Budgeting for a casino trip is a personal situation, just like other topics we’ve talked about like taxes or tipping. But we still get questions from players hoping to get our opinion on things:
How much should you set aside to try to get a jackpot?
Dan
We don’t really have an answer for this, in part because we don’t really think that’s the best goal for a player.
Here’s why – a jackpot is an arbitrary number of $1,200. It doesn’t matter what your original bet was – if you win $1,200 or more, you’ll hit a jackpot. When Brian gets a jackpot on $100 spins, a jackpot is as little as 12x his bet – not particularly massive, and probably more than he spent to get it (which is of course the same situation for most of us).
So instead here’s some advice on bankroll planning, and as we go we’ll also throw in some jackpot planning suggestions too.
Set Aside What You Can Afford
We should never play what we can’t afford – one of our relatives used to say you can spend the movie money, not the milk money. This is particularly so when chasing anything, because often times players will shovel winnings back into the chase of a specific goal and could potentially lose it all.
Don’t Overbet Relative to Your Bankroll
If you have $100, don’t do $5 spins – you could be leaving the casino barely after arriving. You want to have fun along the way, and that means being able to play long enough to do so.
That doesn’t mean you have to pick machines that can’t or won’t hit a jackpot. Look for progressives or top prizes that can push you over that $1,200 level relative to your bankroll.
Here’s an example: Bonus Times is a machine at the $1 denomination level that’s a $3 bet. There are a number of line hits that can pay above the $1,200 threshold. If your budget allows for a swing on that, it could be an option.
Don’t Chase the Biggest Progressives
Those $10,000 link Grand jackpots can look enticing, but when you learn the average bank of machines only awards one per month, the odds aren’t particularly great.
But what about slots with an above-average major? Many games can have majors that can get above $1,200. While still certainly difficult to achieve, they’re a lot more possible, and we see players get them reasonably often, and heck we’ve gotten our share of them as well, even at lower bets like 88 cents or $1.76.
Takeaway
Chasing a jackpot is a bit of an arbitrary thing. Instead, optimize your play based on what your goals are, while still being able to have fun at the casino. You can push your bets when you’re winning, but making your bankroll last is one of many ways you can have a fighting chance at a good hit or even a jackpot.
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