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Of all casino games, both online and off, slots is by far the most popular and frequently played game. Slots is a game that's simple to learn, easy to play, and can be enjoyed by seasoned gamblers as well as those who are trying out gambling for the first time. Not only that, but slots is the most widely-available form of casino gambling available. With the advent of the online casino, slots has been made even more readily available by being able to be played from the comfort of your own home! Once you've reviewed the basic slots rules, you'll be ready to roll in no time.
Start of Play
In order to begin playing, you first need to place your bet - or, in the case of land-based slot machines, insert your first coin. The amount of bets and how much each one that you can place is depends on the specific machine that you are playing on. You can bet a minimum of one coin and may be able to bet as many as five or even ten coins on one spin. You may be able to bet with coin values of $0.05, $0.50, $1, $2 or $5. though there are many more less-common ranges that you can easily find with online slots. The maximum bet for most machines is $5, though it certainly isn't uncommon to see up to $10. For high rollers, many online casinos offer slot machines with much higher limits - the highest we've come across is $150 per spin! Spinning the Wheel
After you have placed you bet, you click the button that spins the "reel wheel". Pressing this button is the equivalent of pulling the arm of the "One Arm Bandit" – the original slot machines. Once you have pushed the button, you simply have to wait and see if you have won. How to Win
In order to win at slots, the symbols on the pay line in need to line up and match one of the winning combinations. The symbols vary between machines, and with online casinos there are literally thousands of different symbols casinos will use to spice the game up. The original machines featured cherries, numbers, bars and others. These are still available, but modern machines have themes with corresponding. For example, you might be playing a "Lord of the Rings"-themed slot machine, or maybe NASCAR-themed. Each game has its own pay table with the various winning combinations listed. Some machines will feature "wild" symbols that can be treated as a different symbol in order to complete a combination. Progressive Jackpots
Some casinos offer progressive jackpots on their slots games. This means that there is a jackpot that is increased with every bet that is made. These jackpots can grow to impressive size, as they keep getting added to until someone spins the right "jackpot" combination. The first person who spins the winning combination wins the entire jackpot. The jackpot will then reset to a minimum value and start over again, increasing every time a bet is placed. Slot Machine Variations
There is a growing number of themes and variations for slots games, and it is worthwhile to be familiar with the rules for the specific game that you are playing. For example, a popular type of slot machine is 3-reel slots. In these games, you may have as many as five payout lines – the top, middle and bottom rows, as well as left diagonal and right diagonal. You can also play five reel slots which may have as many as nine payout lines. Bonus slots only use the middle line, however if the payout line shows the bonus symbol, you will be awarded a special bonus payout. Feature slots can offer as many as fifteen payout lines, and they also offer wild symbols and other fun features that vary depending on the one you're playing. Megaspin slots offer multiple games of three reel slots. This increases the number of payout lines, which thereby increases your chance of winning. Payout Rates
The machines are programmed to maintain a specific payout rate set by the casino. This is commonly around 96-98%, which means that for every $100 that is bet, the machine will pay out $96-98. This of course deals only with the law of averages; you aren't guaranteed any wins or losses. Each spin is determined by a random number generator (RNG) to ensure fairness. Some games may offer scatter pay which means that instead of the symbols having to line up, they may be allowed to be scattered throughout the screen. |
