Slot Machines
| Updated: The Ultimate Guide to Playing Slot Machines on the Web
Slots have become the epitome of a casino game and are, in fact, the first thing that comes to mind when someone hears the word “casino”. For most people, it is impossible to imagine a casino, be it land-based or online, where slots are unavailable. The characteristic jangly sounds and flashy lights have become an inseparable part of the casino floor’s ambiance.
The huge popularity that slots enjoy on a global scale can easily be attributed to their inherent simplicity and massive winning potential. Slots are exceptionally easy to play, even more so when we consider the fact there is absolutely nothing players can do to increase their chances of winning – whether the spin pays out or not is based entirely on chance. While this alone may put some people off, one cannot deny that slots are a great alternative to classic table games for all types of players, experienced or not.
The technological progress that has marked the last two decades has allowed for the launch of hundreds of online casinos where slot fans can enjoy their favorite games from the comfort of their surroundings, be it on tablets, smartphones, or desktop computers. Spinning the reels online comes with a number of advantages, including a wide variety of themes, slot types, betting ranges, and fantastic features. The following guide aims to introduce players to everything they need to know about this enticing game. If you are curious about the history of slots, how they are played, the slot variants that can be found in the lobbies of remote casinos, and more, you are welcome to continue reading and start your journey toward mastering the intricacies of slot games.
Rules of Play
Types of Slots
Slots Paytable
Jackpot SlotsBrief History of Slots
Before we move forward, we would like to say a few words on how and when slots came into existence. The first machine of this type was invented by San Francisco mechanic Charles Fey in 1895 when he devised what he called the Liberty Bell. The name was derived from the highest-paying symbol on the three reels, which was a bell. Other than that, the Liberty Bell featured card suits and horseshoes as symbols and had a single payline in the middle of the reels.
At the turn of the century, the Liberty Bell was upgraded by manufacturer Herbert Mills, who replaced the symbols with various fruits like lemons, cherries, and plums. The improved slot machine took off and became an overnight sensation, which led to further developments such as multi-coin bets, double jackpots, and flashy lights.
Slots Objective and Rules of Play
As mentioned previously, learning to play slots is easy as pie. The objective of all slot fans is to land a combination of matching symbols across the reels. For the player to collect a payout, the symbols need to align on an active payline. The more paylines the slot utilizes, the higher the probability of hitting winning combinations. The number of paylines is game-specific and ranges between one and a hundred.
Before hitting the Spin button, players should take a quick look at their preferred slot’s paytable to see the payouts for matching symbols. The paytable also contains useful information on how the paylines work, i.e., whether winning symbol combinations pay from left to right or both ways. By checking the paytable, players can familiarize themselves with the slot’s additional features, as well as with how and when bonus games and free spins are awarded.
Once players have inspected the paytable, they can adjust their bet size by using the buttons located below the reels. First, one needs to adjust the coin denomination, which typically varies between 0.01 and 2.00, but this depends on the slot you play. Adjusting the bet level, or the number of coins you wager on the activated paylines, is equally important. For instance, if you select a 0.02 denomination, a bet level of 3 coins, and activate 25 paylines, each spin will effectively cost you 1.50 credits.
Sometimes, players can choose which paylines to activate and bet on. However, deactivated lines do not pay even if you align matching symbols on them. How many paylines a player activates depends on the size of their overall bankroll for the betting session. It is recommended to cover as many paylines as possible since this increases your chances of winning. Note that some slots have fixed paylines, which means players have no option but to bet on all of them on each spin of the reels.
Once you have adjusted the bet level, coin denomination, and the number of paylines you intend to play, you are good to go. All you have to do is hit the Spin button so that the reels start rotating and then wait for them to come to rest to see the result. The slot’s Random Number Generator (RNG) determines whether the spin will result in a hit or a miss. These programs ensure randomness in the interest of fair play so that all slot fans have equal chances of landing a payout.
Types of Slots
Slot fans around the globe can hardly complain about a lack of options. All well-known online gambling operators offer a wealth of slot titles, and each one has its own distinct theme and features. Slots are usually categorized on the basis of how many reels and paylines they have, although progressive and 3D titles are often placed in separate categories.
The category of classic slots comprises games that utilize only three reels – in other words, three rotating sections that contain symbols. In most cases, classic slots have a single payline that stretches across the middle of the three reels. Nevertheless, it is possible to find online classic slots where the paylines vary between one and five. These games are usually less impressive in terms of visuals and features, although there are classic slots that offer scatters, wilds, nudges, and a Hold functionality. Some even feature rounds of free spins, but these are few and far between.
Most online casinos are home to hundreds of video slots, which are more advanced than their classic cousins. Video slots have five reels, although on rare occasions you may come across titles with more than seven. More importantly, 5-reel video slots offer a greater number of paylines, translating into more winning opportunities for players. The number of paylines may range between 9 and 100. Some titles provide 243 or even 1,024 Ways to Win, and these enjoy tremendous popularity among players.
Video slots are well-known for their high entertainment value. Such variations impress not only with their advanced graphics and immersive sound effects but also with additional features designed to maintain player interest and boost profits. These include wild, scatter, and bonus symbols; multipliers applied to winning spins; bonus games with guaranteed rewards; and rounds of free spins.
Another category comprises 3D slots which, to be honest, resemble regular video slots in terms of gameplay and interface. The major difference lies in the depth of the graphics. The visuals and animations of these slots are three-dimensional, clearer, and superior to those of standard video slots. In addition, 3D slots typically incorporate more complex storylines, with players having to complete different achievements in order to progress through the game and unlock its bonus features.
Progressive slots are some of the most popular titles in the catalogs of all established web-based casinos. And how could it be otherwise when these slots can potentially transform players into millionaires? Progressives are usually linked into jackpot networks so that each wager made on such games adds an increment to the constantly increasing prize pools. You can read more about the different progressive jackpot networks in the section below.
The Paytables of Slots
Players can easily access the paytable by clicking the icon positioned in the lower corner of the base-game screen. A separate screen will load where players can read all they need to know about their slot of choice. The paytable informs slot fans about all winning combinations or paylines in the game as well as the payouts for matching symbols.
Generally, the symbols on the reels are divided into high-paying and low-paying ones. Players need to match three, four, or five identical symbols on an active payline in order to turn a profit, but the payouts differ depending on the number of matches.
High-paying symbols are in line with the overall theme of the slot, while the low-paying ones are usually represented by high cards like Kings, Queens, Jacks, Tens, and Aces. All winning payline combinations are listed in the paytable. The latter also explains how bonus, scatter, and wild symbols work and how the free spins and bonus games are activated.
The paytable may also be used as a guideline for what to expect from the slot in terms of average player return. The bigger the amount of the flat jackpot for the highest-paying symbol combinations, the higher the variance of the game will be. In other words, games with huge payouts generally offer a lower hit frequency to players. You can read more about that in the next section.
Odds, Return to Player Percentages and Variance in Slots
When choosing an online slot to play for real money, reel lovers are strongly advised to check its Return to Player percentage (RTP) and take its variance into consideration. Unlike table games, calculating the probability of landing a given winning combination of symbols on a slot would be no easy feat for the average player. This is because advanced video slots have a greater number of reels, paylines, and symbols.
Because of this, the odds of slots are usually presented in the form of average player return percentages, or RTP. The term expresses what percentage of all money wagered on a given online casino game (slots in this case) is returned to players as profits. For example, if the return percentage of a given slot is set to 97.85%, the game is programmed to return an average of $97.85 for every $100 players have collectively bet on it. It is important to point out that it takes tens of thousands of spins for the RTP to even out to the percentage specified by the casino, so do not expect to win that amount each time you wager $100.
It goes without saying that the RTP varies depending on the slot you play, but it usually ranges between 86% and 99.9%. It makes sense that players should always check the RTP in advance and choose slots with an RTP that exceeds 96%. The house edge, or the tilt in favor of the casino, is directly related to the average return percentage and can be calculated by subtracting the slot’s listed RTP from 100%. Continuing with the example above, the house edge on a slot with an RTP of 97.85% would be 2.15%.
Variance is another factor that needs consideration when picking a slot to play. Also referred to as “volatility”, variance stands for the slot’s hit frequency, or how often winning symbol combinations land on the paylines. Slots are generally divided into two categories: low variance and high variance.
High-variance slots stand out with lower hit frequency, which is to say they pay less often, but the payouts are usually larger and well worth the wait. Such games offer less constant action but include plenty of bonus features to maintain player interest. Low-variance slots are the opposite, as they pay frequently but the payouts tend to be modest.
Jackpot Slots
As we mentioned earlier, progressive slots are among the main attractions at online casinos because they have the power to potentially turn ordinary people into millionaires. This is because their progressive jackpots grow in increments with each bet players make on a given slot.
Some slots fall into the category of wide-area progressives because several games are connected to a global jackpot network, which means the prize pool accumulates across many casinos powered by the same software developer. This setup allows the pot to reach gargantuan amounts of millions of dollars, or the equivalent in different currencies. The jackpot is awarded at random, at which point the prize pool starts accumulating again from a base amount referred to as the pool’s “seed”.
Other slots are linked into a local jackpot network, which is to say the pools accumulate across several titles available in a single online casino. The prizes are smaller than those of wide-area progressives but can still reach six-figure sums.
Finally, there are standalone progressive slots where the jackpot accumulates from a single title that is not linked to any other slots in the casino’s portfolio. Because fewer players contribute to the pool, the prizes usually escalate to five-figure sums only. Still, this is a good bargain.
Slot Tournaments
One of the biggest advantages of spinning the reels at trusted online casinos is the opportunity to take part in slot tournaments, which provide a fantastic way to diversify one’s gaming experience.
Slot tournaments work roughly in the same fashion as poker tournaments. A given number of slot fans sign up for the tournament, which is announced and promoted in advance by the gambling operator. The rules and entry fees depend on the type of tournament. Players are usually provided with the same amount of credits after paying an entry fee and compete on the same slot for a set number of rounds of equal duration. Those who finish in the top positions are granted large slices of the prize pool. Some tournaments, known as freerolls, do not require an entry fee. Others, like reloader tournaments, allow for re-entries after the player pays a re-buy.
Players who plan on spinning the reels for real money and wish to become better acquainted with everything concerning slots are encouraged to go through the following guide. There, they will find extensive information on slot rules and payouts, the most widespread types of slots, progressive jackpots, and tips on how to potentially end their betting sessions in profit.