Slots Tournaments
It's fair to say that gambling has risen in the public conscious over the last decade – the current popularity of televised Poker is a prime example of this. But good casinos realised that it wasn't simply the game of Poker that people found so exciting, but also the winner-takes-all tournament scenario.
So they began to apply this aspect to many of the other classic casino games on offer, which proved extremely popular amongst players. An online casino's angle when running a tournament is less about profit and more about attracting players to their site.
Players love tournaments because the buy-ins are relatively low, so you know exactly how much it's going to cost you to play. Plus, in most cases most of the combined buy-ins become the prize pool.
Slots fans have been delighted to discover that you can now play in online slots tournaments, just as you can for Poker or Blackjack.
Current Slots Tournaments
| Tournament | Starts | Ends | Prize Pool | Entry | USA | Casino | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slotsmania Any slot machine | Open 1 | 1h 36m 5772 | €225 | €0* |  | Betsson Casino | review |
| Radical Reels Any slot machine | Open 1 | 1h 37m 5832 | $175 | $0* | | Tower Casino | review |
| Grand Slam Freeroll Slot game, varies | Open 1 | 1h 37m 5832 | €200 entry | Free | | Crazy Vegas | review |
| Play for the Pot Fri/Sat Slot game, varies | Open 1 | 7h 36m 27372 | $2000+ Pot* | $2 |  | English Harbour | review |
| Daily Free Slots Slot game, varies | Open 1 | 7h 36m 27372 | $20 bonus | Free | | English Harbour | review |
| $4000 Bonus Buck Freeroll Slot game, varies | Open 1 | 2d 2h 182232 | $4000 bonus | Free | | Go Casino | review |
| The Slot-tery Slot game, varies | Open 1 | 2d 19h 243432 | $20,000+ pot* | $3 | | Millionaire Casino | review |
| Fruit Fight Tournament Fruit Fight Slot | Open 1 | 11d 7h 977772 | $1000 | $10 | | VIP Casino | review |
| 4th of July 44 cent Special Independence Day Slot | Open 1 | 13d 3h 1136232 | $144,444 | $0.44 | | Online Vegas Casino | review |
| Street Fighter Slam Street Fighter Slot | Open 1 | 27d 2h 2342232 | €300 | €1 | | Casino Joy | review |
| $200k Summer Slots Series II Wheel of Chance slot | Open 1 | 27d 7h 2360292 | $200,000 | $10 | | English Harbour | review |
| Play for the Pot AM Slot game, varies | 7h 38m 27492 | 19h 36m 70572 | $1000+ Pot* | $2 | | English Harbour | review |
| Play for the Pot PM Slot game, varies | 19h 38m 70692 | 1d 7h 113772 | $1000+ Pot* | $2 | | English Harbour | review |
| Play For Free Win For Real Slot game, varies | 2d 2h 182232 | 2d 9h 207432 | $250 | Free | | Online Vegas Casino | review |
| $5k Guaranteed Slot game, varies | 2d 2h 182232 | 3d 2h 268632 | $5000 | $5 | | Online Vegas Casino | review |
| Lunchbreak Freeroll Slot game, varies | 2d 19h 243432 | 2d 23h 257832 | $100 bonus | Free | | Go Casino | review |
| Frugal Friday $1k Guarantee Slot game, varies | 5d 17h 495432 | 6d 3h 531432 | $1000 | $1.49 | | Go Casino | review |
| Hulk Tournament Hulk Fruit Machine slot | 11d 7h 977832 | 27d 7h 2360172 | $1000 | $10 | | VIP Casino | review |
| $30k Weekend Madness Slot game, varies | 13d 3h 1136232 | 17d 3h 1481832 | $30,000 | $20 | | Go Casino | review |
How Does It Work?
Playing slots is traditionally a one-person game – just you versus the machine. How then would a casino turn that into a tournament?The answer is: money. The person who wins the most money in any round of play advances to the next round.
Here's how it generally works, but bear in mind that there can be small differences at each online casino. First, you buy in – in some cases for as low as $5, but some tournaments can go up to $500.
The casino will then give you a stack of play money, and assigns you to a tournament group. The play money isn't real, it's specifically for playing the tournament you've entered.
When the round begins, you start playing the slot machine the online casino has designated for this tournament – often it's a new game they're promoting. The time period you play for can be anything from a short 20 minutes to a couple of days, depending on which site is running the game. There'll be a prominent leader board on display so that you can see how well you're doing relative to everyone else.
At the end of the time period, the two players who made the most money get to advance to the next round of play, while the rest are eliminated. The process begins again, and you'll find that there are 3-6 rounds in each slots tournament.
Eventually it will come down to a single group, and most often the top three players will earn prize money.
Strategies for Playing Online Slots Tournaments
Bet the maximum and go for broke – in a tournament you're not playing with real money so you risk nothing. Remember you're trying to earn the maximum cash before the round ends.In tournaments with short periods, speed is a big factor. Hover your mouse and click the SPIN button the moment a round ends.
Since the focus is on ending the round with the most money, and since you can quit playing at any time, it's a good idea to keep your eye on the leaderboard, and to stop playing once you're far out in front. It's better to quit while you're ahead than risk going bust chasing an even bigger number.
