The slot machine is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. This is also known as Fruit Machine, Poker Machine, and Pokies. In a standard slot machine, there will be a screen displaying three or more reels that spin when the game is commenced. Some modern slot machines still have a lever to commence play. Nevertheless, the mechanical operations of early machines have been ousted by random number generators, and most of them are guided using buttons or touchscreens.
Slot machine symbols are nothing but the images displayed on the rotating wheels of a slot machine. These are crucial to the game as predetermined combinations of symbols result in player wins. Here we’ve discussed the basics of game type, rules, symbols, how the pay lines work, and what features are available. Read the entire article to learn about them.
Symbols of Slot Machine
Every slot machine has a specific number of symbols and these symbols depend on how many reels the game is played on. A classic 3-reel slot machine will have 60 symbols in total or 20 symbols per reel. This number simply means that there are 8,000+ combinations to win a jackpot.
Antecedently, the number of symbols has influenced the probability of obtaining a winning combination in the video slots. But now, it depends on the complex random number generator (RNG) modules that determine a random outcome each time a player spins the reels.
Types of slot symbols
- Wild symbols
- Multiplier symbols
- Standard symbols (low and high-paying)
- Bonus symbols
- Scatter symbols
✅Wild Symbols
This is one of the most common symbols in slot machines. They act as a ‘Joker’ in slot games and their main function is to switch other standard symbols to form winning combinations. There are several other wild symbol types including Expanding Wilds, Shifting Wilds, Transforming Wilds, Stacked Wilds, Sticky Wilds, and Walking Wilds. Some online video slots might have a special bonus game feature for this symbol.
✅ Multiplier symbols
These are the rarest symbols on the slot reels. This symbol aims to multiply the player’s wins. They will land on reels just like any other symbol type, but they will increase the payout amount from a winning combination up to 6x.
✅Standard symbols
These symbols are paying symbols that have no extra use in any casino game. When the players form a winning combination on the reels that comprises various matching standard symbols at that instance these symbols are used to reward the players with a prize. There are high-paying and low-paying symbols. Retro Standard symbols such as fruits are very common for the slots. These are usually used as high-paying symbols. Card symbols are also common symbols and they are termed low-paying symbols.
| High-paying symbols | Low-paying symbols |
| Watermelons Oranges Cherries Strawberries | Jack Queen King Ace Card suits (such as Spade, Clubs, Heart, and Diamond) |
✅ Bonus symbols
These symbols are employed to trigger a certain bonus game. Bonus and scattered symbols are similar, the only difference is that players have to get a specific number of these symbols on the reels in specific positions to trigger a bonus game.
✅ Scatter symbols
These are the rarest symbols to appear on the reels, but the highlight is that they don’t have to be part of the pay line to reward the punters with a prize. These are the highest-paying symbols in online video slots.
✅ Reels, Rows, and Paylines
Earlier, true slot machines were used for slot games, but with the launch of online slot games, the problems faced by machines vanished. Your spins will be shown on a digital display. Most slot games adhere to a handful of virtual reels and rows, some varieties comprise a bigger matrix or the visible frames where slot symbols appear after a spin. A wide variety of pay lines are also featured in games. Punters can win by matching symbols on any horizontal line of the matrix, or diagonals, zig-zags, and some other patterns.
✅ Paylines
Leftmost-to-right:- Almost in every slot game the combination must commence from the leftmost reel and it should be continuous. For instance, if you are playing 88 Fortunes and the spin has created a Golden Turtle symbol in the center row frames of reels 1,2,3, and 5, the symbol on the 5th reel won’t count as part of your combination. Nevertheless, acquiring Golden Turtles in the first three reels is worth 40x wager.
Multi-pay:- You might have noticed that one pay line overlaps in the leftmost two or three reels. To give you an idea let’s take out an example. In ‘A Night with Cleo’ two Eye of Horus symbols on reels 1 and 2 might pay 10% of the amount wagered. Three different pay lines start with the center row of frames for reels 1 and 2. If your two Eye of Horus symbols are in those two frames, since your winning combinations fall in three qualifying pay lines, you could win 3x of the normal prizes.
Pay-per-line:- This is not common in modern games, you’ll get to see this if the maximum number of pay lines is only active when players make the maximum bet per spin.
Beyond Paylines:- In this system, there are no predetermined pay lines, so players can win if they get matching symbols anywhere on consecutive reels. The leftmost-to-right rule is in effect even though now some games feature the rightmost-to-left rule.
How can I win at slots?
- Choose games that have a higher RTP than others.
- Prefer smaller jackpots, as they are prone to pay out more often than the bigger ones.
- Use demo mode and practice before risking money.
- Use bonuses and promos that could foster your chances of a win.
- Effectively manage the bankroll.
RTP & Volatility
RTP is the abbreviation of return-to-player rate, this indicates how much a slot machine outlays on average over a long duration.
Volatility is defined by the way the outlays are allowed. High-volatility rated games will rely on large wins* while low-volatility games will receive smaller wins often.
*This will happen on rare occasions.
Conclusion
Slots are the most common and enjoyable games in any online casino, however, not all slot machines are available at all casinos. So, if you choose to play at a specific gambling site, you will have to adhere to their availability. Don’t miss out on the bonuses provided as they can help you boost your bankroll and games more rewarding. Carefully read all the instructions and terms & conditions before diving into the games.
Hope this blog helped you to learn about slot machines. Happy Spinning!!
