Being a successful slot machine player is impossible. All slot machines are created specifically in order to give your house a longterm edge, so your house will always turn out ahead in the event that you play long enough. The sole method to counteract your house edge on slot machine games is always to play a casino game with really a big jackpot, bet the max everytime you play, and hope that you hit the jackpot. Proper you do hit the really big jackpot, guess everything you do next? Stop playing that game.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you shouldn't play slot machines. In reality, I think slot games, the sea 89 especially the really good ones, are lots of fun. But you want to retain in the forefront of your mind that mathematically, what you're doing when you're playing a slot machine on a longterm basis is investing in entertainment. You are able to calculate how much you're investing in that entertainment by multiplying your house edge times your average bet times your quantity of spins per hour.
Like, if you're playing a slot game with a payout of 95%, then your house edge is 5%. (The casino keeps 5% of each bet you make long term.) And if you're average bet is $3, then you're going to cover an average of 15 cents per spin to the house. (5% times $3.) Assuming you're making 500 spins each hour, that game costs you $75/hour to play, which may or may not be an acceptable price for you personally entertainment. That depends on your bankroll.
Something different to factor into your calculation is how much the perks and bonuses you're getting back from the casino are worth. If you're playing in a land-based casino where you're getting free drinks when you play, then you can certainly subtract the expense of those drinks from you're hourly cost. (Or you could add the expense of those drinks to the worthiness of the entertainment you're receiving--it's merely a matter of perspective.) My recommendation is always to drink top-shelf liquor and premium beers in order to maximize the entertainment value you're receiving. A Heineken can cost $4 a bottle in a wonderful restaurant. Drink two Heinekens one hour, and you've just lowered what it costs you to play each hour from $75 to $68.
Slot clubs also give back a portion of your losses each hour, so definitely make sure to join the casino's slot club and ALWAYS use your card to track your play. There's simply no reason not to do this. Casinos also reward their larger slot players with comps like meals, show tickets, and free rooms, which all soon add up to reduce the total amount of money you're spending each hour that you're playing on their machine.
So just how to be a winning slot machine player? I'd sum it down by saying understand how much it's costing you to play each spin and each hour, take advantage of all of the comps and the perks, and go for the big progressive jackpot.