Casino Slot Tournaments – How to Play and Beat the Competition Every Time
If you're a fan of online slots and are competitive by nature, then slot tournaments should be right up your street! Read on to learn how these contests function, and discover playing strategies to help you bear your opponents and win real-money prizes!
- Best Slot Tournament Casino
- What Are Slot Tournaments?
- How Do Slot Tournaments Work?
- Types of Slot Tournaments
- How to Begin Playing Slot Tournaments
- Is There a Slot Tournament Strategy?
- Do's and Don’ts of Slot Tournaments
- Online vs Land-Based Casino Slot Tournaments
- The Pros and Cons of Slot Tournaments
- Other Types of Online Casino Tournaments
- Slot Tournaments Summary
- Slot Tournament FAQs
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What Are Slot Tournaments?
Participants of online slot tournaments compete for the largest share of the reward on offer. As you play, you’ll score points that will be displayed on a leaderboard, and those who finish at the top will take a larger cut from the prize pool. There may well also be a consolation prize for the player with the most spins or lowest total number of credits. Though rules can vary slightly from one tournament to the next, they all tend to feature the same general gameplay conditions:
- All players receive the same number of initial credits.
- Players compete on the same slot title.
- All competitions will have a specified time frame.
- The player with the highest number of credits or points will be the winner.
- The players on a preset number of the top places share the pooled prize.
- Prizes can be cash, free spins or many types of casino bonuses.
All slot tournaments are announced well in advance in order to give players enough time to sign up. Some tourneys will require the participating players to pay an entry fee, which has a direct correlation to the size of the prize pool offered.
How Do Slot Tournaments Work?
All tournaments are about winning the maximum number of points, which in this case will be either “Betting Based” or “Winning Based”. With the former, you’ll gain points by placing bets. The bigger the stake, the more points you’ll see on the leaderboard. With the Winning Based, each combination will produce different points to help drive you up the rankings.
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Freeroll Slot Tournaments
Just as the title implies, these tournaments are free to enter. You’ll receive a given number of free credits which must all be used; once they reach zero, the game ends. Should you win, you can use this to maintain and even build a bankroll. Be aware that these types of tourneys will have a massive number of entrants.
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Buy-In Slot Tournaments
In order to take part, you’ll need to contribute a participation fee towards the pooled jackpot prize; however, these types of tourneys are increasingly difficult to find. We suggest that you stay away from them, as they can quickly drain your bankroll.
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The Leaderboard
This shows the players’ score with the number of points accrued. The leaderboard is updated in real time, and allows everyone to see where they are in the ranking of a tournament.
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The Prize Pool
The prize in a slot tournament is shared between the top players. Normally this will be the top 10 on the leaderboard at the end of the promotion period. The prize pool displays the awards to the top players, and lets you know how many players will take home a prize.
Types of Slot Tournaments
All tourneys will have different structures. For instance, for some, a qualifying deposit can serve as the entry fee. Once you’ve determined the type of online slot tournament you wish to take part in, take your time to read all the terms and conditions to avoid any unwanted surprises.
This popular option has a large number of players, and will start at a scheduled time and play out for a certain time limit.
Although a player is required to buy in to these slot tournaments, the eventual prize is a free entry to another tournament, but one with a big payout. The downside to this tourney is that you need to do well in two consecutive competitions before reaping any rewards.
Being a knock-out game, this may be the most exciting of all online slot tournaments. A typical game of survival will have three rounds with each lasting only a few minutes. At the end of each round, the number of remaining competitors is trimmed, with those having the lowest scores eliminated.
This type of tourney utilises the slot game features. The idea is to complete a given number of missions using the least number of spins, such as activating a bonus round a certain number of times.
For every preset number of bets, you’ll receive a prize draw ticket. At some point, a winner will be picked at random. To increase your chances of winning, simply buy more tickets.
These are free to enter but require an invitation to play. This invitation will be based on a player previously spending high amounts of real money at the casino, that in turn generates comps. Once a certain number of these points has been accrued, then an invite can be expected. They are normally reserved exclusively for VIPs and high rollers.
Also known as extender slot tournaments, you’re able to purchase optional add-ons that will hopefully maximise your winning odds by improving your base score.
Besides the above, you might also come across other tourney types such as the reloader, one-shot or Sit ‘n' Go slot tournaments. These are usually more popular in non-European markets, though.
How to Begin Playing Slot Tournaments
Check out our step-by-step instructions so that you can start to play slot tournaments.
- Find an Online Casino – A simple Google search will bring up the best casino tournament sites offering slot tournaments online.
- Download and Install – You’ll be able to download and install the casino app onto your portable device or PC, either directly from the site itself, or via a link to the App Store or Google Play depending on your operating system.
- Register and Make a Deposit – Once you’ve signed up with both your personal and banking details, tap the “Tournaments” or “Promotions” icon, and you’ll be taken to the slot tournament's lobby.
- Enter a Slot Tournament – In the tournament lobby you'll find all the upcoming competitions, as well as those you’re already enrolled on.
Is There a Slot Tournament Strategy?
There are no magic tricks to playing and winning a slots tournament online. Virtually everything will come down to luck. However, we do have a piece of important advice to share: don’t keep looking over at the leaderboard! It will be changing almost every second. Remember, it’s only the final result that matters.
Below are some basic gameplay strategies that can help you improve your prize-winning chances.
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Choose a Winning-Based Points System
To emerge victorious with this system, you’ll need both speed and luck. Conversely, with a bet-based system, the player with the deeper wallet can win, even if they fail to win a single spin. A bet-based system will need continuous spending or stakes and deposits.
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Spin Repeatedly
In most slot tournaments, time is your nemesis. So if you’re playing for free, you might want to keep your finger pressed on the spin button at all times. We suggest that you also make use of any “free play” game versions to familiarise yourself with the slot controls before diving into a real live slot tournament.
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Maximum Bets
If you want to try your hand at a bet-based system, keep in mind that bigger wagers can result in higher potential payouts. Additionally, if you’re planning on making re-buys during the competition, then please ensure you have enough funds in your account before you begin playing.
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Play All Paylines
Always bet across all the paylines to improve your chances of victory. A winning combo on any of them will lead you closer to the top prize. We suggest that you take note of the paylines and paytable before you get started. The former will show you the combos of symbols that work together, while the paytable will tell you which symbols are the most important.
Do's and Don’ts of Slot Tournaments
Although online slot tournaments depend mainly on the graces of Lady Luck, there are some basic playing strategies that will tip the odds in your favour. Follow these do’s and don’ts to get the best slot tournament experience.
Do's
- Read the rules beforehand
- Play within your set time limit
- Verify if you’re allowed to play with any winnings
- Use up all your credits
Dont's
- Don’t check the leader board every other minute
- Don’t deposit or bet more than you can afford
- Don’t get excited about small wins
- Don’t forget to play all the paylines
Online vs Land-Based Casino Slot Tournaments
With such intense competition between online and land-based Casino, you’ll find that the latter use slot tournaments and other promotions as a means of attracting new players. To that end, having to buy in is very rare, but you will be required to sign up for the campaign. The slot tournaments themselves are very similar, with a player assigned a slot machine number, along with a time limit to play.
The Pros and Cons of Slot Tournaments
Before you enter any of the best casino tournament sites, please take the time to read all the entry requirements. Keep in mind that although it may be possible to win some big cash prizes, it's always important to gamble responsibly when playing online slot tournaments, as with any other type of casino game.
Slots tournaments offer many advantages over simply playing a regular slot. Having said that, be aware that there are negatives you should be aware of. We've listed them down below, along, of course, with the positives too:
Pros
- Potential big prizes
- A better chance of winning
- More spins for your money
- Free entry depending on VIP status
Cons
- May not be your favourite slot
- You can’t keep any jackpots you might win
- Need to stick to the tournament’s schedule
- Comped entries for some bigger tournaments
Other Types of Online Casino Tournaments
Apart from slot tournaments, you can play table games like blackjack, poker and roulette in a tournament format. Many of these can be played as live dealer games, which adds to the excitement.
Slot Tournaments Summary
Although slot tournaments are hugely enjoyable, don't expect huge winnings. You may well be super fast at spinning the reels and making re-buys, but with the amount of winnings on offer, it’s going to be hard to justify the time spent gaining them. We suggest that you treat slot tournaments as nothing more than a fun activity.
Slot Tournament FAQs
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Because online slot tournaments are not found in all online Casino, we suggest that you check out the Casino listed in the above tables. You may have to search out the “promotions” page to find them.
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Everything will depend on the type of online slot tournaments. Some can last an hour, whereas others can go on for a month – there are even those which finish within a single day.
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Once you know the number of competitors and the prize pool available, then it’s simple math. You should also check the slot’s RTP. If it is less than 95%, then the possible winnings within the fixed time period may not be enough.
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The prize pool is displayed before the tourney starts. Because many Casino will keep a percentage of this for their own profits, be sure to check the terms and conditions before you sign up.
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Most slot tournament pool prizes will be either cash, free spins or many types of bonuses. Cash amounts can range from $500 to $1,000. Free spins can vary from 500 to 1,000. A jackpot slot prize may be given which goes to the overall winner. Some online Casino will give away physical prizes like mobile phones, holidays or computers, though these are much less common.
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Provided that you’re playing at an online casino that’s fully regulated with a reputable licence, then the game will be absolutely fair.
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It’s a good idea to try out the slot’s free-play version as a means of practising. There’s no risk to your bankroll in doing this, and the gameplay remains identical.
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On the whole, you are limited to your own physical dexterity. Although most slot tournaments prohibit the use of auto-play, you can speed up the gameplay by simply clicking through the free spins and other bonuses.
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These are normally invitation-only as a reward for reaching VIP status in a casino's loyalty scheme. With your participation being a reward, you are not required to pay for entry to the tournament.
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Absolutely! You can play either via a mobile browser or a native casino app. Many casino sites will have exclusive slot online casino tournaments just for phone users.
