Slots are one of the most popular games to play at an online casino. Many players have seen slot machines in actual casinos. They appear at online casinos in pretty much the same fashion. There is generally a handle or spin button a player clicks that in turn causes the slot reels to move in a quick motion. The reels eventually stop, producing symbols. If the symbols all match, a player generally wins some sort of jackpot prize. A slot machine can be more complicated and flashy depending on the slot game. The game is among the most popular at online casinos for anyone can play a round of slots without too much skill or strategy required.
In the UK, slots are normally referred to as fruit machines. This comes from the days where the reels always have items of fruit printed on the spinning reels to make up the prize line, or payline.
How To Play Slots? – An Overview
Players should first know that an online slot game uses a Random Number Generator, which selects a number in a particular range at random. Each millisecond, a number is selected. When a player spins at a slot machine, one of those numbers turns out a selected reel. Slots are built around chance and luck but are also some of the most exciting casino games available online with many offering fantastic features or branded games based on movies, etc. Nowadays, many online slot machine games offer arcade type games as special bonuses, further enhancing the playability of the slots games.
In most slot games, players will first note the payout table. This tells the player what combinations on the reels produce which amounts. Obviously, these vary depending on the game and online casino. As mentioned, the reels on a slot machine are the spinning symbols that move once a player clicks on the lever or spin button. Most slot machines play out with either 3 reels or 5 reels. If these reels all match, a player can consult the payout chart to see just how much they will be taking home.
Generally, players will find the lever of the machines on the right hand side at an actual casino. Playing slots is relatively easy as all a player must do is pull that lever. However, with online casinos, the virtual lever is eliminated and there is just a “spin” button to set the reels in motion. Players will normally see this button at the bottom of the machines along with two other buttons that note the size of the bet being placed. Usually the first column is a single coin bet, the second is a two-coin bet, and the third row is a three-coin bet. Depending on the level, game, and casino, this can all vary somewhat. Predictably, the more a player bets on that spin or pull, the more their payout will be if they win.
Some slot machines are much more complicated than the basic machine described above. Players should know that many slot machines can play out on multiple paylines. All this means is that a player can be spinning the machine several times at once. Many online casinos also offer bonus games on their slots making them fast and exciting play action!
Slot Symbols and Common Terminology
A quick look at some of the most common features in online slots games.
• Paylines – this is commonly the line through the middle of the slots game, the line where the symbols land to make a win, or not. Video slots online now commonly offer many paylines with 15, 25 or even 50 paylines being the norm.
• Reels – these are the cylinders that the symbols are printed on that spin when the spin button is pressed. Years ago, 3 reels was the normal and sometimes 5. Now machines with 8 paylines aren’t that uncommon.
• Jackpots – the biggest payout at online slots takes place when a player lines up the same symbol all in a row – particularly if it’s the jackpot symbol listed. The jackpot is the highest win possible.
• Progressive Jackpots – these are jackpots where the amount of money available to win just keeps on growing until won. The payouts can be massive and in some cases winners have picked up Millions of Pounds for one spin of the reels.
• Scatter Symbols – An online Slot game will list the symbols that if lined up together, will also result in winnings. Most often, Slots have about 2 Scatter Symbols which can result in payouts. In order to win with Scatter Symbols, players must line up the right combination. For example, if a Slots Scatter Symbols are cars and fruit hats, the Slot player must land on 2 cars and 1 fruit for a win at a 3-reel slot and so on.
• Wild Symbols – in order to increase Slot player’s chances of winnings, some online Slots have a Wild Symbol; meaning that it can substitute any other symbol to make a winning line.
• Free Spins – some slots games will trigger free spins if a certain combination lands on the paylines. These allow the player to spin for free and keep the winnings.
Slots Strategy
When it comes down to it, slots are just games of luck and chance. However, players can extend their game a great deal by monitoring their bankroll carefully and knowing when is a good time to leave the machine or game.
As with any game, checking the payout percentage of any slot game before playing can be beneficial so players know just how strong their odds are of winning or if the house edge is too high to make it worthwhile. For those players not looking to conserve their bankroll that are looking to win the maximum jackpot, it’s important to always select to play the maximum number of coins of every time as that is the only way players will have a chance at winning the top jackpot or the progressive jackpot (depending upon what’s offered). Slots, whether video or classic reel are the ultimate games of luck; the best strategies are the ones that help players hang onto their money longer and/or give them a better chance at winning.
Don’t worry too much about slots strategy, enjoy the games and hope for the best. The odds are better if you play maximum coins though so this is worth remembering when playing. All of the online casinos in our casino reviews offer a wide range of online slots games due to them being the most played games in any online casino.