How to Win at Slot Games
Know the basics
If you think playing slot games is as simple as pushing a button, you’re in for a surprise. Once upon a time, it might have been that simple; in the past, slot games were basic, with just three reels and a row. Match some symbols to win prizes and that was it.
Today’s slot games in the casino are high-tech, with tens of thousands of ways to win, exciting bonus features, extra layers of play, rich video graphics and cinematic sound effects. While this may seem a little confusing, once you understand the basics, it’s not.
Symbols and Paylines
Most slot games have a base game and bonus features. The base game is very simple, as all you have to do is get the same symbol on successive reels. Usually, you need at least three and these symbols must land on the payline, which is a fixed pattern. Some slot games have ten or less; others have 20, 30 or more paylines.
Before you decide to play, make sure you choose a bet amount that suits your budget. Then, at the bottom of the screen, you will see the option to increase or decrease your bet. Betting less will allow you to enjoy more exciting action, but it does mean that you won’t usually win as much. However, it’s better than betting too much and then losing too quickly.
Next, find the slot games odds table so you can see how the game works. Here you’ll see a list of symbols, how much they pay, what the Wild symbol is (replacing all other symbols and helping you to make a winning line), what the paylines are, and what the Scatter and any bonus symbols are (more on this later).
Many slot games have low income symbols based on the playing cards, such as 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, and then the higher paying symbols tend to be those that belong to the theme of the slot games, whether it’s Ancient Egypt, the Wild West, or something as random as a chicken farm!
Once you’ve understood this, you can spin and enjoy the game. Soon you’ll get used to making winning lines and seeing how much you get back in symbols.
Although the basic game is simple, many slots come with complex bonus games, which are often the source of large jackpots.
Bonus features
Slot games developers go to great lengths to innovate; it’s a crowded market and fans are always hungry for something new. One way they can do this is by coming up with complex bonus rounds. These could take the form of:
Free spins – where you can win a certain number of free spins, perfect for increasing your bankroll.
Re-spins – some games add more free attempts during the free spins bonus.
Winning multipliers – a slot games may have a mechanism whereby your regular wins can be multiplied multiple times.
Expanded Pick ’em symbols or symbols – Pick ’em symbols or bonus symbols may be scattered across the screen, giving you a number of different ways to win in one spin.
Pick ’em game – you may have to choose from multiple pairs to get a particular prize.
While base game wins are your livelihood in slot games, the bonus round is where you can score some big wins. The slot games payout table will explain how each game’s bonus feature works, but it’s also a good idea to read online reviews, such as those you can find in the casino, or even play for free so you can get an idea of how things work without risking any money.
Accumulate bonuses
Some slot games have big prizes that you can win. The amount keeps going up until someone wins. Jackpot payouts can be applied to a range of slot games and across the web, with developers chaining up slot games on many different platforms.
While the idea of winning a life-changing jackpot is attractive – and it does happen – it is very rare. Chasing a progressive jackpot is not cheap. In order to pay out such large top prizes, slot games developers have to limit some of their more routine expenses. In other words, you will win less in a given session because so much cash is set aside for progressive jackpot payouts.
How much you win in various sessions is called volatility. If the slot games are highly volatile, you may win a small amount in most cases, and then randomly get a large payout. Low volatility games tend to pay out small amounts on a regular basis.
