Bankroll vs Slot Stake Levels

When you are playing video slots it is important to correctly set your stake levels based on your bankroll or gambling budget. This ensures that you are getting not only a decent amount of play time when you are playing slot machines, but also give you a sporting chance of triggering the bonus feature rounds.

However, when you are in the mood for playing slots, the last thing you will want to do is to sit there with a calculator doing several mathematical equations! You want to be able to log into your favourite online casino, select a slot and start playing. But to have a decent chance of winning, you will need to have some form of strategy and we shall take a quick look at how you can do just that.

Selecting Your Stake and Slot

Once you have made your deposit into an online casino, you need to use the amount deposited as the base figure for all your decisions when playing. From this, you will have to work out a unit stake to play each spin of the slots. And to make your play worthwhile, you will have to make this a figure that will hopefully allow you to trigger the bonus feature at least once on your chosen game.

You are playing the slot to get some entertainment and the best part of any video slot is when those bonus games and features start to trigger. By knowing when, on average, these features are triggered then you should spread your bankroll in such a way that you have enough spins to trigger them. That way, with all things being equal, you should be gaining the maximum entertainment from your spell of play.

So let’s say you are playing at a Microgaming software powered online casino and your preferred slots are those that offer free spins. Then you may already be aware that they offer dozens of slots which fit the bill. However, some will award you with their free spins more often than others, and these should be the ones you head straight to and play should you be playing with a lower bankroll.

The Moonshine slot is a prime example of a bonus video slot which has a regularly triggering bonus game. The scatter symbols, which are moonshine bottles, are required to trigger the free spins round. Due to the number of moonshine bottles on the reel strips and the number of reel positions on each reel, they should spin in on average once every 88 spins.

So when playing this slot game you should divide your available bankroll by at least 88 in the hope that you will trigger the free spins round once during your session. For example, if you have €50.00 in your casino account, then this divided by 88 works out at €0.56. By setting the coin values to 0.01 and playing two coins per line on all 25 pay lines this game has available, this means each spin will cost you €0.50 (slightly less than the €0.56 per spin) and you are going to get at the very least, 100 spins on that slot.

During that 100 spins you should hopefully trigger the bonus round at least once. And with the normal base game pay-outs which will appear during those 100 spins, this should increase the number of spins you are going to get even further. Therefore, the likelihood is increased that you get the enjoyment of hitting the free spins round at least once.

Suggested Slots and Stakes

When it comes to the average trigger rates the bonus feature rounds of any slot games, it is worth pointing out that these are in no way guaranteed, as slots are completely random after all. However, by using these trigger values as a base line when choosing your slot and stake levels, this is a savvy way of playing and to ensure you keep playing for longer.

Playing for too high a stake on any slot will rapidly decrease the enjoyment factor, as well as possibly limiting your slot-playing session time. So to point you in the direction of the slots you should be playing and the stakes you should be playing them at, below is a selection of Microgaming slot games along with the suggested stake levels. These are the stake levels assuming you have a 50.00 budget. Should you be playing with more or less than that amount in your bankroll, then simply adjust the figures accordingly.

Mega Moolah – Now if you like playing progressive slots then the original Mega Moolah slot is a perfect one to play, especially if you are playing on a limited budget as the progressive jackpots are awarded at random. They also do not require a maximum coin spin for you to be in with a chance of being awarded one.
The stake levels you should ideally be playing this slot at when playing with a 50.00 bankroll is 0.34, as the bonus game is triggered on average around once every 146 spins. However as it is a 25 pay line slot we suggest you play 3 spins at 0.25 then one spin at 0.50 and then keep repeating that sequence. This will give you at least 146 spins for your budget and hopefully when you are playing that 0.50 you may hit some decent pay-outs occasionally.
mega moolah

Tomb Raider – This is a slot which offers two bonus games, one a simple picking style round and the other a free spins round. Therefore there are two different average trigger rates for this slot. The picking game, which requires three bonus symbols on consecutive reels starting on reel number one, hits on average once every 63 spins. So, if you are looking to play and trigger this feature when playing with a bankroll of 50.00, then you should be playing at stakes of 0.79. However, as it is a 15 pay line slot, the nearest amount you can play the slot for is 0.75 per spin. This would work as one coin of 0.05 value per pay line, with all 15 lines activated. If all goes to plan, you will hopefully get that picking game launched within your session.

However in regards to this slot’s free spins round, this is triggered on average around once every 143 spins. So based on a budget of 50.00, you should be looking to play all 15 pay lines on coin settings of 0.01 and two coins per line activated. This would give you a minimum of 166 spins and would put you in with a good chance of getting that free spins round at least once in your session.
tomb raider

As mentioned previously, slot games are random in nature and some sessions will see you trigger the bonus games more times and sometimes less. However, in the long term you should see the expected trigger values hitting and triggering with the expected regularity. So, by setting your stake levels in accordance to your stakes you will get plenty of enjoyable sessions over your online playing career! Playing with stake levels set way too high will see you busting out much more quickly and that will detract from your enjoyment factor. So always be aware of that simple fact.