Being a successful slot machine player is impossible. Slot machines are made to give the house a long term edge which means that the house always comes out better if played long enough. The only method to mitigate the advantage of the house on slot machine games is to play a game with a really large jackpot. Place your bets at the maximum every time you play, and hope you can win the jackpot. If you do win the really big jackpot and you win, what do you do next? Stop playing that game.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you shouldn't gamble on slot machines. In fact, I think slot games, particularly the really good ones, are fun. However, you must keep in the forefront of your mind that mathematically what you're doing playing a game on a long term basis, is paying to enjoy. You can calculate how much you're spending on entertainment by multiplying the house edge times your average bet multiplied by your number of spins per hour.
For instance, if you're playing a slot with a pay-out of 95%, then your house advantage is 5percent. (The casino takes 5% of every bet that you place over the long-term.) If your average bet is $3 you'll be paying 15 cents per spin to the house. (5% times $3.) If you're playing 500 spins in an hour, this game will cost an hour of play for $75, which may or may not be a reasonable cost for your entertainment. It all depends on how much money you have.
Another factor to take into your calculations is the amount the bonuses and perks that you're receiving by the gambling establishment are worth. If you're at an online casino and you're receiving drinks for free while you play, you could subtract the cost of the drinks from your hourly rate. (Or you could add the cost of these drinks to the value of entertainment that you're getting--it's only an issue of perspective.) My recommendation is to drink the nyaste casinon best liquor available and top-quality beers to maximise the entertainment value you're getting. A Heineken can cost $4 an ounce in a fine restaurant. Take two Heinekens per hour and you've lowered what it costs you to play an hour of gaming between $75 and $68.
Slot clubs also give back a percentage of your losses each hour, so make sure to join the casino's slot club and use your card to monitor your play. There's absolutely no reason not to join this. They also give their biggest slot players with comps like show tickets, meals and rooms for free, that all lessen the amount you're spending each hour that you're on their machines.
So how to be a successful slot machine player? I'd sum it up by saying that you should know how much it costs you to play each time and every hour, take advantage of all the bonuses and comps, and go for the huge progressive jackpot.