Slots are hands down the most accessible games you can play at an online casino. There is no skill required. You hit the spin button and hope you get lucky with a winning combination. They come with a wide range of betting limits, many different themes, and plenty of exciting and rewarding special features. Once you have picked a slot to play, you can start immediately. You do not need to learn strategies or get your head around complex rules; playing slots online is simple. You already know some of the best fruit slots out there.
Many casino games involve a strategy to optimize your chances of winning. Yet when it comes to slots, no natural system can help you. Still, some slots are better than others. In the following sections, you will find out all you need to know about how to play slots. You will learn about the basic rules, the types of symbols, and how to pick games that give you the best chances of winning. The best no-download slots casinos will even let you play without installing additional apps.
Basic Rules and Game Layout
Whether playing some of the best online video slots or any other reel-spinning game, the aim remains to line up winning symbol combinations on paylines. When you land a winning combo, you will receive a payout. Different symbols have different values, and you will generally get a bigger payout than the more matching symbols that appear on a payline. The slot paytable displays a detailed breakdown of the payout for each symbol combination. You can change the coin value and bet level to select the bet size you want to make per spin. You then click the spin button to play the game. You can choose the autoplay option to play a set number of spins in a row. Some games also feature a quick spin option, which reduces the reels’ time to spin, providing even faster gameplay. Free online slots allow you to try all the settings and options before playing for real.
Slot Machine Terms
There is no denying that slots are super simple to play. Yet, if you are new to the games, you may encounter a range of slot game terms that you may still need to become familiar with. As a beginner, it is helpful to get to know these to help your understanding when you play. There are also some progressive slots concepts that more experienced players could benefit from brushing up on. You may even find places in some parts of the world named online pokies. To make life easier for you, we have compiled a list of slot machine terms and definitions you may come across when playing slot games.
3 Reel Slot: A game with a classic layout comprising three reels. Often has a single payline that runs through the center of the slot, yet some 3-reel slots have multiple paylines.
5 Reel Slot: The most frequently found layout for modern land-based and internet-based slots. The top 5-reel slots can feature different numbers of rows and paylines.
7 Reel Slot : Another trendy type of multi-reel slot at online and land-based casinos. Most of the best 7-reel slots provide many paylines, bonus features, and winning opportunities.
Action: Slot action describes all the slot playing time a gambler has accumulated. It can refer to the number of bets placed or the total time spent playing.
The annuity Winner is a slot machine jackpot paid in installments over several years. Some jackpots pay out a lump sum, but in some cases, a significant tax is added.
Autoplay: Autoplay or auto spin is an option that allows players to select several spins to play automatically. It will stop after the specified number of spins or once a bonus feature is triggered.
AWP AWP, or Amusements with Prizes, describes a category of slot machines that offer a level of interaction between the player and the machine. British-style fruit machines are an example of AWP.
Bet Amount: This is the total amount of cash you will wager on a spin. It combines the coin size, coin level, and the number of paylines you are betting on.
Bet Max: Bet Max refers to the highest possible wager at the fixed coin size, i.e., with the highest bet level. Pressing the bet max button will spin the reels with the highest bet level and all paylines active.
Bet One: This option will wager only one coin/credit per active payline per spin.
Bonus Round: Bonus rounds are featured on many video slots. They can sometimes be triggered randomly; otherwise, you may need to land a particular bonus symbol combo to activate the feature.
Buy-a-Feature: Some slots require the wager to be above a certain amount to activate additional bonus features. Sometimes, you can place an extra bet to activate enhanced features.
Buy-a-Pay: Buying a pay refers to making a big bet to compete for the top prize. Some slot machines require your wager to be above a certain amount to award the biggest payouts.
A carousel: is a group of slot machines placed close together in land-based casinos, often positioned in a cluster. For example, dollar slots may be grouped in a carousel.
Cascading Reels: When you line up a winning combination, the winning symbols disappear, allowing new characters to cascade down and fill their place. Thus, players can win from a single spin.
Click and Pick: A feature frequently used in bonus rounds. You will be presented with a choice of icons, and you click them to reveal either a coin prize, multiplier, free spins, or another type of unique feature.
Coins: Slot machines were played with actual cash in the past. However, nowadays, this is not a common practice. Still, many slots will allow you to wager in coins or credits.
Coin Levels: As well as adjusting the coin size, or value, many slots offer the option to increase the number of coins bet per payline. Also referred to as the bet level.
Coin Size: Many slots allow you to select the coin’s denomination. This can range from a penny up to dollars.
Demo: Demos are free online slots you can play for fun. They allow you to try out a slot before you decide whether to play with real money.
Free Spin: Free spins are often triggered by scatter symbols and will award a certain number of free plays. They can also describe an online casino bonus offer for playing slots.
Gamble Feature: A gamble feature gives you a chance to gamble any win for an opportunity to increase the payout. Most gamble features are usually 50/50 options, with the opportunity to double the payout.
Hit Frequency: This refers to how often a slot pays out on average. It is closely linked to variance. If a space hits frequently, it usually gives payouts, yet they will be smaller.
Hold Percentage – An expression that refers to the house edge. The hold percentage is the amount of all bets not paid back in winnings, the opposite of the return to player percentage.
Jackpot: Refers to the top prize featured in a slot. It can be fixed and refer to the highest-paying combination. It can also refer to a separate tip that can be randomly triggered or awarded in a bonus game.
Linked Progressive Jackpot: If a progressive jackpot slot is part of a linked advanced jackpot network, all games are connected to the same jackpot, with such places offering some of the biggest prizes you can win.
Nudge and Hold – A unique feature that allows you to lock certain reels in place, with the nudge option enabling you to move the reels up or down a certain number of positions. Frequently featured in UK fruit machines.
One-Armed Bandit – A slang term for a slot machine. It refers to old slot machines which used to be operated by pulling a lever or arm to spin the reels.
Payback Percentage: Also referred to as the return to player percentage, or RTP, this figure denotes the amount of all money wagered that a slot machine will pay out over time.
Paylines: A payline is the line on which a payout will be awarded when it contains a winning symbol combination. Most wins will pay from left to right on paylines.
Paytable: The paytable lists the payouts for each different symbol combination. It will also provide details of any special features, explaining how to trigger them and what they involve.
Progressive Jackpots: Progressive jackpots build, with a portion of each wager on the game added to a prize pool until it is won. At this point, it resets to a predetermined level and starts to build again.
Pokies – A name for slot machines in Australia and New Zealand. For more details, you can check our article on online gambling in New Zealand.
Quick Spin: Sometimes referred to as fast play, this option provides the shortest possible pace to the gameplay by reducing the time for the reels to spin and removing any animations upon wins.
Random Number Generator (RNG) – A complex computer program that selects slot spin outcomes at random from all possible results. The RNG is used to ensure the integrity of games and to verify that slots are not fixed.
Reels: In older slots, reels are the spinning drums that display the symbols. In modern spaces, reels are computer generated, although they still give the appearance of spinning, like traditional slot machines.
Respin: A respin is a feature that offers another chance to win without placing another wager.
Slot Tournament: Slot tournaments are a way of competing against other players. They often have timed events, with prizes available for playing or winning the most during the tournament. Learn more about winning one such competition from our online slot tournaments guide.
Spin – The button used to play a single spin of a slot machine at the selected bet size and activated paylines. The spin button replaced the lever used to play older slot machines.
Symbols: The icons on the reels and award payouts according to the paytable for completing winning combinations.
Variance: Variance, or slot volatility, is a term that refers to the level of risk in a slot and is used to describe how frequently a slot pays out and how big the wins are.
