Lucky Spins- Slots

How To Play Slots

To the uninitiated, playing a slot can appear intimidating. But the base mechanics are often straight forward. New players can opt to try games out for free first, using demo modes at most online casino sites. Alternatively, they can dive straight in by ensuring they have a casino games account loaded with playing funds and open their desired game.

First, the player should check the pay table. Here, they can get to grips with the game's rules, what they should be looking out for, and the payouts associated with each winning line.

Once satisfied, players can then nominate their bet per spin. Some slots will give set stakes, often ranging from 0.10 to up to 100+ per spin. However, other slots will offer more flexibility, allowing them to choose the number of lines, coins per bet, and the value of each coin before spinning.

After the stake is set, all that is left is to start spinning. The spin button can usually be located on the right of the reels. Most games employ an autoplay feature - this allows players to set a number of continuous spins and create a loss limit. It is a popular tool to help players stay in control. Another standard tool is turbo-mode, which increases the speed of the spins. It can help players uncover bonus features quickly, but is not as in-control as the usual spin speed.

The very modern games may have different story modes in which the base-games are played. This requires the player to select the sort of character/storyline they wish to follow before the base game is activated. New players thoroughly check the game rules before playing these types of slots.

Types of Slots

The incredible evolution of the video slot has led to a diverse range of games for the standard casino player. Here is a breakdown of the types of slots currently on the market:

3x3 Reel Slots

Based on the original Liberty Bell slot from 1899, manufactured by Charles Fey, three-reelers tend to appeal to the traditionalists. No fancy combos here - just good ole fashioned, as-you-see-it, line 'em up slot play. Players need three-in-a-row of the same symbol to win. One of the highest paying symbols on these games tends to be the bell, in a nod to the original game.

5-Reel Slots

Arguably the most significant development of the iGaming world was that of the 5-reel slot. The potential for the player exponentially increased, with more ways-to-win driving more providers to this line of expansion. A 5-reel game consists of 5 vertical rows of symbols. The minimum number of symbols required to form a payout is usually three, although some higher-paying, rarer symbols will reward players for matching two on a pay line.

In comparison to the three-reelers, 5-reel games have much more room for manoeuvre in terms of their features. For example, reel modifiers such as stacked wilds and random wilds act as a random feature in the base game and bonus round. The free spins bonus rounds are often the most sought-after hit on these games, due to their high-paying nature. The free spins tend to trigger when three or more scatters appear anywhere on the reels. Some games may employ the respin feature, which is activated when two scatters land anywhere on the reels, to give the player a second chance of hitting the bonus feature.

Cluster Pays/Grid Slots

While most standard 3-reel and 5-reel games require the player to match any three symbols on a winning pay line, cluster slots use a different mechanic. Played upon 5x6 reels, a winning combination forms when four or more symbols fall above or next to each other. The level of payout will depend on the number of symbols in the winning combination, the type of symbol it is, and its gameplay circumstance. For example, many of these types of games also use multipliers, which can help boost wins even further. The most useful addition to the reels in these games is the wild, which substitutes for all symbols to help make a winning combination. The free spins bonus game tends to trigger the same way as in the classic 5-reelers - usually, three scatter symbols does the trick.

Cascading Slots

These mechanics apply to the most volatile games, where the ways-to-win can reach a whopping 117,649. The standard for these types of slots is for the game to use six reels, each with the capacity to host between two and seven symbols. Each win in the base game and bonus round will trigger a cascade. New symbols replace the previous winning combination - the cascade will stop when no more winning sequences are created.

Unlike the game types listed above, the majority of Progressive Multiplier slots require four scatter symbols to trigger the bonus round, mainly due to its explosive potential. Once the free spins are triggered, the progressive multiplier comes into play, and for every win hit in a free spins bonus round, the multiplier increases by one. A player can increase the multiplier more than once in one spin, and there is no limit to the level a multiplier can reach.

Jackpot Slots

The big selling point of the Jackpot Slot is the vast amount of money up for grabs. Providers use these significant sums as the selling point for their games. The most substantial sum ever won in a single spin on an online jackpot slot at the time of writing was €17,879,645.

Jackpot slots are usually three or five-reelers or on cascading progressive multiplier games. There are several ways in which to trigger the jackpot bonus round, which include the following:

• Players can land three jackpot symbols anywhere on the reels.
• The jackpot round is randomly awarded on any given spin.
• The jackpot round is awarded to reward continuous gameplay.

Types Of Base Game Features

The free spins bonus round hogs the limelight when any new slot is released, and with just cause, particularly given the payout potential of the modern-day video slot game.

Base game features can often pay large amounts too - here, we break down the types mini bonuses and reel modifiers that can trigger on any spin.

Wild Reel: A full reel is taken over by wilds. These can be particularly effective in games with more ways-to-win.

Random Wilds: One or more wild assumes a random position on the reels for one spin.

Locking Wilds: Random wilds are added to reels and are locked in place before a spin. If a wild adds to those already present on the reels, another respin will occur. This process continues until no more wilds are added.

Max Ways-To-Win: Exclusively available on cascading games, this feature will guarantee a maximum of seven symbols per reel, enhancing the win possibilities.

Locking Win Spins: A winning combination holds in place, and respins add winning symbols. This process continues until no new symbols are added to the winning sequence.

Mystery Symbols: Hidden behind a question mark icon, or something of that ilk, they will assume their position anywhere on the reels before revealing a random symbol. The higher the value of the mystery symbol, the bigger the wins are likely to be.

The Online Slot - A Brief History And Future

The video slot has been an ever-present since casinos went online back in 1996. Initially developed in 1976 by the Las Vegas-based company Fortune Coin Co, land-based video slots lined the casino floors in Sin City for many years, providing hours of entertainment for holidaymakers and locals alike.

The first game to make it online and use a second screen bonus round was called Reel 'Em by WMS Industries. It was ground-breaking, and the first occasion in which a game within a game was implemented. It took some time for developers to catch on with the technology. However, since the turn of the Millennium, video slots have exploded in terms of volatility and gameplay.

Today, video slot games come packed with potential and innovation. The best providers magic-up themes and rules from the core of their creative souls, packing layers and layers of different mini-games, bonus rounds, and random features, before wrapping it up into a polished final product. It's not just the gameplay, either. The graphics used these days wouldn't look out of place on a console game. In such a competitive industry, providers pull out all the stops to make sure their final product is the best of the bunch.

Looking to the future, and it is hard to see where the progress stops. The development of virtual reality could be picked up by an ambitious gaming provider and shaped into an iGaming entertainment vehicle. The pressure of inventing and recreating new games is a task on which the industry appears to thrive.