Slots Betting "The Ladder Approach"
One of the most effective ways of playing any slot is the Ladder Approach. With this strategy, you will vary the number of coins played using a pattern designed to produce a win whenever a certain size payoff occurs. You will start with one coin per play, increase each play to two coins and continue to climb a "ladder" of coins invested in the machine by starting at the lowest rung and increasing your wagers as you move up the ladder.
The ladder of bets can be set up for any size payoff, 10-coins, 20-coins, 25-coins or even 50-coins. The ladder of bets is set up in such a way that hitting the targeted payoff at any time will produce a profit.
We set up a ladder of bets for the three-coin machine, targeting a 10-coin payoff. We use the following wagers for this ladder:
The first nine plays will be for 1 coin each.
The next five wagers will be 2 coins per play.
The final three wagers will be 3 coins per play.
The table on the following page shows how this ladder works with any win of 10 to 1 or greater. In this case we may make 17 individual plays to complete a round if no payoffs of 10 to 1 or greater occur. Completion of a round of play will require inserting 28 coins, as shown on the following page:
Ladder Betting for 3 Coin Multiplier, 10 to 1 Minimum Win
Play Coins Total Any Minimum Net Win
Coins 10x Win (10x)
1 1 1 10 9
2 1 2 10 8
3 1 3 10 7
4 1 4 10 6
5 1 5 10 5
6 1 6 10 4
7 1 7 10 3
8 1 8 10 2
9 1 9 10 1
- - - - -
10 2 11 20 9
11 2 13 20 7
12 2 15 20 5
13 2 17 20 3
14 2 19 20 1
- - - - -
15 3 22 30 8
16 3 25 30 5
17 3 28 30 2
The preceding table demonstrates the power of this approach. Assume we are on Play 4 and hit a payoff at 10 to 1. We will have inserted a total of 4 coins. With a payoff of 10 coins, our net win is 6 coins. Please note that the amounts shown for payoffs and minimum win is only for 10x payoffs. If you hit a higher payoff, such as 20 to 1 or 50 to 1, your winnings will be much greater.
Also note that smaller payoffs can contribute to your winnings even though they are not computed in the table. Wins of 5x, 3x and even 2x can really add up, especially if the machine pays off frequently.
The next table shows the results of playing ten rounds on this machine. A round of play consists of the number of plays needed to hit a 10x or greater payoff, or to complete all seventeen wagers if no qualifying payoffs are hit.
We hit wins of 10x or greater five times in this session. Our first win occurred in Round 1 after only 9 plays. The next 10x win happened in Round 4, with a total of 45 plays made between the first and second win. Twelve pulls later we hit again. This win was followed by another dry stretch, with 41 plays required to hit our next big win in Round 8. Finally, another 28 plays were needed to hit our final 10x greater win and wrap up the session.
We won 69 coins in 135 plays in this session. Assuming our playing rate is about 300 plays per hour, then this win is equivalent to a win rate of 153 coins per hour. On a quarter machine, this is $38.25. On a dollar machine this works out to $153 an hour and an impressive $765 on a $5 machine!
This is an excellent method for short-term slots play. It tends to hold its own against a variety of machines so long as they frequently have payouts of 10x or greater.
You can also construct ladders for 5 coin multipliers as well as the infrequently found 7 coin machines. Ladders can also be made fore 2 coin multipliers, but these ladders are less effective than ladders set up for the 3-coin and higher machines.
Ten Actual Rounds on a 3 Coin Multiplier Using 10x Ladder
Round Number Plays to Net Won Net Lost Net
of Plays 10x Win for Round for Round Winnings
1 9 9 +13 +13
2 17 (4) +9
3 17 (9) -0-
4 11 45 +17 +17
5 12 12 +31 +48
6 17 (10) +38
7 17 (5) +33
8 7 41 +7 +40
9 17 +4 +44
10 11 28 +25 +69
The Ladder Approach works fairly well because it reduces the size of the average wager, while it attempts to increase the amount wagered, and therefore the amount won, for winning wagers.
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