The casino floor is alight with towering, brightly-colored video slot machines that scream for attention. But while these eye-catching contraptions can be fun to play, they can also eat up your bankroll quickly. Whether you play penny slots or high-roller games, it’s important to determine your goals and set limits before you start spinning. Here are some tips to help you win at slots and keep your bankroll intact.

The first thing you need to do is decide how long you want to play and what budget you’re going to stick to. It’s crucial to do this before you start playing because you can easily get swept up in the excitement of the game and spend more than you intended to. Once you’ve figured out how much you’re willing to lose, it will be easier to stop when you’ve reached your goal.

Historically, slot machines had one payline and required that you bet one credit per spin. Then Charles Fey’s invention allowed for three reels and a choice of symbols: hearts, horseshoes, diamonds, and liberty bells (which is how the machine got its name). His machines were so popular that others started replicating them, but his design had one big flaw: it was not randomized.

The random number generator that controls the spinning of the wheels only receives a signal once a gamer presses a button or pulls the handle. It then sets a series of numbers that correspond to the symbols that appear on the reels. Between signals, the RNG runs through dozens of numbers every second, so the odds of hitting certain combinations are predetermined and not based on luck.