Are You Making These Pokies Mistakes

Poker machines are simple by design but that does not mean you cannot fall into the trap of making these common pokies mistakes.

Making mistakes is part of life; they are inevitable. Making pokies mistakes not only costs you immediately but in the long run, too. Thankfully, cutting out these costly errors is relatively simple.

First, realise you cannot cut out a mistake if you do not know what you are doing is wrong. Think of pokies mistakes as a water leak in your house. A huge leak that causes your ceiling to fall collapse is easy to recognise. It is costly, but you spot it immediately and fix it. However, a small leak remains undetected for weeks, months, even years. It seeps into the woodwork in addition to causing a ceiling collapse. This smaller, seemingly less problematic leak is far more costly.

How does that relate to pokies mistakes? A major mistake such as pressing the button during a potential jackpot bonus round may only happen once per year but costs you $1,000, for example. A much smaller mistake may cost you only $0.01 per spin, but you make it every time you play pokies. How much is that costing you annually?

Playing On Low RTP Games Is The Biggest Of Pokies Mistakes

Pokies mistakes do not come much bigger than playing on games with low Return To Player (RTP). RTP is how much the machine pays to the player for every $100 wagered. It is displayed as a percentage, so 95% sees a machine return $95 for every $100 wagered. The casino retains the other $5, which is how the casino makes money. Although a 95% RTP machine returns $95 per $100 wagered, it does this over billions of spins.

Always try to play pokies with the highest RTP because this means the casino wins less money. It does not take a genius to work out this means more money in your bankroll.

Online casinos display the RTP of their pokies in the game’s lobby.

Not Playing With The Maximum Coins or Stakes Are Common Pokies Mistakes

Modern online pokies come with multiple win lines, making them more exciting to play. Some players make the common pokies mistakes of playing higher stakes but fewer win lines. For example, they play $2 per spin on one line but it is better to play $0.20 per line across ten lines. You spend the same $2 per spin, but the latter increases your chances of winning.

Furthermore, some pokies only pay their progressive jackpots if you play the maximum number of lines. You do not want to miss out on the chance of hitting the big time by playing too few win lines.

Playing Outside Of Your Bankroll

Playing outside your bankroll’s constraints is one of the biggest pokies mistakes. Never do it, ever. Your bankroll is the money you have available to gamble with. Every penny of your bankroll is available to lose if it comes to it. Your bankroll cannot contain any funds needed for any bills or upcoming costs.

It is important to play within your bankroll once you determine how much your pot is. There is no point playing for $10 per spin if your bankroll is $100. Doing so means you are almost guaranteed to go broke and do so quickly.

However, playing $0.50 per spin with a $100 bankroll gives you 200 spins and a better chance of walking away with a win.

Chasing Your Losses

Chasing your losses is a cardinal sin when it comes to any form of gambling, especially playing pokies. Playing within your bankroll reduces the chances of you wanting to chase losses because the money you lose is money you can afford to lose.

Anyone chasing losses plays for higher stakes than they are used to. Furthermore, they take risks they would not usually take. That is a deadly combination, one that has seen many people go broke.