Slots are arguably the easiest of all casino games to play. Whether it’s online or on Las Vegas Boulevard, all you have to do is make your bet, hit a button, pull the lever, or click the mouse, and the reels of fate start turning. Some may attest that playing online is even easier because of the convenience factor. While you probably won’t break much of a sweat playing slots at a casino site, there is nothing wrong with learning the inner workings of the game and knowing what to expect.
The World Of Online Slots
You might have noticed by now that slots come in many different forms. However, these differences mainly relate to the title and themes of the available games. The overall concept and all the major details are basically the same. This makes it easy for the player because if you know how to play one game, then you can easily sit down just as comfortably at the next. Because of these similarities, we have listed some of the features almost all slot games have in common:
Reels and Paylines – All slot machines, whether on or offline, have both reels and pay lines. Of course, the reels are the mechanisms that contain the symbols and spin about to give you a combination. Paylines simply represent the number of lines on which you can bet. The number of pay lines will vary from one slot game to the next. For referencing purposes, online machines most often feature 1, 3, 5, and 9 pay lines, but there are some out there that offer up to 21 pay lines.
Pay Table – A common quality all online slot machines share is the paytable. This component informs you of what symbol combination is needed along the pay lines to win coins. It also lets you know how many coins you will win. The paytable can either be found on the game interface you are playing on or be displayed on a second screen.
Coin Selector – Most slots game you find online also have a coin selector. For example, this feature allows you to choose denominations such as $0.10, $.025, or $1.00. You typically have to select a coin value before clicking the bet button to spin the reels.
Standard vs. Progressive Slots
There are many types of slots games to be found online, and most of them fall under the category of standard or progressive. With standard games, the jackpots are fixed and never increase. These are the most common slots games you will encounter at an online casino. The progressive versions are growing in popularity due to their favorable nature. The jackpot is not fixed with these games and keeps climbing until reaching a given amount determined by the casino. A progressive jackpot can grow quickly if nobody wins it. What drives these games is that they are often linked across a network of casinos, thus allowing a larger number of players to contribute to the jackpot. It is not uncommon for a progressive slots game to offer a jackpot that exceeds the one-million-dollar mark.
Bonus Round And Free Spins
Many online slots have bonus features that greatly enhance your chances of winning. This is made possible with bonus rounds and free spins. The bonus round is essentially a game within the original game, one that typically opens up a new window in which you play. In most cases, this feature is a simple game of chance, requiring that you open a treasure chest or something of that nature to earn additional coins or free spins. These features add much excitement to online slots.
Conclusion
There are many reasons to play slots online, with easy availability, great variety, and convenience being the leading vote-getters. The allure of huge progressive jackpots can be a motivating factor as well. Despite these benefits, there is one significant downside you should be aware of as well: having to wait for the winnings to be funded to your account. Although the more reputable casinos do all they can to pay their customers as fast as possible, it can never compare to physically hitting the cash button, hearing the coins click-clank, and taking your winnings to the cashier. However, aside from this minor downside, you can have a fantastic time playing the slots online.