Slot Machine Basics
Slot machine is a gambling machine with at least 3 reels (classic slot machines) that spin after the player pushes a button. Most modern video slots contain 5 spinning reels or more. The aim of the game is to get a winning combination out of symbols on the reels and get paid. Slot machines may be also called one-armed bandits (due to the fact that first machines had levers instead of buttons), fruit machines and poker machines. In addition to buttons lots of modern slot machines have levers which in fact are used as decoration. Today slots are one of the most popular casino games and make a big part of land and Internet casino income. According to statistics, more than 70% of Internet casino revenue and more than 80% of land casino income come from slot machine games.
Slot Machine Buttons and Features
All slots machines are based on RNG (random number generator) which means that the game results are totally random and can’t be predicted. To operate slot machine the players use the set number of options. As a rule, most slots, no matter the number of reels and paylines, use the same options and buttons. Let’s study all of them by the example of 5-reel video Wild West slot game.
5-reel Slot Game
- Payline indicators – special indicators which show on which paylines the player bets and in case of win they show the winning paylines. By clicking on each indicator the player can choose the total number of paylines.
- Payline won – when the combination on the reel win, a corresponding indicator is activated and the player can see according to which payline he is paid out. In this example the player is paid out for getting combination of 2 symbols according to the 1st payline To be winning any combination MUST have at least two identical symbols one after another, and the first one MUST occur on the first reel.
- Number of paylines (Lines) – to choose the number of paylines to bet on the player can use “+/- Lines” buttons in the game menu.
- Balance – a special window which shows the current money balance of the player which changes after each win or loss.
- Lines Bet – the buttons allowing to select the coin denomination. The player can increase the coin denomination by clicking “+” button or decrease it with the help of “–“ button.
- Bet/Win – payout meter which shows the size of current bet and payout after each win.
- Paytable – this button allows to switch to the slots game paytable which explains the symbols, paylines, and payouts.
- Spin – by clicking on “Spin” button the player activates slot game and the reels start spinning.
- Bet Max – special button which allows to make the maximum bet and activates the game automatically.
5-reel Slots Paytable
- Wild – the slots symbol which is counted as any other symbol in the winning combination but scatter or bonus symbols. Wild is sometimes called Substitute symbol.
- Payouts – the number of coins paid out for each winning combination. The total amount of winning is the number of coins multiplied by the coin denomination selected by the player. For example, if the player bet $0.10 on the 1st payline and wins he is paid out $0.40 because there are two matching symbols in the combination which pay 4 coins (see the paytable). Thus the payout is $0.10*4=$0.40.
- Return – button which allows to switch from paytable back to the game window.
- Payline patterns – patterns with straight or zig-zagged lines of slot symbols that create the game paylines.
- Scatter – special symbol on the reels which is used to create combination which pays jackpot, any of the bonuses or multiplies the winnings.
NB: Above we have described the buttons and features of online slot game created by SlotsDoc.com. If you choose to play slot games of different software providers the arrangement of the buttons may vary. In addition, some slot machines have extra buttons such as Autoplay, Bet One and Coins.
Autoplay option allows the player to set the slot machine reels spinning automatically according to the determined parameters.
Bet One button is used by the player in case he wants to bet the minimum amount for the next spin. This option is opposite to Bet Max.
Coins – in some slot games the player can bet several coins on each payline and in such case he is offered to choose the number of coins.
If you play at slot machine in the real casino the names of the buttons can be different. Thus the button used to bet max amount may be called Bet Max Credits (or Bet 2 Credits, Bet 3 Credits, etc.), the Bet One button in such case is called Bet One Credit. There also can be such option as Cash Out which allows to get the payouts from the machines that do not pay out after each win. Some of the slot machines installed at the real casinos have levers in addition to the Spin button or simply as a decoration.
Slots Instructions
Slot game is very easy to play. The player just needs to select a slot machine, make a bet and wait for the outcome. The machine pays the wins according to the payline patterns of symbols displayed in the paytable when the reels stop. So, the basic steps of playing slots are:
1. Choose slot machine you prefer (classic, video, progressive, or bonus slots).
2. Select the number of paylines if you play multi-line slots.
3. Choose the coin denomination and make a bet.
5. Check the paytable after the reels stop spinning.
The aim of the game is, of course, to win money from the machine. The game checks matching symbols on the reels that have stopped. These symbols are usually of bright colors and can be easily recognized. Most of the time, the symbols are fruits, numbers or letters, simple shapes like bells, hearts or spades, and modern slot machines have symbols like cartoon and movie characters and so on. If you want to try themed slots, use slots directory where we have grouped all slots according different themes. If you wish to master slots and learn more about slot machine games visit our slots rules page.
Slots by Theme
Looking for online themed slot games? We have grouped all slots according to the most popular themes offered by software providers. Slot games on different themes use various symbols, original design, sounds and bonuses. See all themed slots and use slots directory to choose the game you really like.
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