Slots are an universal casino favorite, because they are easy to play. All you need to do is place your bet, hit the spin button, and wait for the result. After a spin, you can win some money, go to a bonus round if it’s a bonus machine, or loose your bet. There are, however, some slots strategies and slots tips you can use to give yourself a better chance of winning. This guide will teach you the basics of playing slots, including how to pick the right machine, set your bet, and cash out your winnings.
Slot Machine Basics for Beginners
The first thing you need to understand about playing slots are the different elements of the game.
Slots Reels
Every slot machine is composed of a series of reels. Each reel has various icons or symbols on it. They spin around to create the winning combination. Player wins if after spin, reels symbols align in a manner that results in winning combination on one or more paylines.
Slots Paylines
The number of pay lines available in the game is among the most important features of any slot machine. Modern online slots can have anywhere between 1 and 50 paylines, with great variation between the different titles.
A payline is a pattern on the reels which the game reads to see whether you score a winning spin or not.
They can be simple and straight and at other times then can take a zig-zag shape and run across reels.
Paylines can also be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal.
Regardless of the shape, you will come across two major types of slot paylines:
- Fixed playlines: a fixed payline is an all-or-nothing game. You have to place a bet on all paylines before spinning the reels. The game distributes your bet across all paylines. For example if you place a 2-dollar bet on a 10-payline online slot, you will be betting twenty cents on each winning combination.
- Variable playlines: You don’t have to bet and activate all paylines. You are free to place your bets only on the paylines of your choice.
Unlike the results of a spin, paylines are always predetermined and always static. The list of winning patterns for a given slot is found on its paytable.
Bet Size buttons are used to set a desired amount of a bet. It`s a bet per spin that you can change after every round or leave it unchanged.
Spin Button activates the reels. Push it after you have set your bet amount.
Slots Paytable (Payout table)
Each slot machine has its own unique payout table, which can be viewed by the player at any time.
When you first play a slot, you want to know how many symbols the game has, what their payouts are, and how to play the bonuses – if any are available. A paytable lists all that information – and more.
Benefits of a slots paytable:
- Discover the various payouts and jackpots
- Read about the feature bonuses
- Work out if a slot is volatile or not
- Find out the slot’s RTP (Return to Player) percentage
Slots Symbols
The symbols on a slot machine, which in essence align to make a winning combination of images across a payline, are in some way related to the theme of the machine. Understanding the game symbols is just as important as understanding the paytable.
- Regular (standard) symbols – Those are the most basic type of symbols which you’ll come across in all type of slots. These are the symbols that pay out money when a winning line is hit. All icons have different values. If you open the paytable, you`ll find the payouts for every combination of symbols. Classic icons are: 7s, Bars, Bells, Fruits, Stars, card icons such as an Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), Ten (10) and Nine (9) etc. Typical for regular (standard) symbols are that they don’t have any other function than giving you a certain amount of money when enough appear in a row, on a winning line.
- Scatter symbols – These symbols can be met far more less often than others. Scatter symbols can trigger bonus rounds and also often pay when you land three or more of them on the reels. Unlike wilds, where you need to have them on your active payline, you can enjoy the benefits of the scatter symbols as they appear anywhere on the reels. But there are usually a minimum number of scatter symbols to unlock the features. When the required number of scatter symbols pop up on a single spin, the game will launch into the promised feature. Oftentimes, this is Free Spins, but sometimes the scatter symbol is used to open up other interactive bonus games. Scatter symbols are typically one of the highest paying symbols in a slot game and are represented by a specific graphic that is unique to the theme of the particular slot title.
- Expanding Wild symbols – Depending on the design of a video slot, wild symbols can expand to cover an entire reel, or they can expand in a pattern specified by the software developer that produced the game. Most often, expanding wilds are triggered randomly whenever there is a wild symbol present on the reels, meaning you can’t do much to affect the feature.
- Sticky Wilds – Sticky Wilds act as a standard wild and will substitute for any other symbol to create a winning line, but where they differ is that they will remain on the reel for subsequent spins. They are often found in free spin bonus rounds, where they will stay for the duration of the free spins and can generate huge extra wins as part of the bonus feature.
- Wild Reels or Stacked Wilds – These symbols are very similar to the Expanding Wilds symbols. Stacked Wilds are usually a combination of two or more wild symbols landing on a reel, stacked on top of each other. This means that they will fall over different paylines to possibly assist in creating more than one lucrative win. These symbols lead to bigger or more frequent payouts.
- Duplicating or Replicating Wilds – Duplicating or Replicating Wilds have a cloning trait. They possess the ability to turn regular symbols into Wild icons. There are different versions of replicating or duplicating wilds, such as ones where it turns a random number of symbols around the reel into wild ones. Another is where a symbol turns all adjacent symbols into wild ones.
- Moving Wilds – A moving wild is a type of wild symbol that moves from one reel to another as the reels spin. What makes them appealing is a guarantee of a wild symbol on the next free spin. Moving wilds are also a part of re-spin or free spin features where the symbols stay throughout your free game.
- Mega Wilds – A mega wild is a massive symbol that takes up the three center reels. This type of wild symbol is limited to a select number of games.
- Multiplying Wilds – Sometimes Wild icons bring additional multipliers. Multiplier symbols can land on the reels just like any other symbol, but they increase the size of the payouts from winning lines 2x, 3x, 4x or even 6x times. There are two types of Multiplier Wilds – ones that multiply upon landing on the grid, and others that carry Multipliers with them. Multiplier symbols are among the rarer bonus features.
- Shifting Wilds – Shifting Wilds are the siblings of the Sticky Wilds. While the Sticky will stay in place for a certain number of spins, the Shifting Wild will move around the reels. Games with this feature usually include Respins as they are needed for the moving part. When a Shifting Wild land on the grid, it does so on the topmost position on the grid. It activates a Respin which spins the rest of the grid, but this special icon remains on the grid, only slightly moving downward by 1 position. The Respin continues until the symbol reaches the final position on the reel. If additional bonus symbols land during the Respin, the same situation happens.
- Wild Overlays (or Overlay Wilds) – These wilds stack up in a particular shape and replace varied icons, normally appearing at the end of a spin. They cannot be placed on top of a regular wild but can be used to create shapes rather than a line of wilds. Wild Overlays usually appear by chance, after the spin has finished.
- Spreading Wilds – This exciting feature is two-fold in its functionality – when it appears, it helps create a winning combination and also turns other symbols into wilds. The more reel symbols that are turned into wild symbols via the spreading wild symbol the more chance you will then have of forming one or more than one winning combinations, if a slot has several of those symbols in play you will find those slots can offer some very high valued winning payout when you get lots of those reel symbols spinning in.
- Floating Wild – A specific ‘floating’ or ‘flitting’ symbol floats across the screen. When the reels stop spinning, this special symbol lands on symbols and converts them to floating wilds. They occur in base games and special games like free spins.
How to Choose the Perfect Online Slot?
Selecting the right online slot can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. However, there are a few things you can keep in mind that will help you choose the perfect online slot for you.
Here are some tips for choosing the perfect online slot:
- Consider your budget: When selecting an online slot, it is important to consider your budget. You want to make sure you select a slot that fits within your budget and doesn’t put you at risk of overspending.
- Consider your skill level: Another important factor to consider when choosing an online slot is your skill level. If you are a beginner, it is important to select a machine that is easy to understand and doesn’t have too many complex features. However, if you are an experienced player, you may want to choose a machine that offers more challenging gameplay.
- Consider your goals: When choosing an online slot, it is also important to consider your goals. Are you looking to win big? Or are you just looking for a fun way to pass the time? Knowing your goals will help you select a machine that is right for you.
- Do your research: Once you have considered your budget, skill level, and goals, it is time to do your research. There are many online slots available, so take some time to read reviews and compare machines before making your final selection.
- Have fun: Remember, playing online slots is supposed to be fun! So make sure you select a machine that you will enjoy playing.
By following these tips, you will be sure to find the perfect online slot for you.
So what are you waiting for? Start your search today and see if you can hit the jackpot!
How to play slot online: step by step instructions for beginners
Playing slots online can be a great way to pass the time and even win some money. However, if you are new to the world of online gambling, it can be difficult to know where to start. This is why we have put together this step-by-step guide on how to play slots online.
Playing slots is extremely easy.
Like in any other casino game, the main guarantee of success is your luck and a solid understanding of the rules and mechanics of the game. An important aspect to remember is that the slots are totally unpredictable. Random number generators (RNGs) determine what symbols will come up and in which order govern slot machines, so when you put in your money, you never know what will happen next.
Here are top steps to follow to make sure you have a good experience playing slots online:
- Choose an online casino: The first step is to choose an online casino that you want to play at. There are many different casinos available, so take some time to compare your options and find one that you feel comfortable with.
- Create an account: Once you have chosen a casino, you will need to create an account. This usually just requires your basic information such as your name, address, and date of birth.
- Deposit money: Once you have created your account, you will need to deposit money into it. Most casinos accept major credit cards and bank transfers. However, some may also accept cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
- Choose a game: Once you have deposited money into your account, it is time to choose a game to play. There are many different online slots available, so take some time to browse your options and find one that you like.
- Define your budget and stick to it. Decide how much you want to spend in advance.
- Be sure to carefully study the game symbols and the paytable.
- Choose what you want to bet and how many paylines you’d like to play.
- To start spinning the reels, press the “spin” button. You’ll see the symbols spinning on the reels. If you have won, the game will display your winnings and offer you the chance to gamble.
- You can spin the reels as many times as you like, or simply select the “autoplay” mode.
Types of Online Slots
It is important that you understand the different types of online slots. That way, you can identify one that is best suited to your bankroll, needs and preferences.
These games can take all sorts of shapes and forms, but six major types can be highlighted:
- Classic slots (or three-reel slots) – Classic online slots are considered the simplest type of online slot. A key drawback of classic slots is the low number of reels, since this reduces the possible number of combinations. A lot of the classic slot games use certain fruits such as cherries, lemons and melons. They also have bar symbols (these often have the highest payouts when you match them), bells and lucky number 7s. Sometimes you will see different color number 7s used. Notice that the classic slot games with 3 reels do not usually have bonus rounds but some of them do.
- Five-reel slots (or video slots) – Five-reel slots are a modern version of the classic three-reel slot game. With exciting opening videos, entertaining animations throughout the game, and arcade-like bonus mini-games that appear frequently, today’s five reel slots are nothing like the old three reel mechanical machines of days gone by. Other major difference is that a 5-reel slot will always allow you to place up to 9 paylines on the reels to play on, whereas 3-reel slots only ever allow you to have one line activated at a time. Other defining features of five-reel slots is the free-spin mode which includes diverse mechanics such as bet multipliers.
- Six- and seven-reel slots – They mostly follow the same grid structure as the five-reel slot, meaning 6×3 and 7×3 setups. Increasing the number of reels on the slot grid means that the players have high chances of winning positions, and also, the winning combinations have an extended position. In addition, it means that the rewards will be according to the number of positions a winning combination occupies.
- Progressive slots (or progressive jackpot) – Progressive slots are a special category of slot machines known for their huge additional prizes which keep rising every time someone spins the reels. These games are called progressive slots because the jackpot prize isn’t fixed – it progresses with every bet made, until it’s won. For every bet you make, a small portion is siphoned off into a separate pot which is used to fund the jackpot or jackpots.
- Interactive slots (i-slots) – I-Slots are online slots with drawn-out cut scenes followed by a mini-game. Progressing in the story usually involves making the right choices or matching specific symbols. Other mini-games are skill-based, as opposed to random, which allows players to have more control over the outcome of their gamble. The strategy for interactive slots is totally different from your regular online slot tips.
- Virtual Reality (VR) slots – VR online slots allow players to be immersed in the virtual environment and have a realistic experience that mirrors what they would encounter on an actual casino floor. The game room may be equipped with dozens of slot machines. The VR format gives you more realistic interaction than you otherwise would have if you were just staring at a screen.
Slots Bonus Rounds
Unless its a classic slot, bonus games are an integral part of almost every title. Once the bonus round is activated, its expected to land more payouts than during the base game because players get features that increase the odds of landing more and bigger wins.
Bonus rounds can take various forms, such as free spins, mini-games and gambling/risk options. They are usually triggered by the appearance of bonus symbols, and as with combinations of winning symbols, are set to appear to players completely at random, unless unlocked by achieving certain game-specific goals.
Slot Machine Myths
There are many myths and misconceptions about slot machines. However, it is important to remember that slots are a game of chance, and there is no guaranteed way to win.
Some of the most common myths about slot machines include:
- Slot are programmed to pay out at certain times.
- If a slot has not paid out in a while, it is due for a big payout.
- Playing with higher denomination bets will increase your chances of winning.
- Slot machines can be beaten by using special strategies or tricks.
- It is better to play on machines that are in high traffic areas.
You can always try and enjoy slots strategies with our FREE SLOTS section.