I know that you know that we both know the answer to this question.
Most probably it is hours.
No one plays online slots for 5 minutes. Not at least, unless you do a few spins, every hour or two at the office.
And if that’s true. Then you got bigger, a way bigger issue on your hand.
Heard of problem gambling? Yep, that’s your way forward.
Anyways, a Redditor posted this thread, asking everyone how much time they spent playing slots.
It had similarish answers.
The first answer was straight. And possibly one of the better ones.
That is the more you time you spend in front of the screen, the more you drain your dollars.
Then a sound gambler pulled out his own game plan. He would just start playing and if he won anything in the first 2 hours, he would simply use that money to keep on going, preserving the bankroll. And when the winnings started heading south, he would abandon for the next session.
Good plan, just that not many people end up showing this level of discipline. If they did, there wouldn’t a thing called problem gambling.
Then another reply was more honest. I think? This person played until he got sleepy. Bad. But I admire him being truthful about it.
Then another Redditor posted a rather interesting story. He once played from 7:30 am till 11 pm while he was still at work delivering packages. This gentleman lost $2.5K in the process.
I’ve done hours upon hours,
There was one day I gambled from 7:30am-11pm and lost my entire deposit of 2.5k, while working my delivery job 🤣
But generally usually within the 1st hour I will know if I win big or not and just stop there.
Occasionally I lose it all and chase and make it back around 3-4 hour mark.
Note here, I play online slots at different online casinos and do mostly bonus buy only.
This one user then stated his plan. According to him, you either win early, while keep flipping from one slot to another, or you don’t. And if you do, you should just quit for the day and play another day. This way you at least get to keep something in your pocket, instead of feeling like a complete loser.
A lady then posted about how she and her husband were about to leave a casino, when she hit a Double Top Dollar $5k x 2, which happened to be her biggest win on pokies, like ever. Even though her daily budget runs out anywhere from hours to as little as 15 minutes.
A guy then shared his strategy. So, basically he plays big only in physical casinos, but never more than a thousand dollars at online casinos. That’s despite the fact that he’s a high roller (as per him). He’d rather divide the time based on the hit rates of a particular slot.
Then a smart ass had this to say:
The amount of gamblers fallacy in here is astounding
Ok, sure he might be right, but he didn’t have to be insulting about it. And why is he in a gambling subreddit anyway. I, technically, agree with him, but he could have chosen the right words.
There were plenty of other replies that shed light on how people usually approach slots.
Around 40-60 min ? I usually gamble with $2 bets and ape in with $1000 at least.
The large consensus here seems to be that people generally win big early on. Playing for the sake of playing is usually not a good idea.
My big wins have always been early on in and I always use bonuses and i play through the bonuses getting decent hits along the way
Moving around vs. sticking to one slot machine – RNG will decide your fate either way
It all basically comes down to it. Do you spend hours on one slot machine, or move about different games to spread the risk.
Common sense would push you to move around. But, then if it’s really all RNG; then everything is randomized, therefore, sticking to one machine would possibly yield the same result as frolicking about the entire casino floor.
Well, for one, sticking to one machine makes you relaxed, less confused, more focused. There way less changes to the screen, hit rates, volatility dynamics, RTP. All that math is constant. And it may be that you’re more comfortable with one slot title, or you feel lucky playing that instead of games you haven’t heard of. Then on the flip side, it would get boring. Also chances of losing all your bankroll quickly also increases. Why? because playing the same game over and over again starts becoming more like a chore.
Then there’s also changing the slot machines frequently. At least you have a better game variety, no fear of boredom. More graphics to get amused from. More soundtracks. Different buttons to press. A unique assortment of colors and storylines to choose. You get the idea.
And since you want to spend your screen time over multiple games, you tend to allot smaller amounts per machine, thus increasing your chances to win, also your time. On the bad side, more games mean more subtleties to keep in mind, especially with regards to a game’s RTP values. For many, especially newbie players, or women, it can become excruciatingly cumbersome. Nothing that can’t be easily managed, but still. You get the point. Sometimes keeping things simple makes the difference between winning and losing.
So, there isn’t a right way to attack this. It’s really up to a person. You could spend hours on one machine, or five minutes each on 10 different slots. In the end, it’s the RNG that has to decide, which means it is your luck at play, the entire time.
You could win a jackpot in one minute, or lose your beloved home in the next 6 hours.
What you do with this information is, well, totally up to you.