If you are a longtime gambler, then the term penny slot is no longer unfamiliar to you. This category deals with slot machines with the lowest entry fees in a casino. Therefore, every player may spin the reels for a cent and try their luck at a big win, regardless of their financial situation.

Today, penny slots may still be played for free or with real money in online and offline casinos. Because you are spinning the reels repeatedly, some people may view these games as mindless entertainment. However, you must master pricing knowledge to make the most of this genre and make money.

Today's article will examine how these supposedly "penny" slots work, whether these games are worthy of playing, and what you need to know before entertaining them.

Penny Slots and Its Biggest Misleading Issue

Penny Slots and Its Biggest Misleading Issue
Slot machines (source: Freepik)

Penny slots are essentially the same as regular free online slots in theory. The lower wagering requirements represent the most significant difference in this instance. As implied by the term "penny slots," you may play for as little as one cent each spin.

However, there is the most debate among players when it comes to what makes penny slots unique. You might think that playing penny slots just costs one cent. This isn't always the case, though. There is a reason why 50 percent of casino income comes from penny slots.

It might not be as inexpensive to play penny slots as many gamers believe. The minimum spin value on such slots, especially at typical casinos, can be 50 or 100 credits. That indicates that you continue to bet $1 per spin. This is because, although each credit is worth one penny, you will frequently be able to play on all paylines with several credits per line.

Not all slots, though, demand that you stake the whole sum. The most profitable online penny slots occasionally provide minimum spins of 25 or even 5 cents. This implies that you can bet one cent on each offer payline without going over your bankroll.

Is Penny Slots Great to Play?

You can have your opinion on this matter based on our analysis of the benefits and drawbacks of penny slots. If you're still unsure, the ideal approach to figure it out is to reflect on your objectives and anticipations while choosing to amuse yourself with penny slots.

Penny slots are an excellent option if you just have a little budget but yet want to play slot machines like all the other wealthy gamblers. Compared to high-roller slots, they assist you in limiting your wagers while still offering complete features and gorgeous visuals.

However, you'd best have a sizable bankroll ready if you intend to play the game for its large payout. Having said that, most penny slots need you to play with the maximum amount to activate the jackpot feature. So, in this instance, penny slots won't maximize your financial gains as much as ordinary slots and high-roller slots will.

To determine which of the two scenarios you fit into, you only need to respond to our posed question. They'll assist you in deciding whether penny slots are the best casino game for you.

Can You Win Big With Penny Slots?

Many people have success tales with penny slots. But how much is a significant win when you're only wagering pennies? When you're spinning the reels with just a small investment like a few cents, winning $500 or more seems worthy, but hold off on becoming too ecstatic until you've read the fine print.

Yes, it is crucial to carefully read the T&Cs of penny slots, as it can affect your potential prize. Refer to the following example: One player believed she had struck the jackpot and would receive $43 million. However, the machine she used only had a $6,500 maximum payment. To make up for it, she was given a steak meal only.

So, carefully look at the maximum rewards for each penny slot machine before playing. 

A few penny slots have connections to enormous progressive payouts. These may be profitable, paying out tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.

Not only about the maximum prize, but you should also read all the terms and conditions to trigger the jackpot before getting too enthusiastic. Typically, you must place the maximum bet on every spin or, at the absolute least, bet on every payline that is available.

Before you spin, make sure you are aware of the regulations since there is nothing more upsetting than believing you have just won a reward that would change your life only to find out it is only worth a few cents.

Top Strategies to Win Penny Slot

As analyzed, to win big with penny slots, you will have to do more than sit for hours looking at the screen and wait for the jackpot to be activated. More specifically, you'll need to dig deeper into the most lucrative games of this genre, constantly check your account, prepare a foundation to avoid falling into misconceptions of the genre, and more. All of these will be discussed below.

Top Strategies to Win Penny Slot
Online slot (source: Freepik)

Play At Top Penny Slots

The games below are the top picks in the penny slots world. If you haven't heard of them, try them to experience the genre's essence.

Rainbow Riches – Play for Free

Rainbow Riches is a hugely well-liked online slot game with a delightful Irish theme featuring leprechauns and a pot of riches. This game, although appearing simple, has unique extra elements and respectable jackpots. Although it's simple to learn, there are enough features to keep more experienced players interested.

The game is a 5-reel, 3-row online slot with 20 fixed paylines created by Barcrest. The Wishing Well bonus, Pots of Gold feature, and Trail of Gold bonus are all triggered by landing particular scatter symbols in the game.

A whopping 500x jackpot is offered to players fortunate enough to win one of the bonus games on this five reel, 20 payline video slot. It has a colorful motif but a tidy interface that lacks the clutter in many current slots.

Barcrest's Rainbow Riches slot game is a firm favorite among seasoned and new slot players with its bonus games and lighthearted leprechaun theme.

Golden Legend – Play for Free

Golden Legend is a Play n Go 5-reel, 50-payline slot with a Chinese good luck theme. Win up to 20 free spins with two wilds added to the reels on each spin, with the chance to win up to one million coins! This golden slot is highly worth playing because of its modest volatility and high RTP of 96.5 percent.

Golden Legend, a 50-line slot game from Play'n GO, has ancient Chinese symbols of strength and fortune on the reels.

Arrange powerful gilded creatures like the benign tiger and the guardian foo dog to show you the route to prosperity and happiness. The boat-shaped Gold Sycee, reminiscent of Chinese cash, acts as a lucky wild symbol to assist you in completing profitable combos.

Your luck is extended by each lucky apparition of the Golden Dragon. You can take advantage of a run of up to 20 lucky free spins.

For those who love the mythology and history of the Far East, Golden Legend is a thrilling story filled with joy and optimism.

Irish Eyes 2 – Play for Free

Next Gen has created Irish Eyes 2, a successor to the famous Irish Eyes packed with fortunate charms. Look for symbols such as Shamrocks, Leprechauns, Heart-shaped rings, and perhaps some lovely dancing females. There's even a jug of gold to be found among the 25 paylines.

Irish Eyes 2, an exciting penny slot from NextGen, is all about the luck of the Irish. It's a sequel to the hugely popular Irish Eyes slot, and there are tons of rewards for anyone seeking some light enjoyment.

Just line up the fortunate symbols in this slots game. Locate the Lucky Pipes, Leprechaun Hats, Four-Leaf Shamrocks, Hearts of Gold, Scattered Pots of Gold, and more to win a range of coin values.

This game will be enjoyed by players of all skill levels, and there are a variety of stakes available to suit different budgets and playing abilities.

What Your Bankroll Carefully 

In keeping with the previous statement, many penny slots might be pricey. More specifically, if you are playing penny slots that require 100 credits per spin, you will most likely face a $1,000 bill when returning to the game after about 2 hours out of the casino.

We sincerely hope you never have to pay this much for a slot machine. On a lesser scale, you should always prepare your bankroll for the worst when entertaining with penny slot machines.

Slot machines already create wildly unexpected short-term outcomes because they are volatile. A financial nightmare might result when expensive bets are added on top of this instability. So, how can you prepare for the worst and escape this nightmare? Calculating your bankroll simply is the best course of action.

What Your Bankroll Carefully 
Online casino game (source: Freepik)

Here is an illustration of a conventional penny slot machine.

The average land-based penny slots player loses 400 bets (units) per hour
You have a $1,000 bankroll
You choose a penny slot with 50 lines ($0.50 minimum bet)
1,000 / 0.5 = 2,000 units
2,000 / 400 = 5
So, in this 50-line game, you may anticipate your bankroll to endure for 5 hours.

You should keep enough cash to cover an even worst-case situation because this is merely an average estimate. This won't concern you as long as you only bring money to the casino that you're okay with losing.

Don’t Let Colorful Themes and Small Payouts Trick You

We all know that firms utilize intelligent marketing strategies to entice us to purchase their products. It is one of the most effective techniques for corporations to boost their profit margins. And the same thing happens to penny slots. 

Penny slot machines are similar in that gaming businesses employ colorful themes, 3D visuals, music, bonuses, and other features to entice you to play. Slot manufacturers understand that if their goods attract many players, they will be placed in additional casinos.

It is fine if folks select their slot machines based on the themes and additional entertainment. The purpose of playing slots is to have fun, after all. But be careful not to lose all sense of time and money by being carried away by the theme, images, and seductive music. Instead, understand that these components are intended to keep you playing longer than anticipated.

The multiple little rewards that contemporary slot machines provide are another tactic to avoid. Numerous studies have demonstrated that giving players modest prizes after each spin has a psychological impact. Even when players are losing money overall, these frequent rewards give them the impression that they are winning.

But it's more challenging to do so when you're immersed in a game and doing spin after spin. You must again be cognizant of what game developers are doing in this regard.

While having a lot of wins in a single session is fantastic, you need also consider your total gains and bankroll.

Don’t Fall for the Myths and Misconceptions

Finally, slots appear to generate the most erroneous assumptions of all the gambling games available. Perhaps because players can't make decisions that affect the outcome, thus, superstition abounds in the slot industry.

The most pervasive slot myth is that: Slot machines record wins and losses and will compensate to get a win.

However, this is unlawful in the United States and the rest of the world. Slots are not permitted to make changes. They can't and won't. Each victory is its own occasion.

In addition, there is a wide variety of lore available.

There are several urban legends about what happens if specific buttons are pushed together, and animals react strangely, resulting in a jackpot prize. Even people are still speculating about a mystical control panel that enables instant game updates.

Again, however, that is absurd and impossible.

Another widely held fallacy is that players can "vulture" jackpots by waiting for a machine to be primed by prior play - yet this method does not hold up under technical scrutiny.

In fact, today's slot machines do not operate in this manner. They use RNGs, i.e., random number generators. Rates vary depending on the manufacturer. However, a reasonable rule is that RNGs run hundreds of times every second.

So, unless you started that identical spin simultaneously, you would not have won the jackpot. The outcome will be radically different if you are even a second off.

Conclusion

The primary lesson about penny slots is that they are not what their name would lead one to believe. You won't have any problems with these games as long as you know this fact.

Penny slots may be an excellent way to enjoy a casino experience on the cheap, but only if you understand how the game is played. Understanding this article, you should be able to put your money exclusively on the most outstanding bets while avoiding the dangers that trap inexperienced players.

Published: 01 August 2022 15:53