Endless tracts of text have been written by professional gamblers on the best ways to optimize your profit on slot machines – and more is added all the time, covering all kinds of systems for the online versions. Rather than regurgitate parts of those very serious books, here’s a few tips on how to increase your enjoyment:

Check your wallet

When a smart player goes to Vegas, they set a limit. Even if they’re just playing slots, they’ll change up a certain amount of money, drop it in their big cup and play until it’s gone. The same thing goes for online slots: check your wallet. Decide how much you have to spend and fix it as your limit. Whether you keep any winnings or put them back in the pot is up to you, but don’t add to your original amount. You don’t want to chase a losing streak and find you can’t afford to pay the rent.

Check the machine

No, you’re not looking for magnets or to see if it’s propped up on one side – you’re making sure you understand the payout system. You need to look at how much it costs per play (whether that’s in real money or free-to-play tokens), whether putting up extra money or tokens earns bonuses and, of course, what the winning lines are. Some of the newer games have bonus rounds for certain payline combinations, so you’ll want to understand how they work, too. Balance your budget against the game costs: if you want the big money wins, there’s a good chance you’ll have to go for more expensive bets; but if you’re playing a free game for fun, you could choose between upping the ante for the extras or staying at the minimum to make your tokens last longer.

Check the payouts

You already did this, but double-check them anyway – especially if you’re playing for money. The last thing you want to do is step up for a progressive jackpot, make the big spin… and discover you don’t qualify because your stake was too low. While you’re there, triple-check the payouts.

Check your environment

Only a really serious gambler would play online slots with the music turned off, sitting in a hard chair, in a dark room with the air-conditioning off. You’re here to enjoy yourself (as well as win!), so make yourself comfortable. Lights up or lights down? A bit of background music? How about a cold glass of something refreshing and some cookies or pizza (or even something healthy)? Since you’re not in a real-world casino, you can even play in your pajamas if you want. Just switch off the webcam.

Check how you feel

If you’re stressed, anxious, tired or angry, you should probably be doing something else. Online gambling is meant to be exciting and fun – whether you’re playing for money or just to see a growing pile of free tokens. Moodiness increases your chances of making mistakes, which in turn makes matters worse. Simple things can help with this: take a short break every quarter- or half-hour; get your sitting posture right, change the background music and – yes, it really does work – smile. Stretch. Do a little victory dance when you hit the jackpot. Enjoy the experience: cheer the wins and boo the losses!