Some will tell you that bingo and slots are a game of chance, implying that the player is helpless. That implication is wrong, and in this article, we look at the player’s greatest tool: bankroll management.

Many tell us that bingo is a game of chance, and while the statement is not false, it certainly paints a muddy picture. After all, if bingo was such a terrible play, why is it the fastest growing game on the Web? And why is nearly every quality bingo site running at or near capacity? The same holds true for slots, and what every winning slots player knows is that there are “secrets” to success. Perhaps the most important of those secrets is bankroll management.

The most common mistake that the neophyte slots player makes is that he takes a nickel-and-dime approach to gambling his allotment for a given period. It’s intuitive: the more often I play, the greater the chance I have to win. It’s also a fallacy. Slots is a game of odds, and those odds depend on a number of factors, the most important of which is bet size on a given pull in relation to the maximum bet of machine. In slots, bigger is typically better.

Another mistake novices make regarding their bankroll is that they do not value loyalty incentives enough. These incentives, including deposit bonuses, reload bonuses, VIP programs, free tournament entries and so forth, are quite lucrative. In fact, many new slots players spread their bankroll out over several or more different networks, while a more focused gambler can earn more than twenty cents on every dollar, which significantly mitigates losses.

A regular slots player should take time to explore the various options available to him, but he should eventually settle on one online casino where he will distribute the entire bankroll. That online casino should have a diverse, aggressive bonus structure that allows him to get significantly more than a dollar out of each dollar gambled. Of particular important is the deposit/reload bonus, which can provide the twenty cents mentioned earlier all by itself.

It is also extremely important that the chosen casino boast enough variety to hold the player’s interest long-term, so consider the current selection, but also evaluate the outfit’s commitment to adding new machines, features, loyalty opportunities and so forth. Even more imperative is that the machines have advantageous odds and bonus features. Assess these machines based on their maximum bet odds, and ensure that the payout rate is above 95%.

Finally, keep a journal. As a slots player, you will win small often. The common instinct is to dump those coins right back into the games. Instead, use those coins as part of a longer-term management strategy for your bankroll.