If you are new to the online gambling scene, chances are that the first thing you want to try is playing slots. As one of the most popular and simplest casino attractions, slots are what most players, especially new and inexperienced ones, gravitate to. Even if you have never had contact with slot machines until now and do not know anything about how they work, there is no doubt that it will quickly become clear to you, considering that the playing technique itself does not require a lot of learning and practice.
What you should spend a little time on to get started is the terminology used when it comes to slot machines. To understand the rules and types of different slots more easily, it is necessary to be familiar with the terms used when talking about them. After all, even if you have already had experience with slot machines and consider yourself a somewhat experienced player, there is a chance that you simply haven’t memorized all the terms related to slots, so it would be wise to refresh your memory.
We have prepared a list of basic terms that you should know before you start playing slots online.
Pay Table
Before you can put the money in and hit spin, it’s important to check out the pay table for the slot game that you are playing. The pay table will give you all the necessary information about what each symbol is worth, how the bonus features work, and where the pay lines run. Think of it as a map of the slot machine.
Paylines
The payline presents a pattern of symbols that must be matched to the line and is used to determine the outcome of the game. Unlike the older versions of slots that usually had one horizontal payline, the newer slots, especially the online version, have many lines going in different directions. There are many possible winning combinations. The line contains 3 or 5 symbols, one from each reel on the slot. The players can choose to bet on one or multiple lines, keeping in mind that the more lines you bet on, the higher the chances of a win.
Coins and Coin Size
In this case, the coins are going to be your in-game currency and are not to be mistaken with your bet total.
The size of each bet that is placed is referred to as coin size. So if for instance, the coin size of your bet on a 25-line slot machine is 5, and you are betting 1 cent, you will be betting 5 cents on each line, making your bet total $1.25.
Sometimes, certain requirements need to be met in terms of the coin size, to be able to play certain games or be eligible for bonuses, which is why it’s always important to check out the most important slot terminology and paytable as well as the terms and conditions when playing online. Also if you don’t have a proper understanding of how coin size works, it’s easy to make mistakes and bet larger than intended, so make sure to do your research.
Free Spins
Free spins come as a game bonus feature that allows you to play a given number of spins for free. They usually come as a part of a welcome bonus when signing up at an online casino or as a part of different promotions, depending on the casino and their bonus policy, but they can also be won as a prize when hitting a certain combination of symbols on the slot.
Jackpot and Progressive Jackpot
Jackpot is the highest prize that you can win at a slot machine, triggered by a random or an in-game sequence.
The progressive jackpot is a far more rewarding version of a regular jackpot. What happens is that some slot machines, which are usually specially labeled as progressive slots, keep a percentage from every wager made, adding it to the value of a progressive jackpot. Depending on the amount that was accumulated at the time when a player hits a jackpot, the final number can be in the millions of dollars.
Auto Spins
Look, sometimes even just hitting a button can feel like a lot of work. We’ve all been there! That is where auto spin comes into play. The feature allows you to sit back and relax completely while the slot automatically plays through the chosen number of spins.
Maximum bet
It is the highest bet allowed per one spin but it can also be used as a feature of the slot that automatically selects the maximum betting amount that you will place for each spin. Be careful when using it, as it can take away a significant portion of the money you bet in a single spin.
RTP
Short for Return To Player, this is a term that you will be met with constantly when hitting slots and one that you should pay close attention to as it represents a percentage of the money bet that you will be getting back over time. Each slot has a different RTP value and you should always look for slots with an RTP of 90 and higher.
Loose slots
Loose slot is a term that is more frequently heard at land-based casinos, but nonetheless refers to a slot machine that is more likely to payout than normal. Since slot machines nowadays use Random Number Generators it is hard to determine if there truly is such a thing as a loose slot, but it’s still worth giving it a shot if you happen to hear that a certain game has a reputation to be a loose slot.