How Many Coins Should I Put in a Slot Machine?

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How many coins should I bet in multi-line / multi-coin slot machines?

We’ve all seen the slot machine banks in the casinos, sectioned off by bet size. Penny slots over here, nickel slots over there, $1 machines in the next area. So many people flock to the penny slots because they don’t want to spend too much. But when they get there, the games have 40 paylines and encourage you to bet 20 coins per line. Suddenly, that $0.01 slot machine turned into a potential $8/spin investment.

What do you do? Activating all lines at $0.01 will cost you $0.40 per spin. That’s the minimum for full line pays, and isn’t too bad. But doesn’t everyone say you have to ‘Bet Max‘ to get the best odds? Is the highest bet the right choice? Let’s take a closer look at how slot machine work, particularly where multi-line, multi-coin machines are involved.

Types of Multi-Line, Multi-Coin Slot Machines

There are two common types of slot machines that accept multiple coins per line. One type is called a Straight Multiplier, or ‘Equal Distribution‘ game. The other is commonly known as a Bonus Multiplier, or ‘Progressive Distribution‘ game.

Straight Multiplier Slots

These games will pay an amount equal to the 1-coin payout, multiplied by the number of coins wagered. Let’s say you line up a win worth a 10-coin payout. If you wagered 1 coin on that line, it would pay 10 coins. The chart below depicts how much you would win for betting a higher amount of coins. We’ll assume the max is 5 coins per line.

Coins Bet	Payout	Multiplier
1	10	10x
2	20	10x
3	30	10x
4	40	10x
5	50	10x

For these machines, there is absolutely no advantage to betting a higher amount of coins. The multiplier does not change, therefore the odds do not change.

Bonus Multiplier Slots

The paytable on these machines works a bit differently. Most bonus multiplier slots will only take a maximum of 3 or 5 coins per line. Betting the max coins will grant a higher payout ratio than any lesser number of coins. Using the same example as above…

Coins Bet	Payout	Multiplier
1	10	10x
2	20	10x
3	30	10x
4	40	10x
5	75	15x

This time, we see that the payout for betting the max 5 coins is elevated to 15x, awarding 75 coins instead of 50. In this case, you’re getting better odds for betting max coins.

Check Info for Progression in Slot Machine RTP

There is one other type of multi-line, multi-coin slot machine you may come across. They are less common, but can be found scattered throughout the game menus of online casinos. These games appear to offer equal distribution, but within their paytable information, you’ll find that the more coins you wager the higher the RTP rises.

The RTP is the theoretical return to player. Look at it as the opposite of the house edge. If the RTP is 96%, the house edge is 4%. This means the casino, over the long term, will keep 4% of all bets on the game, while players will (collectively) win back 96%.

If the RTP rises with bet size, the payout ratio will still be equal per coin bet. However, the actual odds of hitting those winning combinations can rise, giving the player an RTP of perhaps 97% or 98%. Therefore, it’s critical for players read the paytable information—all the way to the final page—before playing any multi-line, multi-coins slot machines.