Today, most online slots come with an autoplay feature, so you won’t have to work hard to find it. Once you’ve activated it, the machine will play through spins over and over again, showing you the results and then moving on to the next spin. Essentially, it’s a completely automated way to play a slot machine. Typically, you can start simply by hitting the “autoplay” button, which is normally located right on the main screen.

In order to take advantage of this feature, you’ll first have to set up exactly how you want it to work. Not every machine will give you the same options, but there are a few common ones you can expect to see most of the time.

First, of course, you’ll have to set up how many spins you want to be automatically played before you begin. In fact, you’ll need to choose all of the aspects of your spins up front: how much you want to play for, how many paylines you want to play, and so on. This is the perfect point to remind you that you’ll be paying for all of these spins – that should be obvious, but it can be easy to forget that once you get going.

You’ll also be able to program your play a bit in order to protect yourself in a couple of different circumstances. You can usually tell the game to stop if you ever win or lose beyond a certain amount. Obviously, setting a loss limit protects you against blowing your whole bankroll through a string of very bad luck, but the winning stop can be important, too: there’s nothing more frustrating than watching yourself picking up some big wins, only to then see it all slip away when you would have been happy to cash out your winnings.

There are other reasons why the auto play might pause as well. Some machines have bonus features that require your input; these rounds can’t be automated, so you’ll need to make choices in order to continue. And at all times, you will still have the right to stop the process at any time you want – after all, it is your money, so you’ll always have that control.

Whether or not you want to use auto play is going to come down to why you’re playing and what your goals are. First, let’s take a look at the reasons why this might be a great option for you.

The obvious reason for using it is when you’re trying to quickly clear a bonus. Often, bonuses are “slots only,” meaning you are limited in your game selection and may want to get through the wagering requirements as quickly as possible. In that case, there’s no faster way to play than with this feature. Similarly, free play bonuses that require you to quickly play through bonus funds that will disappear at the end of an hour or less are much easier to work through if you can automate the process.

Another possibility for this option is when you see a large progressive jackpot and you want to have the best possible chance of winning the prize. Autoplay will maximize your spins in a short period of time, giving you the best chance possible of grabbing the prize before anyone else! Finally, if you’re doing some work or are otherwise occupied, but want to play slots on the side, auto play can make it easier to multitask by allowing you to get plenty of action in without having to constantly click the spin button.

On the other hand, automated play clearly isn’t for everyone. If you’re trying to have the most fun possible, this isn’t the way to go. Typically, using this feature will skip some or all of the animations and special effects seen during the game in order to save time. That’s fine if speed is your main concern, but it really takes away the drama, tension, and fun that comes with anticipating every spin and enjoying the graphics, videos, and sounds seen on many modern machines.

You’ll also want to turn this off if you have a betting strategy you like to employ, since auto play will force you to make the same bets on every spin. Want to do a sort of “Martingale” where you raise your bets after every loss? Then you’ll need to do so manually, since you can’t program anything that complicated into your game play.

All in all, autoplay is a great addition to any Internet slot machine. That’s because it’s optional, so it adds nothing but value: if you want to use it, go ahead; if it’s not for you, just ignore it. And since most games now come with this as a standard option, we can help you find countless great online slots that allow you to enjoy automatic play.