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Last Update: June 29, 2020 by Emily Woodward

Online Slot Machines Guide – How to Play the Slots

Table of Contents

Slot machines are the UK’s favourite online casino game. This should come as no surprise – slots have been popular in land-based casinos and pubs for decades, especially given how simple it is to play, combined with the prospect of winning some sky-high sums. Thanks to the boom of online casinos, thousands of slots – many with increasingly novel and innovative gameplay features – can be found all over the internet. However, there are some rubbish ones too. For those of you who know decidedly diddly-squat about how to play slot machines, this page will come in handy to get you up to speed with both the basics and the freshest facets. In this slots guide, we’re going to help you decide which game is right for you and how to play without trepidation. There’s a lot more to learn than just how to click on the spin button – so stay tuned for details on special features, bonuses and more!

How to Play Slot Machines

One of the main reasons for the popularity of slots is its simplicity. Compared to other casino games it’s a walk in the park, minus the walking part – or the park. With classic slots games, you can check your brain at the door and spin those reels to your heart’s content or until your wallet says otherwise. However, modern slot machines have slightly more complex features you need to be aware of. Some games allow you to choose how many paylines you want to activate. The more you choose, the higher the wager per spin. The direction of the payline can also vary, while you might encounter bonus rounds, opportunities to get free spins, and advantageous scatter and wild symbols.

Pre-spin Information

Once you load the game, you’ll often be greeted with a short introduction before getting into the ‘reel’ action. Information on pay lines, the direction of payouts, and special features will be clearly noted in-game.

Bet and Spin

Adjust the wager amount, and then it’s time to spin those reels. The spin button will be clearly highlighted, and you can also let it run with ‘Auto Play’. Cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Land a Winning Combo!

If all slots align to show the same symbol in an activated pay line, you can thank your lucky stars. You are a winner! Your payout depends on the coin value and the number of winning lines.

Choosing a Slot Game

Given the sweeping selection of real money slots games on the market, you can guarantee there will be something out there for you. Practically every taste is catered for. Whether you are into dinosaurs or fairy tales; zombies or animals; Leprechauns or…potatoes, online slots have it covered. You may prefer simple, classic 3-reel slots that remind you of the ramshackle, smoky 1980s bars you so yearn for. The same machines you spilt your beer over and whose buttons you blotted with the grease from a bag of pork scratchings. The chances are that very machine has been transmogrified into an online slot.

A neon jackpot sign

If you want something more modern and fresh, there are a myriad of manifestations at your disposal. You may want to consider bonus rounds. Some games offer a chance to win more or get free spins for successfully completing a mini-game. It can add a bit of variety and excitement to the gameplay, with some video slot bonus rounds requiring not just good luck, but skill.

Then there’s the jackpots. They come in all shapes and sizes. If you want life-changing sums of money, turn your head towards games with progressive jackpots. The winning pots become positively enormous if nobody has won for a while. If the decision is getting the better of you, try your hand at free versions online to get a feel for how to play the slots before burning your hard-earned cash.

Setting up the Game

Choose a Coin Value

Once you’ve chosen which slot suits you best, you have a couple of things to consider before spinning the reels. If you have a big bankroll you may want to increase the coin value. You can change the amount you wager per spin. It’s often a good idea to decrease the coin value if you don’t have a lot of cash to play with. Playing with increased coin values results in larger risks and larger rewards for jackpots earned during the base game. Slots with a huge progressive jackpot are not slightly different. These jackpots are triggered randomly, irrespective of the coin value.

Choose How Many Coins Per Spin

Some games allow you to choose how many coins you play with per line, therefore, giving you the chance to spend bigger on each spin. Certain games also allow you to change the number of activated paylines, up to a set maximum. Most games move between 20 and 50 paylines, where some are adjustable, and some aren’t, but don’t rule out 50+ payline games, either. Adding more paylines increases the chances of winning, but it also increases the overall wager. All slot machines use a random number generator, which means no matter how you set up your game, you can’t give yourself an advantage. That said, modern online slots are designed to be played across multiple lines and can be quite dull if you reduce the coins per spin value too low.

Slot Machine Symbols Explained

Slot machine symbols are diversifying more and more. Each game has different looking symbols, designed to suit the chosen theme. They all basically function to hold a value which triggers a win when enough are hit on a spin. Certain symbols have become iconic and have stood the test of time, such as the Liberty Bell – a symbol on the first ever slot machine of the same name.

Common symbols you'll see in a slot machine

Standard Reel Symbols

What’s the first thing you think of when visualising a classic slot machine? We might be right in guessing you are thinking of a cherries and lemons, or a bell, or a playing card, or perhaps the number 7. If you were picturing someone hideously drunk, leaning over the buttons with their face pressed up against the pay table, you are not on the right track here. The aforementioned slot machine symbols have become synonymous with slot machines and have survived the test of time, despite the introduction of a seemingly infinite number of challengers to the throne.

Feature Symbols – Paytable Provides Feature Symbol Behaviour Info

Slots games normally come with special feature symbols. Their function will be indicated in the pay table, which can either be seen on the main page view in the game or on another screen, accessible with one click of a button. Look out for multipliers. This is a feature which multiplies your winnings by a specific value. Multipliers might be applied to either the number of free spins earned or the amount of money earned.

Scatter symbols can increase your payload considerably. They are only found in video slots games, and the more you get, the higher the rewards will be. They sometimes act as multipliers but in some games, they can also activate bonus rounds – normally a free spins round.

Wilds function like the joker in the pack. They can usually replace all other symbols except scatters and bonus symbols to form winning combinations. They help generate wins that were otherwise not there. In some games, they act as a multiplier. When a wild multiplier forms part of a winning combination, the rewards from that spin are multiplied by the value of the multipliers.

Bonus Rounds

You tend to find bonus rounds more often in slot machines with five of more reels than in those with the more traditional three. The more reels there are, the greater the possibilities for more complex paylines. Bonus rounds in slots machines customarily come in the shape of free spins, but some modern video slots also feature second-screen bonus rounds. These mini-games are often interactive and require extra clicks to progress. In most slots, you bring about a bonus round when three or more of a particular symbol appear on the reels. These rounds can offer additional payouts, increased multipliers, and trigger other features.

Tips for Playing Real Money Slots

There are far more nonsensical strategies for learning how to play slot machines out there than there are genuine ones. Indeed, given the nature of the game, authentic strategies that can benefit your wallet do not truly exist. It’s not a game of skill, but of chance. However, there are some common-sense slot machine tips that can help you play a more informed game:

Slots Bonuses

If you want to start playing real money slots in an online casino, you will normally be able to fulfil 100% of the wagering requirements associated with the welcome bonus on offer. Slots are incredibly popular online – not only for this reason but also because the game requires little skill or imagination. You can pick it up and play at the drop of a hat.

Selecting a Machine

Many people have wasted hours trying to find a payout pattern in land-based slot machines. The fact of the matter is, the chances of winning on any given machine do not increase no matter how you approach it. However, it is wise to check the RTP rate. Percentages vary but most online slot machines offer a 95-98% payout rate. With a bit of research, you should be able to find this information for most online slots games. You should also consider whether you want a progressive jackpot game to win the biggest prizes around, but with usually lower chances to win. Besides this, pick a theme that suits your tastes, and you’re good to go.

Online Slots Tips – Round-Up

There is no winning formula to being successful in playing slots, however, with higher RTPs and plenty of opportunities for free spins and bonus rounds, online slot machines are more advantageous than their land-based cousins. Now that you’ve seen our guide, you’ll be better prepared for what the world of real money online slots has to throw at you. Best of luck!