Can a staking plan be used to play online slots?
Most visitors to real money US casinos, whether online or offline, probably don’t use a staking plan and just tend to bet as and how they feel. This is probably truer of those playing real money online slots than those playing other casino games, but here we take a look at whether or not a staking plan can be applied to slots and, indeed, if it ever should.
A staking plan determines how much you bet on a single wager and that can be a spin of the roulette wheel, a single hand of blackjack, a moneyline bet on the baseball or even a spin of an online slot.
Staking plans are effectively money management systems that canny players use to try and help them achieve their goals and the staking plan that is best for one player in one situation won’t be the best for another player in a different position. For example, in sports betting, a staking plan will usually take into account the likelihood of a bet winning, with, generally speaking, smaller bets on long odds propositions and larger bets on teams or players at shorter odds.
With casino games this isn’t really a factor, certainly not with slots and blackjack, where your chances of winning don’t change. On the other hand, with games like craps and roulette this could be a consideration, with, for example, a player more likely to stake larger amounts on red or black than they would on a single number.
The other major component of a staking plan is how it reacts to the game situation, with some players liking to bet more when they are winning and others more when they are losing, the Martingale system being an example of the latter staking strategy.
Betting more when you are losing has its advantages as it allows you to recoup losses more quickly but this comes at a cost – if your bad luck continues you will soon be wiped out. On the other side of the coin, betting a lot when you are winning may seem to make sense because your bankroll is effectively larger and you have more room to maneuver.
Ultimately when you are playing online slot machines for real money how you stake is up to you but because of the high variance of slots we would recommend a flat staking system for most players, wagering a set amount per spin, although reducing your stake as you near the end of bonus wagering requirements is also advisable. To get started playing online, see our best USA online casinos for slots or all the casino we recommend and offer online slots for USA players.
