You might have stumbled upon ads of people who have struck it rich playing Online Slots and you are now eager to use your skills to play the online casino games.
However, don’t be in such a hurry especially if you really don’t know what online slots are. It is important to understand everything you possibly can about slots before you decide to start playing.
This is a one-stop guide on how to play Online Slots, what to expect from online casino slots and how to choose a slot game that is right for you. After reading this guide, you will be able to make an informed decision about whether you want to go for it or not!
Before you can play Online Slots, you will first need to have a good Internet connection and a Personal Computer (PC). These days, most online casino slots have been designed for mobile compatibility as well and therefore you can also play your favourite online slots on an iOS, Windows or Android mobile device if you prefer.
The next thing you need to do is to visit one of the many online casino websites on the Internet. You will be required to sign up with these sites before you can play for real money. However, if you are new to the world of Online Slots, it is advisable to try out the slot games on offer in the Demo mode first. This way, you will get used to the gameplay and understand the various features in the game without spending any money.
Once you are satisfied with playing in the demo mode, you can then sign up with the gaming site of your choice. Once you sign up and open a gaming account, you can make deposits whenever you want to play in real-money mode. Before you get to this stage, you need to know the basics of Online Slots.
Let’s discuss this in detail.
This starts with comparing the traditional slots with online casino slots, highlighting their similarities and pointing out their differences. You will also need to know how to place bets, the various terminologies, how to start playing and what is required to earn a win. Mesmerise yourself with vibrant colours, and brilliant video graphics Starburst Slot Game Online is powered by gaming giants NetEnt that will make your time at the reels a memorable one.
Before you start scratching your head wondering if land-based slot machines are the same as Online Slots, the answer is a resounding Yes! The typical slot machines you might have seen at your favourite pub is the original though the analogue version of slots.
Online Slots, on the other hand, are digital versions of classic slot machines available on various online casino sites, for you to play. Rather than walking into a popular casino or your local bar, you can now sit back and access slots online and various casino games from your PC or mobile devices.
The features available on classic slot machines can also be found on online casino slots. However, Online Slots tend to have more features because of their digital nature. Software developers can include features at will to make Online Slots more attractive to potential players. This is not the case with slot machines as what you see is basically what you get with these classic slots.
There are some similarities between classic land-based slot machines and online casino slots. The first similarity is that both games usually come with a theme. You can have many themes, some of the more slot game themes are ‘fruits’, ‘adventure’ and ‘fantasy’. However, developers of Online Slots have released hybrid games that combine different themes for more fascination and excitement.
Another similarity between classic slot machines and Online Slots is their features. Slots are generally played with reels which spin and then stop to reveal symbols. The idea is to match a certain number of similar symbols or to arrive at a certain combination of symbols to win the game. There are also paylines on both types of slots. The paylines are basically the different ways by which a win can be achieved. The reels and paylines are explained in more detail below.
The reels are components in Online Slots that spin and on which symbols appear. It is this component that reveals winning combinations when a certain number of similar symbols are matched up on rows on the reels. With slot machines, you usually have three reels that spin and have three rows.
To land a winning combination, you will need to match up three identical symbols lined up on the rows of the reels. While Online Slots can come with the classic three reels and three rows, most have five reels. Just like slot machines, you can also land winning combinations by lining up three or more identical symbols on the middle rows of the reels. However, this is just one way to land a winning combination there are many such ways to win the game.
Video slots – as they are also called, allows you to win by landing identical symbols on the top row, bottom row, in a zig-zag fashion or diagonally. This combination is what is called paylines. What is interesting to note is that with slot machines, you have just one way of landing a winning combination. Whereas with Online Slots, the location of winning combinations may differ from one online casino slot to another. It all depends on the ingenuity of the software developer or the number of paylines the slot is offering.
Paylines are essentially the different ways by which you can form a winning combination. With a typical classic slot machine, you have a single payline as winning combinations are formed only on the middle row of the reels.
In Online Slots, the number of paylines can differ. In some cases, you have as low as nine (9) and in others as high as fifty (50) paylines available. Which means, you have either nine (9) ways to win for every spin of the reels or fifty (50) ways to win per spin.
As mentioned earlier, you will land a winning combination any time you are able to match up symbols according to the paylines on offer. There are also some Online Slots that have no paylines, but a certain number of ways to win. You could have 243 ways slots to win where players will earn a winning combination by landing identical symbols on adjacent reels from the left to the right side.
One more thing before you place a bet, you will be required to choose the number of paylines you would like to bet on, in games which have flexible paylines. If you intend to play Online Slots with 25 paylines, then you can choose between 1 and 25 paylines to bet on.
However, the number of paylines you choose to bet on will determine the size of your bet. If you bet on one (1) payline, then you will have to pay for a single coin per spin. Bet on ten (10) paylines and you get to play for ten (10) coins per spin. Naturally, the more paylines you are willing to bet on, the higher is your betting amount for each spin of the reels.
Living on the ‘Wild’ Side with the wild symbols of online slots!
One difference between slot machines and Online Slots is the availability of ‘Special Symbols’ in the latter. Having a winning streak on a slot machine requires you to land three matching symbols. With video slots, you can land just two matching symbols on a payline and win if a Special Symbol – known as a ‘Wild Symbol’ is also on the payline.
If for example, you are playing a fruit-themed Online Slots game and you land two plum symbols on a payline along with a wild symbol – you win! If you land two wild symbols and one plum, you will also emerge a winner. The wild is the trump symbol like in a normal card game. The wild symbol is unique to each video slot and they generally substitute for other symbols on the reels except for one other special Symbol known as the ‘scatter symbol’.
The scatter symbol in Online Slots is a special symbol that cannot be substituted for by the Wild symbol if it appears on a chosen payline. The Scatter symbol will offer you a reward. The reward you get will depend on the Scatter reward system of the video slot you choose to play. Some Scatter symbols can give coin prizes while others will give Free Spins or even activate the bonus feature of the game.
However, before you can be awarded these prizes, you will need to land a minimum of three scatter symbols on any position on the reels. You might find some Online Slots where landing one or two scatter symbols can earn you a prize, but this is not a normal practice. The scatter symbols will take effect when they land anywhere on the playing screen and not necessarily on a payline.
The bonus feature which these scatter symbols activate include a free spin round which can have various associated ‘Multipliers’. A multiplier is a number by which your win from the round is multiplied by.
You could have two (2x) times, three (3x) times, ten (10x) times or more multiplier values depending on the video slot you decide to play. The main bonus feature of some Online Slots can also be re-triggered during the bonus round when you further land three more scatter symbols.
You begin an online slot game by deciding on the amount of money you intend to play with. The first step involves deciding on your ‘Coin size’.
You can normally bet anywhere between 1-10 coins per line. You have a ‘minimum’ and ‘maximum’ betting limit that is allowed for each spin of the reels in every online slot game. An example of a ‘minimum’ and ‘maximum’ bet range is £0.25 to £50 per spin.
This implies that the ‘minimum’ stake allowed is £0.25 per spin and the ‘maximum’ stake per spin is £50. You can place either the minimum or maximum bet or you can also place bets for any amount in between the minimum and maximum betting amount.
Do not mistake ‘coins’ to mean cents or pence. Coins are just a general term used without referring to the currency in play.
You should also note that the ‘Minimum’ and ‘Maximum’ Betting sum is the amount paid for each payline. If you decide to play ten (10) paylines with the ‘Maximum’ bet, it means you will bet 500 coins or £500 per spin.
If you want to bet on all the available paylines of a video slot and with the ‘Maximum’ bet allowed. You can do so automatically by clicking on the ‘Max Bet’ option that is usually below the reels or at the bottom of the playing screen.
Once you have decided on your betting amount and the number of paylines you intend betting on. You also need to decide whether you want to manually click on the ‘Play’ button for each spin or you want to make use of the ‘Autoplay’ option.
With the ‘Autoplay’ option you can automatically play a predetermined number of spins on the Online Slots without any disruption to the spins. All you need to do in this instance is to sit back, relax and watch the reels spin for the selected number of times.
This is a terminology that you will need to understand and keep close to your mind. The RTP is basically what percentage of your betting sum that is returned or paid back to you. This percentage varies according to the online slot machine you are playing on and what would be paid back to you eventually in the long-run.
You should understand that the RTP is not calculated for each player, round or session. It is calculated for each slot machine individually. If you play online Slots with a 95% RTP, what this means is that the video slot will pay you back in winnings 95% of your betting sum.
The general rule of thumb is, the higher the RTP of a video slot, the greater are your chances of winning on that video slot.
One major difference between brick and mortar slot machines and online casino slots is that the former typically has a lesser RTP than the latter. Classic slot machines usually have an RTP of between 70- 80% while video slots have an RTP of 90% and above. It is a common rule that every video slot must display its RTP. You can get this information by clicking on either the “?” or “i” button displayed on the playing screen.
| Slot Name | RTP |
|---|---|
| Aloha! Cluster Pays | 96.42% |
| Butterfly Staxx | 96.80% |
| Copy Cats | 96.76% |
| Dazzle Me | 96.90% |
| Dracula | 96.58% |
| Gonzo's Quest | 96.00% |
| Guns N' Roses | 96.93% |
| Hook's Heroes | 96.82% |
The “Hit Frequency” refers to the number of times in percentage that a video slot will spin before you are likely to achieve a combination win. Where you have a “Hit Frequency” of 25% for an online slot machine. It simply means that the Online Slots will generate a winning combination in 1 out of 4 spins.
The “Hit Frequency” of video slots vary from game to game. However, players should not rely on this alone in believing that their overall wins would be increased. This is because your overall wins are also dependent on the size of your bets as well as the RTP. You should pay attention to both the RTP and Hit Frequency of the video slot you intend to play. By so doing, you could be on your way to choosing a potentially rewarding video slot.
To spin the reels on Online Slots, all you must do is click on the ‘Play’ button. This, of course, is after you have placed your bet. As stated earlier, you can automatically play several spins without interruption by clicking on the ‘Autoplay’ option.
Whichever option you choose to play, the reels will start spinning. You can also increase or decrease your bets and paylines in between spins. The ‘Bet Parameters’ are changed by clicking on the plus (+) or minus (-) buttons under the reels and at the bottom of the playing screen of the Online Slots.
Once the reels come to a stop, you could be lucky enough to land a combination win or three scatter symbols to trigger coin prizes, free spins or bonus rounds. Do not forget that Wild symbols will substitute other symbols on the reels to help you in forming combination wins except for the Scatter symbol.
There are Online Slots that reward players with the ‘Wild’ assisted win Multipliers during the base game. There are some that have a ‘Wheel of Fortune’ bonus round activated by the Scatter symbol if you land three or more in any position on the reels.
Other Online Slots require that the Scatter symbol be landed on specific reels before you can trigger a bonus round. For example, an online casino slot may require that you land the Scatter symbol on reels 1, 3 and 5 before you can activate the bonus feature which might take you to an altogether different screen involving different games. For example, a Pick Me feature.
Whatever Online Slots you choose to play, you are likely to come across a combination of features mentioned above. So, get online today and explore the virtual world of online casino slot machines.
It is important that you take care when making that final decision of which online casino slot machine to play. You can go online today and explore the various gaming sites around.
Use all that you have learnt from this guide in making an informed decision, but only after you have tried your hands on a couple or more video slots on free play mode. You will need to sign up with Monster Casino website before you can start playing video slots in real-money mode.
During sign up, you will be required to provide both personal and financial information. Information such as your full name, contact address and preferred payment method would be required. Online casinos make use of SSL encryption and other firewall technology to help protect your information from the prying eyes of hackers. So, you don’t have to worry about revealing such delicate information. However, make sure that the gaming site you choose is one that offers cybersecurity.
More importantly, make sure to exercise control of your gambling. If you are having a bad run, stop playing for the day. If you are having a good run, you should know when to call it quits and retire for the day. Do not fall into the trap of gambling addiction. Always be moderate in your betting and in the amount of time you spend playing. Remember, WHEN THE FUN STOPS, STOP!