Slots are the most common type of gambling that allows players to insert money and spin a set of reels with various symbols. As the reels stop spinning, the machine dispenses winnings depending on how many matching symbols appear.

Casino owners used the game’s popularity to organize various tournaments. But, to fully understand how do slot tournaments work, you need to learn what a slot tournament actually is.

Many of these tournaments were formerly held exclusively in brick-and-mortar establishments, but with the evolution of online casinos, they have since been ported to the convenience of desktop and mobile devices.

What Is a Slot Tournament?

Players in a slot tournament all play the same version of the same slot machine for a predetermined amount of time. Namely, they compete to see who can amass the largest amount of casino credits. By the game’s end, the winner is the participant who accumulates the most credits. Prizes — points, credits, virtual currency, or actual cash — are awarded to the participant who has amassed the greatest total after the competition.

Slot tournaments’ appeal lies in the fact that everyone can join in the fun. The casino will reveal which slot machine will host the competition, hand out credit amounts and time limits to each player, and then watch the competition unfold.

With a little bit of digging, you can find slot tournaments at different online casinos featuring traditional Vegas slots, video slots, and highly popular progressive jackpot slot games. These games have been created by adding crisp graphics, functionality, and more chances to collect bonuses and jackpots.

How Do Slot Tournaments Work?

Now we can turn our attention to the rules of play. So, how does a slot tournament work? Online casino slot tournament rules are very similar to those at brick-and-mortar casinos.

You can always place bets up to a certain limit, regardless of the type of online contest you’re participating in. When the time runs out, the overall prize goes to the player with the most points or the one who has played the most games.

Elimination tournaments are contests where one player or a team must beat all opponents or teams to win. In the end, the winner of a knockout-style tournament is the player who won the most points in a certain amount of time.

You can earn points in one of two different methods. First, make sure you have studied the terms of a slot games tournament before signing up for it. Then, find out whether the only way to acquire points is to win or you can get them just by betting. You have a chance of winning based on the following:

• Bet amounts — Whether the player wins or loses doesn’t matter. What matters is that players keep betting to obtain more points.
• Prize amounts — The top players rank based on the money they’ve won. So, if you’re lucky, you can win a small entry fee.

The usual entry cost for a slot tournament ranges from $25 to $100, depending on the casino, while the financial prizes for the tournament can be rather large. For instance, if each player in a slot tournament puts in $100, the total prize pool may be worth $100,000. Interestingly, prices are available for players down to the 2,000th place on the scoreboard, so everyone has a shot at winning something. In addition to the great cash prizes, players have the chance to win free spins or no-deposit bonuses.

It’s a common practice for slot tournaments to give participants more than their entry fee would normally buy, so even if you don’t win anything, it’s still worth it to enter.

Types of Slot Tournaments

The variety of options in nearly every corner of the iGaming world is one of the biggest selling points of the industry, and that’s the case regarding slot tournaments. Besides learning how to play slot tournaments, you should also inspect and decide which type is the most suitable for you.

Freeroll Slot Tournaments

Participating in a freeroll tournament is free of charge, so you can enter the contest and compete for the big prize with no out-of-pocket cost. Freerolls typically run for a shorter period of time and are included in online casinos’ promotional incentives like sign-up welcome packages.

Buy-in Tournaments

Slot tournaments are usually cash-entry events because participants must pay the price to participate. These tournaments are also known as “buy-in” contests. Paying this fee doesn’t give you any special privileges during the tournament; it simply grants you entry.

Sit n’ Go Tournaments

The success of Sit ‘n’ Go tournaments in online poker has translated well to slot tournaments. There’s no set time limit like there is in scheduled slots tournaments, but these competitions are timed so that everyone begins and ends at the exact same moment. Therefore, every player in a Sit ‘n’ Go game must be at the table at the same time.

Scheduled Tournaments

A scheduled slot tournament warrants the implementation of some kind of slot tournament strategy. As these contests have a set starting time, a scheduled tournament can be either freeroll or buy-in. The only requirement is to register and be present at a predetermined hour and, in case it’s buy-in type, a paid fee.

Reloader Tournaments

During reload slot tournaments, players can pay to re-enter the competition. In this tournament type, competitors pay an entry fee to play for a predetermined amount of time. Generally, the event as a whole takes around an hour, with each round lasting five minutes.

If players lose in the first five minutes of a round, they can re-buy a spot in the next round. These re-buys are optional, and players can use them at any time throughout the tournament.

Extender Tournaments

Extender tournaments are comparable to reloader tournaments. However, participants in extender tournaments have the opportunity to ‘raise’ their final score. Also, while playing, you have a chance to purchase an add-on that will increase your odds of winning, but this doesn’t ensure that you will be placed on the leaderboard.

Survival Slot Tournaments

Survivor tournaments can come in different variants but typically consist of three 5-minute rounds. Each of the three rounds features the same rules and gameplay, but the winner is determined after each round.

• In Round 1, all players who compete and finish in the top half will advance to the next stage.
• Only the top 10% from Round 2 will advance to the Final Round.
• At the end of Round 3, the top 10 players, i.e., the ones still standing, will be rewarded.

These events have only a ten-second break between rounds, but they keep the greatest players interested and engaged the whole time.

One-Shot Tournaments

One-shot type tournaments are even more difficult and cutthroat than the survivor type. The punters only get one opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and, if successful, advance to the next round and go closer to winning the grand prize.

Comped Tournaments

Comped tournaments are free to enter competitions and are offered to regular customers. Casino websites that have a customer loyalty program, that’s well-established, host a wide variety of events to continue to keep their consumers entertained in the most exciting and engaging way possible.

PCH Tournaments

Publisher’s Clearing House (PCH) is a corporation that specializes in direct marketing and runs daily slot tournaments with both buy-in and freeroll options. Additionally, the company generates revenue through the sale of magazines and subscription services, allowing them to give away prizes ranging from one hundred to ten thousand dollars.

Slot players enjoy participating in these tournaments because they provide them with the opportunity to win large cash prizes without having to spend any money.

Slot Tournament Strategy

What every player wants to know is how to win a slot tournament. Keep in mind that no tournament strategy guarantees victory because there’s absolutely nothing players can do to improve their chances of winning a single slot round.

So, how can you better your odds of overall success? Concentration and playing speed are the two most important aspects. For the best possible outcome, it’s necessary to play the maximum number of spins allowed and bet on the maximum number of paylines. In order to keep the reels going after they’ve stopped, you’ll need to keep clicking the spin button. Remember not to sit idly awaiting credit addition, and don’t let close calls upset you.

Pay attention to the task at hand rather than focusing on the competition. Although it’s natural to be curious about how you stack up against the competition, spending time doing so is pointless. Don’t answer the phone or do anything else that might pull your attention away from your goal (spinning the reels) until the timer goes off and you know where you stand.

So, there’s no foolproof strategy for slot tournaments. Anyone telling you otherwise is either uninformed or trying to sell you a system that isn’t worth your time. Slots are just products with lights and reels. If you want to be successful at slot machines and in tournaments, you need nothing more than a little bit of luck.

Tips for Playing at Slot Tournaments

Now that you understand what is a slot tournament and how to devise your strategy by gathering the experiences of tournament players let’s look at a compiled list of the most essential tips that are easily applicable to the strategy mentioned above:

• Keep your finger on the spin button at all times because slot tournaments have a time limit on how long you have to use your casino credits. Whether you went ahead or behind in the game may depend on just a few key decisions.
• Play with the maximum bet if you want the maximum payoff from your winning spin. In order to come out on top in a slot tournament, you need to have the most coins at the end of the round.
• Be sure to bet across all paylines to give yourself the best chance of winning a slot machine game.
• If you hit it big at the slots, pay attention to the clock because the reels will stop spinning for a while. As soon as the slot machine finishes counting, you should start hitting the spin button to boost your odds of earning the jackpot again.
• Just ignore the other players who are trying to get your attention by talking or jumping about once they win a jackpot. The more time you waste fiddling with other things, the less likely it is that you’ll hit a winning payline and collect your prize.

Conclusion

So, these were the most important aspects and types of slot tournaments. The goal was to provide a comprehensive guide and answer the key question: ‘How do slot tournaments work?’ Namely, the possibilities are numerous, but the choice will come down to you and your personality.

Are you a competitive person who thrives in high-stress situations, or do you like to take your time and plan your next move? If you nurture a competitive (but also sporting) spirit, you should consider slot tournaments for your gambling portfolio. Who knows, you may be the one who hits it big!

FAQ

What’s the secret to winning slot tournaments?

Success with slot machines depends entirely on random chance. All you need to do is to spin quickly and maximize your earnings. Also, you should perform as many spins as you possibly can. For some players, using the auto-spin feature seem to be a good method.

Do you use your own money in slot tournaments?

It depends on the type of tournament, and if you don’t want to risk your own cash, you can always search for freeroll tournaments.

What triggers a jackpot on a slot machine?

The most elementary method of awarding a jackpot prize is randomness. However, it’s also possible that a specific set of symbols must be hit to trigger the jackpot. The second approach players use to win the slots jackpot is to play in the bonus round by collecting the required symbols in the correct order.

Does playing max bet increase odds?

Yes. Increasing your wager to the maximum level in most slot games will result in a bigger payout. In order to win a slot tournament, players need to have the most coins at the end of the round.

Are slot tournaments rigged?

There’s no reason for you to be concerned if you’re playing in a regulated, licensed casino that provides only tested RNG games. Each slot machine is programmed to generate results at random and have a predetermined payout percentage.

How do slot tournaments work at casinos?

At land-based slot tournaments, rules are pretty similar to the ones at online casinos. However, the one big difference when you’re playing by pressing a real-life button is that when you finish, you need to wait for an official to collect your score.