Slot machines are the most-known, signature casino game. When you enter a live casino all you can hear is the ringing of the slots as casino players try their luck, spinning the reels to see if they’ve hit the jackpot. There are literally thousands of different slot machine games. These machines have different numbers of reels, different numbers of paylines, different payouts and jackpots and more. Keep reading to find out more about slot machine rules and variations, as well as a few strategies that can help you win when you play slots, online or off.
Slot Machine Rules
Slot machines are the easiest casino game to play. In order to play slots all you have to do is insert your money, pull the lever or push the “spin” button and wait to see how the reels fall. Each reel or column of a slot machine has different symbols on it. The objective is to spin the reels in such a fashion that when they stop spinning they will line up with symbols in a pattern that matches one of the patterns on the pay table. For instance, in one slot game a player lining up three 7s in a row could hit the jackpot.
Slot Machine Variations
There are a huge amount of slot machines to choose from. These slots fit into several categories. There are 3-reel slots, 5-reel slots, bonus slots, progressive slots, video slots, traditional slots and more.
3-reel and 5-reel slots refer to the number of reels or columns on the machine. 3-reel slots have 3 symbols in a row while 5-reel slots have 5. Some casinos also offer 7-reel slots, although these are more rare. The paylines refer to the lines along which a winning combination can be laid out. Traditional slot machines only pay out on one line-the middle line. However, there are machines that pay out on all lines, plus the diagonal and even video slots that pay out on a huge number of lines. Some of the most popular 3-Reel Slots include Crazy Cherry, Flamin’ 7s, Triple Gold, Pay Day, Double Gold and Triple Rainbow 7s. Some of the most popular 5-Reel slots include Cool Bananas, Vegas Party, Orient Express and Million Dollar Rally.
Bonus slots refer to slots that offer special bonus rounds for certain combinations of symbols. Popular bonus slots include Independence Day, Evil Knievel, Fat Cat, Money Shot and Reel Deal Slots.
In addition to the regular slots payouts, some slot machines offer progressive jackpots. Progressive jackpots grow as more and more people play on a machine and when one player hits the symbols signifying the big jackpot they get a huge payout. Progressive slots have jackpots that have grown to millions of dollars. Popular progressive slots include Mega Money Mine, Pay Dirt and Red White and Win.
Slot Machine Odds
When you are choosing a slot machine to play on it is a good idea to look into the slot machine odds for the machine you want to play. Slot machine odds are usually expressed in terms of payback percentage. Payback percentage illustrated the percent of money that is bet that is payed back to players. The closer the percentage is to 100% the better. Generally, when you play slots online you can find information about payback percentages.
Slot Machine Strategy
A lot of casino players think that there is no such thing as slot machine strategy. It is true that the spin of the reels is totally random and cannot be controlled. However, there are steps that can be taken to give you better odds of winning.
For starters, it is important to note that you will only get paid the big payouts if you place the maximum bet. Most slot machines allow you to play up to 3 or up to 5 credits. On a $1 slot machine with up to 3 credits you can play one credit for $1. However, if you spin the sinning combination you will not get the maximum payout. You’ll have to bet $3 to be eligible for the big wins.
Because you need to bet the maximum number of credits in order to win big it is important to choose a slot machine that fits your personal gambling bankroll. If you only have $50 to bet with then don’t play on a machine that will require you to bet $5 per spin. You’ll eat through your entire bankroll in minutes. If you have a small bankroll then you should stick to penny or quarter slots.
In order to avoid losing more than you can afford it is a good idea to set a stop loss limit for yourself. Decide that once you’ve lost $50 (or any other amount) you’ll walk away and stop playing for the day. This can help you avoid getting carried away in the thrill of the moment and betting away your life savings.