1) Betting Max Credits automatically
Many people -- including several of my slot machine playing friends -- believe that one should "always bet max credits" on the slot machines, and when they visit a casino and sit down at a slot machine they start betting max credits right away. Why is this a mistake? Because on most casino slot machines, the max credits bet will be $4-$5 per spin, and if you get nothing but losing spins your bank roll will get eaten up in a hurry. Of course, they are hoping to get a "big win" spin right away, but seriously one should not bet max credits on a slot machine game unless the game is paying out well, and the best way to find out if it is paying out is to test it with smaller bets, and reserve the max credits bets for the machine that IS paying out, and sometimes you must play for several hours until you find such a slot machine. For more info on betting max credits, read this article: Slot Machines: should you bet max credits?

2) Sitting on a game that is cold
Another very common mistake to make when playing casino slot machines is to keep playing a slot machine that is NOT paying out, hoping that eventually the tables will turn and you will get some big wins. If you have read any of my slot machine tips articles, you will know my favorite strategy for winning on slot machines is to move around from machine to machine, testing the games out, hoping to find a machine that IS paying out. I usually give a game 20 or so spins to test it out, and if most of the spins are losers or paying very small amounts, I will consider the game to be "cold" and move to another machine. Continuing to play a cold machine will probably just eat up your money.

3) Getting Greedy after a Big Win
This is a common mistake that even I make from time to time.... when on a slot machine that is paying out well, perhaps I will get a nice spin or bonus round that puts me ahead hundreds of dollars or more. The "smart" thing to do when you find yourself ahead by a good amount of money is to cash out and go home a big winner. A common mistake is to get greedy and hope to win even more money, and to keep playing the same machine, or other machines, hoping to get some more big wins. Of course, sometimes you WILL get lucky and win more money, but usually not on the same machine that paid out nicely the first time. Overall, in my experience, even when I did win more money later in the session, I usually would lose quite a bit of my winnings before hitting another good win, and most of the time I would have been better off cashing out after my initial big win.

4) Getting Desperate in a Losing Session
This is another common mistake that even I have made from time to time in my "career" as a slot machine enthusiast. Once in a while, one may have a bad night, when you never find a good paying slot machine nor do you get any big wins or bonus rounds, and you may find yourself behind hundreds of dollars or more. You hit up the ATM machine for more money, and start betting larger amounts -- getting desperate -- hoping for one good spin or bonus round that will win back all your money for you. Serious slot machine gamblers HATE to go home behind, that is why they get desperate and lose additional money trying to win their money back. The "smart" thing to do is to have a limit of how much you can afford to lose, and go home when you reach that limit on a bad night, but since most gamblers can't do this, the second smartest thing to do is set a limit on how much money you can withdraw from your ATM card.

5) Gambling with a low budget
There are many people who go to the casino with a measly 20 dollars -- which is perhaps all they can afford to lose in a session -- and if that's your budget for a gambling session you will most likely lose it all within a half hour, and will have far more losing sessions than winning sessions. My own experience is that I usually will LOSE at least a hundred dollars or more before I find a slot machine that is paying out and puts me ahead for the night. Especially with the modern slot machines you will find in the casinos today with minimum bets of at least 50 cents per spin, a twenty dollar budget will not last long unless you get extremely lucky right away.

6) Gambling when you can't afford to lose
There are many people who go to the casinos and gamble away money they can't afford to lose, hoping, of course, that they will hit it big before they lose all their money. If losing money at the casino means you can't pay your rent on time, or buy groceries for the week, then quite frankly you should NOT be gambling at all. The reality is that you will NOT get rich playing casino slot machines, and most people will lose money on the games over time, considering that the games pay out less than is taken in.

For info on the best strategies to increase your chances of winning on slot machines, read this article: Strategies for winning on slot machines

For more on how to find a HOT slot machine read this article: How to find the HOT slot machines in casinos

For more on how to win a bonafide jackpot read this article: How to Win a JACKPOT on Casino Slot Machines