Land-based casino fans know these little slots as stand-alone machines with 3 reels and a handle to spin them to victory, but these little babies have come a LONG way since they hit the net and spinning online today can be as thrilling, complex and interesting as any strategy based casino game. If you have yet to hit the world of online slots you will not believe how evolved they have become since the very first machine was created way back in 1887 by Charles Fey.
The very first symbols that were designed to adorn Fey’s 3 reel slot machine are symbols that we still see today in the classic online games; diamonds, horseshoes, spades, bells and hearts. However nowadays you will find that there are literally millions of different designs and machines are not packed with extras to make winning far more likely, and the absolutely massive prizes that are linked to slots and the low-interaction level makes them far more popular than their complicated and complex counterparts like Poker.
How to play slots online?
The beauty of the online slot lies in its simplicity – just click “spin” and let the reels land as they may! All slot games are fitted with paylines – as little as 1 or as many as 100 – and the symbols have to land on an enabled payline to win. Each symbol of a slot game carries their own denomination that will multiply your bet to determine your win. If you are playing the classic 3 reel, 1 payline games online then this is all you need to know, but if you want to dive into the world of the 5 reel video slots, you will experience a much more complex game and perhaps a more interactive one.
The style and game functions of an online slot relies heavily on the
software company that created it. There are tonnes of software companies and each one has their own unique designs and their own staple symbols and features, but typically when you play a video slot you can expect:
Wild Symbols – these will substitute any symbol (but typically NOT the Scatter) to help create more wining combinations on the paylines. There are even variations on Wild Symbols now, with Expanding Wilds that cover an entire reel to Sticky Wilds that stay in place when you spin. Some slot games hold multiple wilds providing different functions.
Scatter Symbols – Scatters are simply there to provide players with extra prizes and depending on the game that you play, they can provide different functions. Most typically you will find that landing more than 3 Scatters anywhere on the slot reels (hence the name) will either multiply your winnings, trigger free spins or trigger a completely separate bonus game – sometimes all 3!
Bonus Games – you will be hard-pushed to find one of the new waves of video slots that does not offer a bonus game, either in the form of free spins or completely different bonus features. The newest video games contain exceptional bonus features that allow you to indulge in some-non slot action to try and bag a prize. For example – a bonus game within a Pirate themed slot could have the player clicking on multiple treasure chests to try and bag some coins and so on. The bonus features are all beautifully unique and related to the overall theme of the game.
As each and every single slot game is unique, you will find that each and every one offers their own features and goodies to try and bag you wins and you will find that the jackpot is based either strictly on multipliers – eg, “This slot could bag you 100,000 times your wager” – or predetermined before the game and triggered by a certain combination or won within a bonus game.
Slots Rules
The only rules of a slot game are determined by things like the payline – you must land a winning combination on an enabled payline to win – and of course the bonus features, for example, having to uncover 3 matching symbols within the treasure chests to win and so on. Again the beauty of an online slot game is that there are no heavy rules because it is so simple to play – you literally have to click and spin!
Slots Lingo
Slot games don’t really have their own lingo as the game itself is so simple. As well as the Wilds and the Scatters, the Free Spins and the Bonus Games that we have explained, playing an online slot game is very straight forward. However, you need to know the following, too:
Bet Max – refers to the act of betting the max credits allowed
Bet One – refers to slots that allow only one credit per spin
Credits – refers to the coins that you sue to play
Slots Strategy
Again, due to the random and simplistic nature of the online slot there is absolutely no sure-fire way to ever win a slot game. In fact, there are just 2 tips that we can give you in order to stand you in better stead of scooping an online jackpot:
Know your slot game – it won’t hurt to play the slot in demo play and get to grips with the unique bonus features of the slot in question.
Bet max if you want to win a jackpot – sometimes jackpots are only won if the player is betting max, however start of betting low and if you hit a winning streak, be brave and bet max a few times – this could trigger a massive jackpot!
Wiki’s Final Thoughts We can reiterate enough how excellent and simple online slot games are. They are created so that anyone, anywhere can have a crack at huge jackpots no matter what their casino game skill level may be. Playing an online slot game can be as thrilling as catching the latest blockbusting movie and with the millions upon millions of different themes and designs, you will always find something to suit you.