Bet Range

In the context of slot gambling, the term bet range refers to a machine’s total spectrum of wagers (from its min bet to its max bet). For example, a video slot machine might offer you to place bets as low as $0.10 (1 coin @ $0.10 per coin) and as high as $10.00 (10 coins @ $1.00 per coin) on every spin. Many modern slots come with Min Bet and Max Bet buttons for one-click wagering.

The earliest slot machines typically only accepted a single type of coin, which limited their appeal to a specific demographic. A modern slot with a wide bet range, on the other hand, can appeal to everyone from the thriftiest low roller to the richest high roller.

Should I Bet Max When Playing Slots?

In general, many slot experts agree that it is best to wager the maximum bet per spin when you spin the reels. There are several reasons for this:

It has been said that certain slots, especially at land-based venues, are programmed to pay out more often when a player wagers the max bet.
Slots utilizing a jackpot (or a progressive jackpot) feature often only allow their grand prize to be won via a max bet (this information can be checked in the payout table).
As slot payouts are directly linked to a player’s bet size, a max bet wager will pay out more.

In case your bankroll does not allow you to bet max on a game, gambling experts suggest looking for machines with lower max bets, rather than betting fewer coins or wagering on fewer paylines.

Should I Bet Max When Playing Video Poker?

Most video poker machines are programmed to pay out disproportionally higher for a royal flush to gamblers who make max bets. For example, a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine will usually pay out 250:1 if you bet 1 – 4 coins per hand and 800:1 if you bet the maximum 5 coins. That being said, getting a natural royal flush in video poker is an exceptionally rare occurrence, so this quirk isn’t likely to ever matter to most players.

Bet range: