Online Slots

Online slots, also known as online slot machines, are a popular computerized gambling game.  They are based on the traditional slot machines commonly found in casinos, but they can be played over the Internet by gamblers in their own homes or elsewhere.  Online slots can be played just for fun, or one can open an account at an online casino and gamble real money on the online slots.

The Elements of Online Slots

The essential parts of an online slot machine are the reels, the symbols, the paylines, and the payout table.  The object of the game is to spin the reels so that when they stop, the symbols form a winning combination across a payline as defined by the payout table.

A reel is a wheel with symbols painted on it.  When the player clicks the Spin button on an online slot machine, the reels spin around for a while and then come to a stop.  Most online slots have either three reels or five reels.

The symbols are the images that appear on the reels.  Most online slots games have symbols that revolve around a particular theme.  For example, an African-safari themed online slot machine might have symbols depicting elephants, zebras, giraffes, and other African mammals.

A payline is a line that runs across all the reels of the online slot machine.  It is the symbols that appear on the payline that determine whether you have won the online slots game.  The simplest online slot machines have one horizontal payline.  Other online slot machines can have as many as 100 paylines, running horizontally, diagonally, and zig-zag across all the reels.

The payout table is a chart that lists the winning combinations of symbols and the amount that each winning combination pays.  For example, a payout table might tell you that three elephants on a payline will pay you twice the amount of your bet, three zebras will pay 10 times your bet, and three giraffes will pay 100 times your bet.

Special Online Slots Features

Some online slots have wild symbols, also known as substitute symbols.  These symbols can take the place of any other symbol to complete a winning combination.  For example, if the monkey is a wild symbol, then two giraffes and a monkey will count the same as three giraffes.

A wild symbol often acts as a multiplier as well.  Thus, if the monkey is a 2X multiplier, then two giraffes and a monkey will pay twice as much as three giraffes would pay.

Scatter symbols are symbols that win payouts if they appear anywhere on the reels of the online slot machine, even if they do not appear on a payline.

Some online slot machines have special symbols that do not pay out in coins, but trigger free spins or some kind of special bonus game.

Types of Online Slots

3-reel slots, also known as classic slots or reel slots, have three reels.  They have a curved 3D appearance, intended to resemble the old-fashioned slot machines before computerization.

5-reel slots, also known as video slots, have five reels.  They have a flat appearance, similar to a flat-screen TV, and the symbols line up in a more orderly grid.

Fruit machines, also known as AWP (Amusement with Prizes) machines, are UK-style slot machines.  They have special Hold and Nudge features that make it easier to win, and also have interesting bonus games within the slot machine game.

Progressive slots have jackpots that accumulate more money every time someone plays that particular online slots game at any computer in the world.  The progressive jackpots often become quite an enormous sum of money until someone hits the winning combination and wins the whole jackpot.

Online Slots Strategy

Unlike some gambling games, such as poker and blackjack, online slots is mostly a matter of luck.  There is no strategy that will help you make the winning symbols appear on a payline.

There is strategy involved, however, in how you place your bet.  Often, betting the maximum number of coins will give you better payout odds than betting fewer coins.  Three rhinoceroses, for example, might pay out 100 coins if you bet 1 coin, 200 coins if you bet 2 coins, and 500 coins if you bet 3 coins.  So the best strategy is to bet three coins for the chance to win a 167-to-1 payout instead of a 100-to-1 payout.

This is especially true for the progressive online slots.  In most cases, the progressive jackpot can be won only if you bet the maximum number of coins.

Enjoy Online Slots

Millions of people from all walks of life and from countries all over the world enjoy playing online slots.  For one thing, there are so many different online slots games that everyone can find one with a theme that appeals to his particular interests.  Then there is the suspense of watching the wheels spin around as you hope that they will wind up with a winning combination.  Finally, when you get lucky, there is the thrill of actually winning an online slots jackpot.  You can get all this and more without even leaving your house when you play online slots.