Online slot games are surging in popularity and numbers alike. Given the fierce competition in the industry, game providers come up with new slot ideas, themes, and features to stand out. Whether you’re looking for action, graphics, fun, or winning real money there’s an online slot for you.
With so many options available, everyone wants to be part of the exciting online casino world. Although slots are hardly a skill game, there are still some things to learn if you want to spin the reels like a pro. Top among these things is the basic online slot lingo. We’ve decided to give you a checklist of the basic online slot terminology that’ll help you to get things rolling.
Paylines
The payline is the line on which you can land a winning combination and get the payout. Since the invention of online a lot of things has changed to upgrade your gaming experience. You can now hardly find a slot with only three rows and three reels that gives you one payline—the middle row, to land a winning combo. Instead, most of the popular slots may offer up to 30 fixed paylines maximizing your chances of winning and making the game more engaging.
RNG or the Random Number Generator
If you’ve decided to go for online casino slots you may want to know what’s operating the games. Behind the majority of online slots, there’s a piece of software called Random Number Generator. As the name suggests the RNG uses algorithms to generate completely random results. To create an unpredictable outcome, besides generating just a number, they also display a random number sequence. The RNG also makes sure that all the symbol combos have a fair and equal probability to come out on the payline.
Volatility/Variance
Volatility assesses or defines the risk of losing a bet. It basically shows the frequency and amount you can expect to win during the game. Among the most popular slots, you can find both high and low volatility games. If you opt for high volatility slots it means you won’t be able to have frequent wins, however, if you do land a winning combination the payouts will be higher.
On the other hand, slots with low volatility will give you the opportunity to land frequent small wins with lower payouts. If you play for fun, low-volatility online slot games can be a good pick.
RTP(Return to Player) Percentage
RTP(Return to Player), simply put, is the percentage of bets you can expect to win back in the long term. This is among the top factors to consider when choosing among the best slots. RTP percentage differs from slot to slot, but the higher it is, the more lucrative your payouts will be. The most popular slots offer somewhere around 95-98% RTP and it’s a good sign for you to kick off your online casino journey with these slots.
Wild Symbol
The Wild symbol is among the most common features of the slot. Most of the games feature a Wild symbol that can substitute for other symbols to create a winning combination. If you land matching symbols on the payline with a Wild symbol among them, you still get the payout. The most popular slot game providers may present different types of wild symbols such as:
- Expanding Wilds—when the Wild expands across the whole reel
- Sticky Wilds—when the wild sticks to the reel for a single or more re-spins enabling the player to take advantage of the wild feature for several spins
- Transferring Wilds—when the Wild transfers from one reel to another, enabling the players to have one or more winning combinations during the process.
If you’re lucky enough, there can also be cascading wilds, stacked wilds, and others.
Scatter Symbol
Scatter symbol is another popular slot game feature that you need to look out for in a game. This is the symbol that can appear anywhere on the reels in any position and reward you with a new special bonus round or offer you other treats. Although it mostly unlocks special features—the functions of the symbol are slot-specific. In the best slot games, Scatter is typically among the highest-paying symbols. However standard the Scatter symbol feature may seem, there can be slots that don’t offer it, so you might want to read the details of the slot before your final pick.
Pay Tables
Online slot game paytables make the most relevant information more accessible. They are typically in the main menu of the game and provide details about the game layouts. If you’re playing a slot for the first time it’s highly recommended to check the paytable to get the hang of the game. You’ll most probably find information about bonus games, features, winning combinations, and more.
Progressive Jackpots
Like in traditional slots, some online casino slots may also offer a progressive jackpot. This is a prize pool that is made from a small percentage of every qualifying bet of different players. Simply put, every time a player plays the slot game the jackpot increases. A lucky player can win the jackpot either randomly or by activating a special bonus feature. The essence is that even if you just play for fun with a small budget the progressive jackpot slots, you still can hit the big prize pool.
Now you have the basic terminology at hand to browse through the online casino slots and pick the right one for you. Stay tuned and learn more about the constantly evolving industry of online gaming.
