What Is a Session When Playing the Slot Machines?

Time plays an important role in doing well at slots

You may hear slot advice columnists or authors referring to sessions or playing sessions when they talk about playing the slot machines. A session is simply a chunk of time that you devote to playing slots while in the casino, and can be as long or as short as is comfortable for you.

Time Frame

The time frame of a playing session could last the entire night, or just as long as you're playing a single machine. This will depend on what type of playing strategy you choose, and if you tend to switch between slots and the tables. In many cases, a session is considered to be the playing time between your visits to the cashier or ATM or before and after you eat a meal.

Taking Breaks

The purpose of planning your slot play into sessions is to ensure that you give yourself some breaks from slot playing. These breaks will help you to keep track of time, re-evaluate your bankroll, and put some of your winnings aside if you so desire. They also help to extend your time in the casino, and give you a chance to stretch, go to the bathroom or get something to drink.

Break Points

Deciding how to break up your play time in the casino is crucial to your overall strategy. You should plan your playing sessions so you know generally how long they'll be or what stopping point you should choose. Some players decide to consider the entire visit as one big session, but more often players will play several different sessions, with several different slot machines, over the course of their play time.

Bankrolls

One of the most effective ways of keeping track of your money while gambling is to use sessions in conjunction with a bankroll. A bankroll is a predetermined amount of money that you've decided to play with, and each session should have its own bankroll. This helps you to budget your playtime as well as your money, so you don't end up losing everything you've brought to play with right away in the event that your luck is poor.

Psychological effects

Much of the benefit of sessions is psychological. They keep you focused and help you to play in the moment rather than looking too far ahead. If you do poorly during one session, you can start anew in the next session with a fresh mental slate and outlook, even though both sessions happened to be on the same night. Knowing that you have a schedule also helps keep you from overstaying and losing more than you planned on or putting all your winnings back into a losing machine.

Tax Information

For the purposes of claiming your wins and losses on your taxes at the end of the year, the government also wishes for you to break your gambling activity into sessions. The government has no specific time period to define a session, so most often a session for tax purposes is the period of time from entering the casino to leaving it, or simply a single visit. If you're planning on claiming losses on your taxes, be sure to keep a log for each session including start and stop times and all wins and losses.

References

• Gambling Law US: What is a Gambling Session?