The 7 Best Slot Machines to Play at the Casino in 2026

Nobody can tell you what the best slot machines to play are. That’s a shocking way to start a blog post about the 7 best slot machines to play at the casino in 2022, isn’t it?

I’m trying to make a larger point here. So much of slot play is governed by personal preference. The perfect slot for one player might be a boring mess to another. I talked about this in my post about the best time to play slots at the casino, too.

Instead of identifying 7 slot machines that I think are the best, I’d like to teach people how to find the overall best slots on any casino floor.

The game types identified in this post are available at every gambling spot in the country, from the humblest roadside VLT parlor to the grandest Vegas resort and mega-casino.

Also, if you’re looking for advice about the best slots to play at specific casinos, I’ve written a series of posts on that subject, too:

I’ve also started publishing posts about specific destinations, too:

Atlantic City Slots

Table of Contents

1 – The Best Slot Machines to Play at the Casino Are the Ones with Jackpots

The short version of this recommendation is that progressive slots have the worst odds.

A progressive slot has prizes that grow over time. These increasing prizes pay out when an unlikely event occurs. When a player triggers the prize, they win it as a jackpot, and the prizes reset to their base value.

The ever-increasing nature of these game’s top prizes mean they have to be set at much lower RTPs. In short, somebody has to pay for that eventual large jackpot prize. People who play these games are sponsoring these jackpots with small slivers of every bet they place on the game.

Progressive jackpots are fun to chase. Slots players pay for the right to have that kind of fun. In jurisdictions that report average slot RTPs, progressive game RTPs are usually at least two percentage points more in favor of the house than their fixed jackpot counterparts.

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It’s easy to identify progressive games. They have screens prominently displaying the ever-increasing prize amounts. Fixed jackpot games lack these screens, showing their payouts in traditional pay tables on the game screen.

For another perspective, you might enjoy Simon’s post about making money with progressives online here.

2 – Enjoy the Random Bonuses of Red-Screen VLT Games

If you find yourself in a casino that hosts VLTs, you should automatically look for and play the red-screen games designed by VGT.

VLTs are video lottery terminals. They’re different from slots in ways that don’t really matter to players. Basically, VLTs are legal in some areas where traditional slot machines aren’t.

The so-called red-screen VLT games are those which involve a bonus that’s preceded by a red flash on the screen. When this happens, you’ll automatically win 1, 3, or 5 free re-spins. The best news of all – this bonus is randomly triggered on winning spins. According to the game’s manufacturer, VGT, it happens on about 20% of all winning spins.

If you find yourself playing VLTs instead of slots, you shouldn’t be playing anything except the famous VGT red-screen games. They make a ton of them. Some of the best-known names are Almighty Dollar, Mr. Millionaire, and Super Hits.

Look for these randomly-triggered red screen bonus games and you’ll be playing the best-odds VLTs on the floor.

3 – Choose Multi-Denomination Slots

This one’s easy to justify. Slots that give you choice in terms of denomination give you more options. They also give you a range of potential odds to pick from.

In Las Vegas, multi-denomination slots are among the best in terms of odds. An average Vegas multi-denomination slot has an RTP of 94.13%. That’s good enough for fourth-place overall in terms of average odds.

The main benefit to picking a multi-denomination slot comes from being able to choose the version that gives you the best return. Generally speaking, this is the $0.05 version, or the high roller variants ($1 or more) if your bankroll can afford them. You should avoid the $0.01 variant, as it’s likely the worst-odds version of the game you’ve chosen.

4 – Look for Slots with a Skill Element

I’m going to start out with a big caveat – skill-based slots, or slots with skill elements, are rare.

What’s a skill element?

Anything that rewards player skill instead of random chance.

Most slot games are based entirely on randomness. Even bonus rounds that appear to be skill-based are probably just randomized events with a veneer of player control.

Player skill is difficult to design around and nearly impossible to predict in terms of a game’s returns and such. That’s a big reason why skill-based games are rare. Casinos that host them leave themselves vulnerable to play by skilled players.

Of course, if you’re no good at the skill required for the skill-based bonus round, it won’t help you to find the game. That’s why this recommendation is becoming less and less meaningful over time. Manufacturers just aren’t producing as many skill-based games as they once did.

For the most part, your skill-game search will lead you to the carnival midway more than the casino gaming floor. Still, if you find a skill slot game, give it a shot. You may find that you skill gives you a slight edge against the casino, or at least against other players.

5 – Play Penny Slots to Extend Your Bankroll

If you want to play as many rounds as possible while still facing a reasonable set of odds, penny slots should be your go-to.

You won’t necessarily be playing against great odds when you play $0.01 slots. In fact, in most jurisdictions that report return data on slots, penny slot machines are the worst bets you can make. In Las Vegas, for example, a typical penny slot has an RTP of 90.15%. That gives the casino an edge of about 10% on every pull.

Having said that, when that pull sets you back the financial equivalent of a packing peanut, what’s the harm? Players who like to spin the reels a lot and aren’t as concerned with a few extra percentage points here and there will naturally gravitate to the lowest-cost machines.

I’ve been known to find a penny slot I can enjoy for $0.15 or $0.20 a pull and spend an hour or two relaxing mesmerized by the lights and sounds. It’s at least as relaxing for me as a massage, and ultimately a lot cheaper.

From the perspective of your bankroll, losing $7 an hour playing a penny slot with an ugly RTP is no different from losing $7 an hour playing low-roller blackjack with a 99.95% RTP.

6 – Play Nickel Slots for the Best Overall Odds

If you’re looking for a denomination that gives you the best possible chances of winning, nickel slots are probably the answer.

It’s impossible to say which denomination gives players the best odds overall across the country. That’s because not every gambling jurisdiction is required by law to report win percentages. In most parts of the country, you have no idea of knowing which games pay the best.

But we can look at the parts of the country where reporting is required to get a sense of the industry as a whole.

In Nevada and Mississippi, two of the only US states that report monthly gaming revenue, the best-paying slot machines by denomination are the $0.05 slots.

In Las Vegas in 2021, the last year for which we have full numbers, nickel slots had an average RTP of 94.69%. That’s nearly 3 percent higher than the same figure for $0.25 slots and 4.5 percent higher than penny slots. It’s nearly 2% better than Nevada’s average slot RTP of 92.86%.

In Mississippi in 2021, nickel slots had an average RTP of 96.92%, which is nearly 7% better than the state’s penny progressive slots. It’s also more than 5% better than the state’s average slot RTP of 91.7%.

If you’re gambling in New Mexico or Kansas, or anywhere else in America, it’s a safe bet that any nickel slots you come across represent your best chances of beating the house.

At least in terms of odds. There’s no accounting for luck.

7 – Ultimately, You Should Play the Games You Like

You can spend a week researching the ideal slot and find yourself bored, disappointed, and wishing you hadn’t wasted time doing all that research.

The trick to getting the most out of your gambling budget is to only play games you enjoy. Even if your favorite slot breaks all of the “rules” in this post, you should play it if it leads to the most entertainment.

Essentially money spent gambling is money spent having fun. This is no different from buying a ticket to the movies or playing a round of golf. If that licensed progressive slot with an RTP in the mid-80s gives you the best possible time, you should play that game as long as you can afford to.

Don’t let anyone’s rules or recommendations ruin your weekend casino trip. Play the games you love.

Conclusion: The Best Slot Machines to Play at the Casino

At the end of the day, the best slot machines to play at the casino in 2022 are the ones that gives you the most entertainment value for your budget.

The guide above should lead you straight to the best slot machine for you to play at the casino in 2022.

Don’t let anyone knock you off your favorite game. Understand the risks inherent in playing certain slots and adjust your bankroll and playing style accordingly.