Slots occupy a different space on the gaming spectrum than poker, but a lot of us still like to spin every once in a while. Usually, we’re doing it for a bit of fun because we know there isn’t as much skill in slot gaming as poker.
While that’s certainly true, it’s not fair to say that there isn’t any skill in slot gaming. In fact, if you approach it in the proper way, there are skills we can take from our favorite slots to the poker table. Yes, as crazy as that might sound, you could become a better poker player by spinning slots.
Understand that You Can’t Control the Odds
There are plenty of slot guides out there that champion the benefits of game selection. That’s a concept we know all too well from poker. Open the gaming lobby of a slots casino, and you’ll be presented with hundreds of titles, including the ever-popular Le Viking and Greedy Wolf. Some have higher RTP values than others.
That’s a good reminder that we should be judicious with our game selection, but it’s not a revelation. The salient point that we can draw from this is that you can’t expect to win 100% of the time. No slots have a theoretical payout rate of 100%. Not even games from the ever-popular Monopoly slots series, which give you access to level-up bonuses and more, promise guaranteed returns. The same is true in poker.
We can’t win every time we play. In theory, it’s possible to go on a heater and win for 12 months straight. The same is true for slots. Even though you can’t go on winning forever, statistical variance makes extended winning streaks possible. All gamblers know this, but in poker, we seem to forget it. The problem, in most cases, is experience. Specifically, as we gain experience and become skilled, we rightly assume that our chances of winning increase.
That’s true. Phil Ivey has a better win rate than me and, most likely, any of you reading this. However, even the great Phil Ivey has losing days, weeks, months and years. They might be less frequent than the average, but they happen. It’s easy to forget this when all we see are highlights of Ivey winning monster pots.
Being Humble is More than a Virtue
Compounding matters is our own sense of status. Virtually all of us get caught up in our own hype as we become better players. Think back to the first time you made a successful squeeze play. You probably felt like the best player at the table. This feeling is nice, but it’s also dangerous. It can fool us into thinking that all we have to do is keep learning new skills, and we’ll never lose.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case. The probability of never having a losing session is extremely low. Even if you’re a regular $1/$2 cash game player, it’s possible to lose if you decide to sit in a $0.01/$0.02 game. You’ll probably be the best player at the table, but nothing is ever guaranteed in poker. We’re willing to accept this when we play slots because there isn’t much skill in it.
We’re less inclined to remember it when we play poker because we know there’s a skill component to the game. So, the lesson here is to be humble. Always strive to be a better player because that’s how you improve your ROI. However, be smart enough to know that you’re not unbeatable. Even if the players can’t beat you, variance will. That’s something we know from playing slots, and it’s something we should take to the poker table.
