How to Read Slot Machines
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Whether or not you know how to read slot machines, you have to admit one thing – they possess a special charm. There’s just something about those bright lights, shiny LEDs they’re covered in, constant buzzing sounds, and the allure of massive wins and easy money.
And while slots are a ton of fun, even for first-time users, if you work on understanding the symbols you’ll drastically improve your overall gameplay experience.
By the end of this guide, we’ll teach you how to properly interpret slot machines, know which symbols to look forward to, understand the paylines, and other special features.
Slot Machine Basics
Back in the glory days of lever-based slot machines in the 60s and 70s, you couldn’t walk several steps inside a retail casino without bumping into one of these buggers. Back then, electromechanical technology was still in an early stage.
In fact, the famous Money Honey slot was among the first machines which could pay out up to 500 coins without requiring human intervention.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the digital revolution is visible at every step. Video slots went from clunky mechanical machinery to fully-fledged digital masterpieces providing dozens of games on a single device.
Some of the main basics regarding the gameplay were left intact. By that, we’re mainly referring to stuff like reels, paylines, symbols, and all the different buttons you can press. To simplify the matter, here’s a short bullet list that explains all the basics:
- Reels – Reels are vertical columns in a slot machine where symbols can land
- Grid – The exact layout of a slot machine that combines reels and rows (f.e. 5×4)
- Paytables – Charts that show the payout details for every single symbol combination
- Symbols – Icons that appear on the reels and create winning combinations
- Buttons – All user interface elements you can click/tap to spin or adjust settings
- Wilds – Special symbols which replace other on-grid symbols to maximize your wins
- Scatters – Special symbols that typically trigger bonus gameplay mechanics
Understanding Slots Symbols
In short, symbols are the icons/images that pop up on the grid after the start of each round. But not all symbols are the same. There are standard symbols, which take up the vast majority of grid fields.
Based on the game’s theme and graphics, standard symbols can range from cherries, numbers, fruits, and similar, all the way to animal iconography, treasure symbols, ancient mythical symbols, and many more.
However, there are also special symbols called Wilds, Scatters, or Bonus Symbols. We’ll address them right below:
Wild Symbols
Wilds are special symbols that don’t appear on the grid as frequently as standard symbols. In most online slots, wild symbols substitute all other standard symbols on the grid. Why? To boost your winning potential by combining more symbols over additional paylines. In some games, wilds can be sticky or extend to additional grid fields which brings even more winning potential and excitement.
Scatter Symbols
Scatter symbols are also much rarer. They usually appear once or twice every few rounds. The thing is – you typically need 3 or more scatters to trigger certain bonus features like mini-games, free spins, and similar. In some games, the more scatters you get, the more free spins you’ll be awarded once the bonus gameplay kicks off.
Bonus Symbols
Some games don’t have scatter symbols or have separate scatter and bonus symbols which do different in-game things. Just like scatters, these bonus symbols can appear at random, can have associated multipliers and activate special game features and/or mini-games.
Decoding Paytables
Nowadays, the vast majority of online slots come with a paytable. The paytable is a document that explains the game’s key characteristics. More precisely, a paytable lists all symbols in the game along with their respective payouts depending on how many symbols you get.
Some paytables also feature info on the paylines. Not all slots have the same number of paylines. Some have 9, some have 243, and others (Megaways slots) have up to 117,649. Yep, you’ve read that correctly.
Another common part of a paytable is info on the progressive jackpots. These jackpots grow all the time as players continue to spend money within the game. At any given moment, the jackpot can trigger and award one of the prizes to the lucky winner. Progressive jackpot info is also typically available in the paytable.
Check out new online slots to play this month for a fresh bag of awesome games
Volatility and RTP
Both volatility and RTP (return to player) are gambling terms that get thrown around a lot. But many players still aren’t sure what they represent. No worries, we’re here with the answers, so let’s dig right in:
Slot Machine RTP
RTP stands for return to player. It represents the average percentage of money a player should get back after playing this slot. So, if a slot has 96.50% RTP, it means it gives back roughly $96.50 for every $100 wagered.
We’re talking about averages and expected returns here – there are no guarantees this will actually happen. Plus, there are lots of other factors that play important roles in the world of online slots. One of the most important ones is volatility, so let’s talk about that too!
Slot Machine Volatility
Volatility represents the frequency of wins you’ll get by playing the given slot. The higher the volatility is, the lower the winning frequency will be. However, the higher the volatility, the higher the winning potential. Slot volatility is best described the following way:
- Low volatility – Frequent wins, but low win amounts
- Medium volatility – Balanced winning frequency and balanced win amounts
- High volatility – Rare wins and high win amounts
How to Choose the Right Slot for You
The key here is to choose the right type of slot based on how risk averse you are. If you love to win constantly, round in and round out no matter the amount, then you should prefer low volatility than RTP.
If, however, you’re more of a high-risk high-reward kind of a player with long-term consistency as the primary goal, then you better prefer high RTP slots with extra volatility. It doesn’t get much simpler than that, right!?
Bonus Features
As explained earlier, scatters typically pave the way for all sorts of bonus features. These days, the most popular slots like The Dog House and Sweet Bonanza enjoy so much popularity because of their bonus features. So, if we want to know more about what makes these slots so special, we need to go through them real fast:
Free Spins and Multipliers
Nowadays, lots of bonus gameplay elements of popular slots come down to free spins. It’s the current state of industry. Just take the most popular games like Gates of Olympus and Tropical Pot and you’ll begin to understand what makes this gameplay so appealing.
Scatters are the main way to trigger free spins and extra multipliers in these types of slots. But, we’ve also noticed a rising numbers of Bonus Buy slots which allow players to purchase the free spins themselves, without waiting for a manual trigger.
Mini Games and Special Rounds
While free spins and other bonus gameplay elements drastically improve the entertainment factor, some slot devs went a step further and introduced new mini-games and even more special rounds.
In games like Bonanza Megaways, players can choose whether they’d like to keep the spins they’ve earned or gamble to get more free spins. There are also many examples of hi-lo gambling opportunities which players can trigger to either improve their multipliers or get additional goodies after a spin.
Reading Slots Takes Practice and Patience
Knowing how to read slot machines isn’t that complicated. All you need is some background knowledge and a bit of experience and you’ll be good to go.
As soon as you understand the difference between the symbols, grid styles, wilds, scatters, and bonus gameplay – you’ve basically learned the basics. Once you’re there, it’s only a matter of time before you become a proper slot connoisseur.
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