Understanding Slots Terminology
Date Added: May 21, 2009
Slots constitute about 70% of the online casino games. About a dozen new slots are added every month. These slot games are reviewed by online casino portals such as Top Casino Directory, so that players can learn about the new games and make considered choices. New players often face a problem in fully understanding these reviews because of unfamiliarity with the terminology used. This article seeks to explain the more common terms used while the reviewing slot games so that readers can get a better understanding of the games.
Reels: A reel is a vertical column in the slots matrix displayed on the screen. The combined set of such columns is known as the reels. Most online slots have either 3 reels or 5 reels. The 3 reel slots are also known as classic slots because they replicate the original land-based slot machines. The five reel slots are also known as video slots.
Paylines: A payline is a combination of symbols that the player can wager on. It consists of one symbol from each reel. Paylines need not run only horizontally across the reels. Paylines often zigzag across the reels. As a result a slot game can have numerous paylines. Most slot games have 20 or 25 paylines. But slot games have been developed that have as many as 100 paylines.
Theme: All slot games today are built around a theme. The symbols portray different aspects of the theme. The graphics, sound and animation all contribute to the enhancement of the theme. Some common themes are outer space, pirates and ancient civilizations.
Winning combinations: Because of the multiplicity of reels and symbols a large number of combinations can appear on the reels. All combinations do not offer payouts. Only a few of the combinations offer payouts. These are known as winning combinations and are depicted in a payout table.
Payouts: Payouts are expressed as the number of coins won by the player per coin wagered. If the payout is 5,000 and the player has wagered 5 coins then his payout is 25,000 coins. If the coin denomination chosen by the player is $2 then the player will win $50,000.
Wild symbols: Wild symbols are specially designated symbols that can substitute for other symbols in order to create a winning combination. They can substitute for different symbols in different paylines at the same time and thus result in greater payouts.
Scatter symbols: Usually a combination of symbols has to appear in an enabled payline in order to yield a payout. However, scatter symbols are special symbols that can appear anywhere on the reels and yet result in payouts.
Multipliers: Multipliers are designated symbols which when they appeared in a winning combination they multiply the stated payout by a specified factor. For example a 3x multiplier triples the payouts. In most cases the wild symbol is designated as the multiplier.
Bonus symbols: Bonus symbols are those symbols that trigger special features known as bonus games. In most cases bonus symbols are either the wild symbols or the scatter symbols. However, in some online slot games there are specially designated bonus symbols.
Bonus games: Bonus games are special features that offer payouts without the need for any additional wagers. They are triggered by certain specified combinations of symbols. Bonus games are usually played on a second screen which displays a setting different from the reels. There are different types of bonus games, some of them requiring an element of skill from the player.
Free spins: Free spins is a type of bonus game in which the players are allowed a number of spins for which they do not have to place wages. The winnings during these spins are credited to the player’s account. Free spins are often accompanied with multiplied payouts. Free spins are triggered by certain specified combinations of symbols.
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