Everyone loves a freeroll, right? For many online gamers, their first experience with a freeroll was in poker. Slots freerolls are entirely different, and there are a number of popular formats. This article explores two of the most popular slots freeroll formats, and some possible strategy implications.
Slots Freeroll Format # 1 – Spin as Fast as you CAN!!
This is my personal favorite. If I wanted to think, I would sit at a poker table. When I play slots, its simply for recreation, and a slots freeroll that is in this format requires no thinking, just fast clicking. Thsi format is popular on Real Time Gaming casinos such as Casino Titan and Win Palace.
Players all start with the same number of credits and those credits are usually quite hit. 2000 credits or more is quite common. Players are given a time limit, and they must burn all of their credits within that time frame or lose them.
Scoring – Every time the slot machine hits one of the paylines, any credits you would have won if you were just playing the game with real money, gets added to your score. A leaderboard should be provided to let you know where you stand after you have used all of your credits.
If luck is with you, one of your spins will trigger the bonus feature. Just like when playing the slot for real coins, you will get 10 or 15 or more spins that do not take credits at all. Keep in mind, however, that the clock is still ticking, so just keep on clicking that “spin” button and watch your score skyrocket.
Rebuys and Add ons are popular with this particular freeroll format. Everyone gets a shot with the first 2000 credits and timer. Players who want to boost their score more can rebuy and get more credits and more time. Generally, there will be a maximum number of rebuys, so that one player can’t just buy his way to the top. Many freerollers feel like having rebuys goes against the spirit of the event. If you look at it from the “house” perspective though, the rebuys allow them to earn some revenue for hosting the event. If they are earning revenue, rest assured, they will be hosting more freerolls, so this is a net positive for everyone involved.
Slot Freeroll Format # 2 – Protect those Chips!
In this variation, players are usually given a much smaller number of chips. There is no timer, other than the tournament timer that can last for a couple days or even a week. A player’s spot on the leaderboard is determined exactly by how many chips or credits they have left. This format is used widely by BetOnSoft casinos; Atlantis Gold and Treasure Island Jackpots.
Slots strategy? It is not an oxymoron when these types of tournaments are involved. Here are a few tips.
Tip # 1 – Determine your play style for this tournament and stick with it.
Some players like to “go big or go home”. They bet the max bet as soon as they sit down, in hopes of hitting some great spins early and sprinting into the lead. Other players take a more conservative “wait and see” or “late breaker” approach. Wait and See players will sit on their balance and try to spin very little, or not at all, in return for a smaller reward. When the tournament pays out a lot of spots and is not very well attended, this can have good results. A “late breaker” style would be waiting until the last moments of the tournament, and then employ the “go big” style, betting large and hoping to take the lead before the current leaders know what hit them.
Tip # 2 – If you are in the lead, resist the urge to spin!
Make everyone else play catch up. Slot machines have an inherent house advantage, meaning that the more times you spin, the more your credit balance will drop over time. So if you have been fortunate with your first flurry of spins, sit on your balance and let everyone else try to catch you. Most of them will drop like flies. A note of caution though. If someone is pretty close to your lead, know that they will probably take a stab at overtaking you at some point, especially if they have a comfortable lead over the next person on the leaderboard. So keep your eyes on the leaderboard and be prepared to spin a few times yourself, get lucky and protect that lead.
Tip # 3 – Pay attention to the payout schedule & attendance
The payout schedule and number of players registered for the event should play into your strategy when it comes to what play style you want to use. As alluded to earlier, if a tournament pays 50 places and only has 100 entrants, you stand a good chance of making the money by playing conservatively. If the payouts are extremely top heavy, or there are hundreds of other players competing for just a few winning spots, then you are probably better off hitting it hard from the start. If you are lucky, the reels will stop on some massive payouts and you will take a big lead, or you will just bust out early so you can get back on with your search for another freeroll.
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Tips on freeroll tournies was appreciated by all I am sure, especially the AtlantisGold format as I have searched for awhile on the best way to proceed and your advice was brief and concise thank you very much !! Now all I need is LUCK !!
You are most welcome Connie. :) – Our last two Atlantis Gold freerolls had a number of people cash without spinning the reels a single time. Granted, the bigger prizes are going to the people who spin and catch some lucky lines…
There are a lot of freerolls at Atlantis Gold, so you could probably build up a good number of bonus credits, just playing conservatively, and joining everyone you can find the password for. I, personally, almost always go with “go big or go home”. Just a personality thing I guess, heh.