How To Play Online Slots

To play slots, select a machine at which you wish to play. Choose the number of coins you would like to play and where applicable, the number of pay lines you would like to play. Press ‘spin’. If you form a winning combination, credits will be added to your account.

Becoming more popular now are the multi-line slots. These slots have more than one pay line. Reel slots commonly have three or five pay lines, whilst video slots can have 9, 15, 25, or even 100 different pay lines.

One of the main differences between video slots and reel slots is in the way payouts are calculated. With reel slots, the only way to win the maximum jackpot is to play the maximum number of coins (usually 3, sometimes 4, or even 5 coins per spin). With video slots, the fixed payout values are multiplied by the number of coins per line that is being bet. In other words: on a reel slot, it is to the player's advantage to play with the maximum number of coins available.

On video slots, it is recommended to play as many individual lines as possible, but there is no benefit to the player in betting more than one credit per line with regards to calculating the payout amounts.

Slot machine variations

There are two main types of slot machine – the classic variety that offer a set jackpot and those which have a rolling, or progressive, jackpot which increases as it is played.

Classic machines have a steady top jackpot that does not change with the money played at the machine. These type of slot machines usually offer more frequent wins but generally with a smaller pay out. The classic basic slot machine has a single pay line going across the centre of three reels. Classic slot machines can offer single or multiple pay lines (up to 9) with some even offering several reels (up to 5). Variations on the classic slot machines can offer multiple pay lines giving players a greater chance of a win – only if the player has played the maximum number of coins to ensure that all pay lines are covered. 

Some online casinos offer ‘progressive’ slots – whereby the jackpot progressively increases according to the amount of money played into machines that are networked together. Progressive slot machines start the jackpot at a base amount which gradually gains in value as people play. The first person to hit the winning combination wins the total jackpot. To be eligible for the jackpot you usually have to play the maximum number of coins. Once the jackpot has been hit, the slot machine resets at the base amount and the whole process begins again.

Strategies for playing slots

• Most slot machines reward players who commit the maximum number of coins. It is therefore important to choose a machine on which you are comfortable at playing the maximum coins. For example instead of playing one coin at a dollar machine, play the maximum number of coins at a quarter machine to maximise your chances.
• Play at casinos that offer the highest return percentage or payouts.
• Be clear with yourself on how much you are willing to spend in one session. The odds you get when playing slots are similar to those of roulette but it is still in essence a game of chance and it is possible to lose track of how much has been spent.