The trend of playing online casino games is increasing rapidly day by day and is likely to continue in the many years to come. Over millions of people internationally are creating an account on online casinos offering different categories of games with exclusive varieties to choose from. Among all casino games, online slots have proven to be the preferred choice for Indian and global players.
Some people believe that playing slot machines online is extremely easy as a player has to pump in the suitable numbers of coins, click the play button, and wait for the results by Lady Luck. Well, it might be true in some cases where there is no need for skills to enjoy slot games. But, playing games without getting their basic details can result in automatic play, where you will end up with losing your hard-earned money.
Are you new to online slots and don’t know much about these games? Use our beginner’s guide to get the very basic knowledge of slot games and adopt the best playing methods to have an incredible gambling experience along with earning a good amount of money. Here, you will explore all the important points to get up to the perfect speed fast.
What Is A Slot?
The very first thing you must know when playing slot games online is what these games are all about. The slot is a gambling game which comprises of 3 or more spinning reels. The reels are marked with a predefined number of spaces equipped with various icons or symbols having different values. Once a gamer makes a bet and starts the spin, these symbols will land randomly.
Winning results are determined when certain combinations of symbols are arranged in a specific pattern. These patterns are called pay lines and built into the slot software. These pay lines have rows going across the reels from left direction to right. Symbols in the pay lines may be present in the same row or fluctuation rows. Numbers of pay lines in slot machines can range from one to over 50 pay lines.
Some of these special symbols include Wilds, Surprise, Bonus, Scatter, and more. The value and nature of these symbols can be identified through the paytable of a game. The payout or winnings differs depending on the total amount of bet. According to a combination of pay lines, the larger the bet, higher will be the payout.
Most slots, especially the modern ones are available with plenty of excellent features, that are activated by certain symbol combinations or conditions. The renowned game developers are adding the new range of features and symbols for the increased fun and excitement of players. You’ll always find something new and more captivating than others.
The most important thing that you must remember is that slot machines are completely unpredictable. RNGs or Random Number Generators determine the pattern in which combinations of symbols will appear. No player could find out his winning potential.
Different Types Of Slots
Upon clicking the online casino sites, you’ll notice different categories of slot machines with all new and different features. Even though some games ignore the common features, you can still find various kinds of slot games that are developed from the biggest hit of the film industry, television series, or music.
Let’s take a close look over some of the common types of slot games available at online casinos.
☞ Slots
This is a varied games category that consists of some of the basic elements such as RNG mechanism and a range of symbols. Some slots offer bonus features, while others do not. Similarly, you may find reels in some specific slots, while others don’t.
☞ Fruit Slot Machines
This type of slot is called Fruit Slot Machines because symbols represent parts of fruits such as oranges, cherries, etc. These are somewhat similar to classic slot machines found in traditional casinos. There is no need to adhere to the old-schooled 3×3 reel layout to enjoy the slots. In the current days, you can easily find fruit slot machines with increased range of bonus features and reels.
☞ Jackpot Slots
Jackpot slots is basically a term used to explain the offered prize, called Jackpot. These types of slots can be available in different shapes and sizes depending on the jackpot prize they have. Jackpot slots can be of various kinds – local, fixed, network, and progressive. You can determine the size and frequency of jackpot payout and gamers’ contribution to the prize pot through each type of jackpot slots.
☞ Video Slots
Video slots are actually the boon for online casino lovers as it improves the gambling experience by adding the new element of impressive visuals and fascinating computer graphics. It explains the visual components of a game through moving animation mainly off to the game side or as an imperative aspect of bonus characteristics. The reputable game developer of the industry is creating the marvelous range of video slots with modern designs and stunning animations, that engage the players to enjoy more.
Video slots work in the same way as used by reel slots with the only difference of increased numbers of pay lines. These types of slots are surely the way to go for maximizing the casino gaming experience. Symbols on this type of slot run in patterns down, zig-zagged, or up across the computer screen.
☞ 3D Slots
This is the biggest advancement in the field of online gambling. As the name implies, 3D slots are designed using 3D technology for 3D graphics and sound features. Hence, you can enjoy more of a real experience than virtual ones with rich visual effects, action-packed gameplay, high-quality graphics, and amazing sound effects. Even more, you can get the opportunity to try out different 3D slot games for free and win real cash prizes or bonuses.
Basic Slot Features
Have you ever determined what basic elements do slot games comprise of? How will you differentiate slots from other categories of online casino games without looking for their name? Want to know about the basic features that go into developing slot games? There is you have it.
(1) Reels and rows
Horizontal set of symbols that generally land side-by-side on spinning the reels are known as rows. Reels, on the other hand, are the vertical aspects of spinning slots. Let’s read about some of these reels.
» 3-reel slots
In slot machines, there is a standard rule that most slots can have the same or higher number of reels to rows. Old-fashioned style 3-reel slots generally have just 3 rows and allow gamers to enjoy games, which are quite easy to play. People across the world are greatly loving these slots for having long hours of fun gaming. Vintage slot machine style game aficionado is showing a great interest in spinning these reels.
» 5-reel slots
With entertaining animations and stupendous opening videos, 5-reel slots are available with more stunning features, unlike old 3-reel machines. These types of slots are created in a famous layout of 5×3 i.e. 5 reels and 3 rows.
» Slots with expanding reels
As depicts from the term, these slot games are available with expanded reels. In simpler terms, you will find specific numbers of reels plus some extra reels which are added later through an extraordinary bonus feature. Addition of one or more expanded reels further boost up the counting of symbol spaces for increased winning potential.
» Slots with more reels
There are no standard rules regarding the designing and development of slot games. That’s a reason game developers are showing their creativity and skills with unique slot layouts. Well, it is not common to find slots with the layout of 7×7 reel sets, but you may find them in renowned casino sites with about 49 symbol spaces, game features, and lots more. So, you can imagine how great it is going to play slots with more reels.
(2) Slot symbols
Symbols are the backbone of slot machines because winnings are determined based on the specific pattern of particular symbols. Besides this, symbols or icons are also used for triggering the bonus features and more things.
Slot symbols can be categorized into 2 types depending on their value. Here is an overview of these –
Low value symbols: – As already discussed above, the value of symbols can be identified on the paytable of a slot game. Low value symbols pay out less when a winning combination of certain symbols lands on the payline. Some of the common examples of these types of symbols include the range of royal suit symbols such as 9, 10, A, J, K, and Q.
High value symbols: – These are more valuable symbols when the specific game pays out a win. High value symbols generally show the motifs or characters that are closely connected with the specific theme of a game.
(3) Bet lines and coin value
Patterns outlined across the game screen are basically known as payline or a bet line. A set of similar symbols can be land in any patterns such as vertical, zigzag, straight, or horizontal. And, when this happens the winner is declared. These wins can be land on the several bet lines or paylines on the specific spin. To find out the total amount of payout, look at the paytable showing the value of contributing symbols.
The term coin value is used when a player uses coin instead of his own money directly to place a bet on a slot. What does this mean? It is the real cash value allocated to each coin by a gamer. For example, you assign the coin value of $1 for the first round and $1.50 for the second round. In case, you want to figure out the size of a bet for each spin, you must go with the use of coin value. Betting 10 coins with the value of $1 is equivalent to wagering worth $10. However, wagering 10 coins with a value of $1.50 is worth an extra amount.
Low and high bet slots
Just like symbols which have low and high value, slot games also have low and high betting value. You can categorize slot games depending on the wagering they allow. Low bet slots allow a player to bet an extremely small and minimum amount. In fact, it can be as low as £0.01. Higher bet slots, on the other hand, facilitates players to wager up to the maximum limit of £200 per spin. You may also find slot games that enjoy the status of the average bet. These games generally allow gamblers to place a bet between the average values.
(4) Pay lines and paytable
Pay lines as already described above are also called by another name bet lines and is considered to be the most important features of slot machines. These are basically the lines on which a payout is awarded on the basis of winning combinations of symbols. Paytable is an area where you can find complete information about the value of symbols and learn the ways to trigger bonus features. All the possible layouts in a slot game are listed on the paytable, in fact, you can also see the payout for each symbol combinations for the total numbers of coins you wager. In order to launch a paytable, click a button appear at the bottom of the game screen.
Flexible Vs. Fixed Pay Lines
Flexible pay lines as depict from the name give players the immense flexibility to select on which to place a bet. You can enjoy this excellent feature mainly in games that have large numbers of pay lines. When deciding which line to wager, always remember that more active lines you pick, bigger bet you have to place for each spin. Fixed pay lines are just opposite to flexible lines i.e. they do not facilitate gamers to pick and select which lines to wager. For example, if you are choosing to play a game with 10 fixed pay lines, it will be played with those 10 active paylines. And, the most important thing to note is that your bet will include all of them.
Win both ways
Usually, pay lines for slots go from left to right, but sometimes it goes in both directions. And, when this happens, win both ways term is used to show the pay lines. Having win in 2 ways on a slot machine help you to score wins that will amazingly increase the total wins you will find on the reels. This is the brilliant feature that eliminates the frustration of hitting symbols that would not adjust properly on pay lines.
If none of the terms is used to describe the lines, it can be considered that winning combinations go from left to right direction.
243 ways to win
This is a slot payout feature that allows players to get about hundreds of winning chances almost 243 ways on every spin without paying the extra charges for a bet. They can enjoy all at single wager pricing. In this, a gamer bets on the spin instead of individual pay lines. The win can be determined on the basis of equal or more than 3 symbols land alongside each other irrespective of the pattern of a combination of symbols.
(5) Autoplay
On clicking Autoplay button, you don’t have to spin the reels as spinning will happen automatically on your behalf. You can simply enjoy the games without worrying about spinning the reels. All you have to do is select the total numbers of spins and bet size.
Special Features Of Slots
Besides above-mentioned basic features, there are some special characteristics of slots as well. World-renowned developers of the gaming industry are showing their exceptional skills with the inclusion of modern features that provide an increasingly entertaining gaming experience.
✓ Wilds
This is the most popular slot symbol that can fill in for other slot symbols. But, remember that wilds cannot be replaced for scatters, free spins, or bonus symbols. Here are some of the common types of wilds –
1. Expanding Wild
These symbols usually appear as a different single icon that that grows to fill up all positions on the reel. For example, Secret Code video slots.
2. Sticky Wilds
Sticky symbols stick in place for more than one spin, thus providing the increased possibility to complete numbers of winning combinations.
3. Normal Wilds
These types of wilds act as a substitute for other symbols, excluding the special symbols such as Scatters. Normal wilds have double value – it’s own as well as that of the other symbol.
4. Moving/Wandering Wilds
These slots also stick to the reels for several spins, but they keep on bouncing on the specific reel to provide the most favorable winning combination. It changes the position after the completion of a spin.
5. Wilds That Cover The Whole Reel
These wilds normally fill up the whole reel and improve the winning chances.
✓ Scatters
Most commonly referred to as Bonus Symbols, scatters are called the best buddy of players for allowing them to unlock several interesting bonus features of a specific slot game. These can be substituted by Wild symbols.
✓ Free spins
Often considered as the simplest version of bonus games, free spins are spins that players can enjoy without paying anything. There are many slots that allow players to retrigger free spins when playing bonus games.
✓ Re-spins
Re-spin serves as a bonus triggered by special symbols. Don’t consider it similar to free spins because they are second chance spin that can have different cost based on the online casino and slot you’re choosing.
✓ Multipliers
Symbols that multiply your winnings by a certain amount are called Multiplier Symbol. You can get these symbols as an important part of a bonus feature or through specific symbols.
✓ Nudge
This is the special classic feature that increases the likelihood to create a new winning combination by moving down the reel slightly by one space or multiple times.
✓ Bonus game
Most of the players love these games on modern slot machines. These can be unlocked by hitting various combinations on the reels. Wheel of Fortune is one of the examples of bonus games. Please note that these games are completely random as it boasts no skill element. Thus, winning all depends on luck.
On the web, you can find so many types of bonus games such as pick and click, that rewards a gamer with an array of things to select. Each of these consists of awesome prizes including bonus feature activation, coin wins, free spins, or multipliers.
✓ Gamble feature
Some slot games provide a gamble feature when a certain situation warrant it. A gamer is provided with an ability to accept or not to accept this feature. Here, a player is allowed to guess the color or suit of a playing card appeared on the video screen. If he predicts right, the winning amount just gets double, but in case you guess wrong, you’ll lose entire win.
Choose The Best Slots Based On Your Budget And Playing Style
Every player has different needs and desires. It is not necessary that all people will love the same game. Budget and playing style are two main factors that must be considered into an account while selecting online slots.
If you have a small budget and thinking to go with the option of long-hours of gambling over big wins, then rethink. It might bring you larger risks. Players with large and loaded pocket-size can find a range of low risk and high risk slots. Just like budget, playing style also plays a vital role in gaming experience you are going to have. You can play intense or short gambling sessions on slot machines. To determine which one best suits your requirements, you may check the volatility of slots, which comprises 3 important elements – the amount paid, risk level, and payout frequency.
What Are Slot Tournaments?
Super exciting slot tournaments are highly popular among slot lovers, as they are quite easy to play and don’t demand special skills. The popularity of these tournaments is increasing rapidly at online and live casinos because they mean inflated jackpot prize pools and amazing dollar value. There are different formats of these tournaments, but they all work on the same principle. After sign up, gamers are assigned a specific amount of credits. They can run those allocated credits into profitable one within a certain time duration. Payouts are issued to players, depending on the preset payout schedule.
Slot tournaments, based on leaderboard format, allow players to gather points and successfully reach the top position to win more appealing prizes. You can find different types of tournaments such as performance-based, features triggered, and wagering challenges.
Final Words
Playing online casino slots can be great fun along with getting a chance to convert tiny bet into the biggest payday. The game developers of the gaming and gambling industry are launching the new exciting range of slots. But, to take the most advantage, you require to choose the best slot and get the essential information such as where to play, from where to start, etc. One thing you must consider is not to bet beyond your pocket size. Play for fun to have once-in-a-lifetime gaming experience.
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