Contributing expert John Robison writes:
There are so many different formats for slot tournaments ranging from freebie five-minute deals with $25 prizes to multi-day affairs with multi-million-dollar prizes and five-figure entry fees, it’s difficult to answer your questions without knowing more about the tournament in which you’re going to play. So, I’ll give some general advice that's applicable to most tournaments.
The only thing you can do to improve your chances of winning in a typical slot tournament is get in as many spins as possible. You have to get the reels spinning again as soon as possible after they stop. Most players do this by constantly tapping the Spin button.
Getting in as many spins as you can may be the only thing you can do to improve your results, but it’s no guarantee that you’ll finish in the money. Although most players frantically hit the Spin button in an effort to play the fastest, it's not uncommon for the guy who casually waits for the reels to stop before hitting the button again to win the whole thing, because he just happens to hit a lot of good payouts on his fewer spins.
Take advantage of any opportunities you get to rest during your session. You can usually rest from button-tapping while the machine racks up credits from a jackpot win like a regular slot machine (though some tournament machines award the credits in one shot, so you have to be prepared to play again immediately).
If you’ve never played in a slot tournament before, I recommend that you get to the tournament early enough to watch the people play in the session before yours. Watch how the machines rack up credits to see if you’ll be able to take that break after a big hit. You’ll also be able to see how the tournament staff assigns machines to the players and records each player’s results after the session.
Now, as to whether a tournament is great or so-so, that depends on what you’re looking for. Most tournament players are simply looking for a good time and a better chance of winning a big jackpot than they get by playing the machines on the slot floor. In this case, a tournament is usually a good deal if the entry fee is within your budget and you like the amenities -- such as a room, welcome party, awards banquet, and gifts -- you receive (in addition to any prizes you might win) for playing. But if your primary goal is to make money playing tournaments, there’s another consideration called tournament equity.
Briefly, equity is the relationship of how much money a tournament collects in entry fees to the total of the prizes it gives out. If those numbers are equal, then you have a 100% equity tournament. These are good to play. If the tournament pays back less than it takes in, then you’re in negative-equity territory and you’ll have to decide if the extras you’re getting make up for the money the casino is holding back.
