How to Win at Progressive Slots
I like progressive slots as much as I love marine animals. The level of excitement these games provide is wonderful. Every spin can potentially bring you a jackpot reward. Throughout my gambling journey, I have laughed and been happy like a child, even when I get a minor jackpot!
Since I have won many jackpots so far, let me give you some hints on how to win at progressive slots.
Understanding Progressive Slot Mechanics
Progressive slots are actually slot machines that have a progressive jackpot. Their jackpot raises all the time and directly depends on the bets made by the players. Of course, only a tiny part of the losses made with each spin goes toward each jackpot. However, that also means that the RTP of these slots is usually lower.
In most cases, there are either three or four jackpots that players can hit. Their value varies from a few tens of dollars to millions of dollars. Based on my experience, they look like this:
- Minor, Mini, Maxi, and Major
- Bronze, Silver, Gold (and eventually Diamond or Platinum)
It is worth mentioning that progressive jackpots are not connected to just one game. These are pooled prizes generated from losses of different games developed by the same provider.
Example: Jackpots will be identical for all Synot, Pragmatic Play, or Ezugi slots.
How to Pick a Progressive Slot?
The online gambling market offers various amazing progressive slot games.
To find the best ones, focus on the essential slot features:
- Check RTP: As I previously mentioned, RTPs of progressive slots are slightly lower since they generate part of the losses towards the jackpots. Everything below 94% is a red flag.
- Size of jackpots: If players need to take a risk, there must be a good reason. Smaller jackpots are not worth it; trust me.
- Game features: Consider all the features: theme, graphics, betting options, reward mechanism, etc. Personally, I love marine animal-inspired progressive slots with 20 paylines.
Best Progressive Slots I Have Ever Tried
My many years of gambling experience have given me the right to highlight the five best progressive slot games:
- Great Blue: This Playtech slot has attracted millions of fans worldwide. It has decent graphics and enjoyable gameplay, while all the symbols are related to marine animals. Some symbols are seahorses, starfish, and, logically, the great blue whale. Its payout odds vary between 95% and 96%.
- Mega Moolah: Mega Moolah mega jackpot can go over $1 million. The Microgaming slot RTP is usually around 93.42%, but 5.3% of players’ losses go towards jackpots. Low RTP, in this case, isn’t a problem since the grand prizes are massive.
- The Finer Reels: This is another Microgaming title that has released one of the biggest jackpots in the history of online gambling (38.4 million USD). It is a megaway-type of slot with four reels and 243 paylines. Its RTP is between 94% and 96%.
- Hall of Gods: I love this NetEnt game because of the wilds, free spins, and multipliers. Players will have the chance to hit three different jackpots. RTP is around 95.30% all the time!
- Dead Man’s Trail Dream Drop: This slot by the software provider Relax Gaming has everything! It comes with four different jackpots and a max win potential of 30,000x. Return-to-player rate is 94%.
How Do You Win Big on Progressive Slots
Just like with typical slots, things here depend on luck. So, I can’t precisely tell you how to win big. Something I can suggest is how to raise your chances of winning. These are only my opinions based on the experience I have gained over the years.
- Follow the jackpot reward patterns: Indeed, jackpots can be released on every random spin. The good news is that slots provide statistics on previous grand rewards. You can see in which moments they were released. If players hit a Silver jackpot between $10k and $12k, and its value is around $11.5, it does make sense to boost your bet value.
- Play during peak times: Jackpot pools generate more money when more players participate simultaneously. Your chances are much higher if you play after 9 PM when most people log in to their casino accounts. Most of my lucky moments were around midnight.
- Maximize your bets: Be careful here. When you know that the jackpot is close to being released and that many players are participating, don’t hesitate to maximize your bet. Logically, know how much money you can afford to spend.
How to Trigger Progressive Jackpots
There are multiple ways to trigger a progressive jackpot. Generally speaking, you can hit the jackpot on any random spin with most slot games. On the other hand, some of them require collecting certain bonus symbols that will reward you with a jackpot.
Example: Collecting specific symbols may give you an option to spin the jackpot wheel.
Another thing you need to do is read the rules of the game. If the game has three or more jackpots, there is a big chance that each one of them has a minimum bet requirement. However, that doesn’t mean that you automatically apply for the biggest prizes if your bets are larger.
Example: If the bet request for the major jackpot is $5 or more per spin, you automatically apply for mini and minor prizes as well. However, with $2, you don’t apply for the bigger grand prizes.
How Do You Know When a Progressive Slot Machine is Going to Hit?
The answer to the heading question is pretty simple — you simply can’t. Behind every progressive slot casino game, there is a valid RNG software that ensures complete randomness. If someone says, “I can predict the jackpot,” that person lies to you.
As I previously explained, you can only check out when the slot machine usually releases the jackpot. When it is close to the upper limit, the reward will likely be triggered soon. At the same time, it can go over that amount of cash or be released a lot before that. Everything depends on how much money the machine manages to generate.
Are Progressive Slots Predetermined
No, they are not predetermined. I often read guides written by RNG experts explaining how software functions. The Random Number Generator tool has improved, but its concept has remained unchanged. A group of mathematicians, programmers, and even psychologists stand behind this invention, which ensures fair chances of winning a reward for everyone.
Trust me; tricking RNG’s algorithm is impossible. Unfortunately, some people still do not believe in that. Hence, I recommend you register only at RNG-certified casino sites.
If you see certificates from eCOGRA, iTech Labs, Gaming Labs International, and BMM Test Labs, you can be 100% sure the algorithm is valid. These are independent third-party labs that closely analyze everything.
I may be boring with that, but I need to repeat—predicting the jackpot is impossible. Do everything possible to raise your chances, keeping responsible gambling practices in mind.
What is the Most Famous Progressive Jackpot Slot Called?
Most people want to know the answer to the question: how to win at slots, and more precisely at online slots with progressive jackpots. Despite all the tips I provided above, one important thing you must do is find a good game, just like I did.
One of my favorite casino games is Mega Moolah. This casino classic by Games Global was released in 2006. It has five reels and 25 paylines. Its RTP is below average because of four jackpots that people can hit. It is around 93.5%, and around 5% of that amount goes towards jackpots.
People commonly ask me the secret to how to win at Mega Moolah, and I keep telling them that understanding the concept of the game is crucial. Players can claim 4 different jackpots. They only need to trigger the Jackpot Wheel bonus game feature. There is no specific rule on how to do that; it can happen on a random spin.
You will spin the wheel that looks like this:
- 10 Mini Jackpot red parts
- 6 Minor Jackpot orange parts
- 3 Major Jackpot yellow parts
- 1 Mega Jackpot white part
Believe it or not, the biggest jackpot hit with this game is over 20 million USD. This will be the right choice if you like games that focus on jackpot prizes instead of typical winnings.