosen slot. If the amount of payout on four coins in (if four coins is the maximum bet allowed) is four times that of the payout on a single coin bet, then you’re playing a “multiplier.”

For example, if three cherries on the pay line pay 100 coins on a single coin bet, then on a max coin bet of four, the machine would pay 400 coins.

Since the payouts are identical in terms of coins in vs. coins out, it’s to your advantage to play a single coin here.

Bear in mind that there are multiplier slots that modify the max coins payout, however. These will offer a bonus in addition to simply multiplying the payout by your number of coins.

For instance, a machine may pay 100 coins for three cherries on the pay line with a single coin bet, but if you pay max coins (two, in this case), the machine might pay out 600 coins for those same three cherries.

In this case, it may be worth it to max bet, but remember, a jackpot isn’t likely to hit every spin, and it might not be worth the risk to chase it.

Buy Your Pays

Is it better to bet the max on slot machines? If they have certain features, such as “Buy Your Pays” then I’d argue that it is better.

Also called “buy-a-pays,” these are slots where certain payouts are only available if you bet max coins. Bally’s venerable Blazing Sevens slot machine is a good example of this.

The pay table for one coin consists entirely of combinations of bars (single, double, or triple bars). Even though there are other symbols on the reels, with a single coin in, those other symbols might as well not be there.

The pay table becomes much broader with two coins in. Not only will you win if paying combinations of the bars to appear on the pay line, but also if winning combinations of the various “7” symbols hit.

And a third coin doubles the payouts of that second coin-in.

So, if you’ve been following along, your correct action is to bet two coins in—because two coins makes you eligible for all the payouts available on the machine. The third coin doubles the payouts of the second coin pay table.

Progressives

Is it best to play the max bet on slot machines? Well, if you have to do it in order to qualify for the progressive jackpot, I’d heavily consider it.

Progressive slots—those slot machines that not only pay out like regular slot machines but, in addition, offer the chance to win a huge

When playing slots with progressive jackpots, they grow according to the amount of play the slots involved get.

Initially, the progressive jackpot is seeded with a respectable amount.

Let’s use $10,00 for our example. While your machine may be the only one in the casino offering this progressive jackpot, the odds are that it is networked with other machines in the casino (and, in some cases, it may be networked with identical slots around the world).

The “progressive” part of the name comes from the fact that every time a wager is placed on one of the networked machines, a tiny portion of that wager is added to the progressive jackpot.

The result is that after a couple of days, that $10,000 seed jackpot has now grown to $57,932.04 (and climbing!). So yes, play max coins in—as long as the machine requires that amount of wager to qualify to win the progressive jackpot.

If you have a thing for upside, look no further than the following games with the best progressive slot games right now.

I recommend the Fury of Zeus slot machine, which can be found at Ignition Casino.

Multi-line/Multi-coin

Paylines

The latest craze in slot machines is the multi-line/multi-coin machines. If you like playing the penny slots, these are your go-to machines.

For example, a machine may have 80 pay lines, requiring 80 cents to access all 80 pay lines. And, of course, you can bet multiple coins each spin, so your so-called penny slot is now chowing down on your bankroll at the rate of $8 a spin.

It complicates the argument of penny slots vs. dollar slots.

Most of these slot machines will offer bonus rounds, which you will use to determine how much you should wager.

If you are eligible for the bonus round with a single coin bet on each of the 80 pay lines, then that is what you should do.

The importance of these bonus rounds cannot be overstated. A slot machine with an RTP of 97% (a very good return to player) may not seem quite so generous if you realize that the bonus rounds account for 5-10% of that RTP.

So, should you play max bet on penny slots? If you don’t fancy betting eight bucks a spin, then your answer is no. If that size of a wager isn’t daunting, then, of course, bang that MAX BET button.

As long as the benefits of betting max coins are to your advantage, go for it. Remember that your goal should always be the least amount required to be eligible for bonus rounds.

When You Shouldn’t Max Bets Slots

Is it better to bet the max on slot machines? After reading the reasons why you should, it might seem like it’s the way to go.

However, there are times when max betting is not the way to go. Here are two things to keep in mind when deciding if you should max bet or not.

When You Don’t Get Rewarded for It

Should you max bet on a slot machine if you aren’t really gaining an advantage in some way? I’d say no. If you think about it, slot machines without extra rewards aren’t really worth playing at all.

The RTP percentage, which is usually around 95%, tells you how much you’re expected to win. That means that for every $100 you gamble, you’re projected to win back $95.

It’s incredibly difficult to be profitable when playing slot machines because they never have an RTP rating at or above 100%.

So, how do you become profitable?

In addition to analyzing RTP slots data, the best way is to earn free spins, bonus games, jackpots, and other rewards.

Free spins allow you to win money without spending any of your own. Bonus games offer higher paying rewards than the base game. Hitting the jackpot is also an easy way to be profitable.

You can still get lucky without these features, but they make it a lot easier for you to be profitable when playing slot machines.

Does betting the max on slot machines mean that you qualify for these rewards? If not, I’d try and limit my losses.

When the Max Is Too Expensive

Is it best to bet max on slots? Well, another thing you have to consider is how much you can afford. If the max bet is $200 and you have $1,000 to play with, it’s probably not a good idea. After all, five losing spins and you’re all out of funds.

Yes, there are some very rewarding multipliers out there that could turn your $200 into an outrageous amount. However, it’s very unlikely that you’ll get one of those multipliers in your first five spins.

That’s why you should always know what the max bet is on a slot machine before you pull the trigger. Some of them can be incredibly high, while others are much more affordable.

I’m also willing to bet that you’d like to play your favorite slot machine for more than a few seconds. You won’t last that long if you simply can’t afford to play at the max bet. Stick within your budget and you’ll have a better chance of coming out on top.

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Cheapest Slots for Max Betting

Is it better to max bet on slot machines when they aren’t super expensive? I’d say so. If you’re looking for the cheapest max bet slot machines, you can’t go wrong with either of these two.

Despite the game’s title, Bonanza Billion does not cost a fortune to play. In fact, the maximum bet is just $15. Other games can run up to $200, which makes this game one of the better cheap options.

Bonanza Billion has a fun layout with six reels and five reels. You have tons of different ways to win and the cluster pay is a great feature if you’re looking to switch things up. There’s also a max win of 15,000 times your stake.

Aladdin’s Wishes is a bit more expensive at $20 for the max wager.

The 2019 film surprisingly got horrible reviews from critics (54% at Rotten Tomatoes), but the audience loved it (94%).

If you’re part of the latter, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this slot machine. It also has 20 paylines and a progressive jackpot prize. Aladdin’s Wishes also has a respectable RTP at 95%.

Should you play max bet on penny slots like these? I’d say they are worth it considering they aren’t too expensive, and you still get great rewards.

Not to mention, Aladdin’s Wishes is one of the best Disney slots.

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Should You Max Bet on a Slot Machine?

Is it better to bet the max on slot machines? Hopefully, you know by now that it all depends on the slot machine you are playing and your comfortability with the amount.

If the slot machine you are playing requires you to spin the max in order to qualify for certain rewards, that’s probably the way to go.

However, you aren’t being forced to play any particular slot machine. There are others that don’t force you to max spin to get huge prizes.

You’ll be able to find certain slots that have free spins, bonus games, jackpots, and more.

As I mentioned earlier, there are even some slot machines that have cheaper max bets, such as Bonanza Billion and Aladdin’s Wishes. So, is it better to play max bet on slots? I’d say it’s reasonable for games like these.

Be sure to touch up on your slot machine strategy while you’re at it.

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J.W. Paine
J.W. Paine Author

J.W. Paine is one of the most experienced writers at GamblingSites.com. He's written for television and the printed media, and is a published novelist (as Tom Elliott).

Paine loves writing about Las Vegas nearly as much he loves living here. An experienced gambler, he's especially familiar with thoroughbred horseracing, poker, blackjack, and slots.

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