A Guide on How to Play Slots - The Rules of Online Slots

A look at the slots rules, how to play online slots and some information about online slots payout tables.

How to play mechanical slots

Mechanical slots are the simplest of all casino games. Mechanical slots are those in which the reels physically spin. The steps involved are as follows.

• Purchase the coins from the cash counter.
• Insert the coin the slot of the machine.
• Pull the lever to activate the reels.
• Wait for the reels to come to a stop
• If the combination on the screen matches with one on the payout table the required number of coins will fall into the hopper.
• If you want to continue playing then insert another coin and repeat the procedure.
• If you have finished playing then collect the coins from the hopper and change them for cash at the counter.

How to play video slots

Video slots are operated through computer programs. In video slots the machine is activated by clicking appropriate buttons using a pointing device. The steps involved are as follows.

• Purchase a paper ticket from the counter, which indicates the amount of purchase.
• Insert the ticket in the slot. Your account gets credited by the amount on the ticket.
•  Place a wager by clicking on the chip of the desired denomination. Your account gets debited by this amount.
• Activate the video slots by clicking on the “spin” button.
• A combination of symbols appears on the screen. Most video slots machines simulate spinning reels for effect. Actually the symbols are generated using a random number generator.
• If the combination on the screen matches with one on the payout table your account will get credited by the winnings.
• If you want to continue playing then click on another coin and repeat the procedure
• If you have finished playing then click on the “cash out” button. The machine will output a paper slip that lists your balance. This can be redeemed for cash at the counter.

Payout Tables

The payout table lists the winnings for a particular combination of symbols. All combinations are not reflected in the payout table. Therefore if the player gets a combination not reflected on the payout table he loses is wager. Certain combinations have a higher probability of appearing. These combinations have lower payouts. Other combinations occur very rarely. These combinations have a higher payout. The amount on the payout table is a multiplier for the wager of the lowest denomination. Suppose a slot machine accepts wagers from $1 to $5. A particular combination has a payout of 5. If a player wagers $1 and gets that combination he wins $5. If the player wagers $5 and gets that combination he wins $25. If there are more entries on a payout table then the payouts tend to be lower. If there are fewer entries on the payout table then the payouts tend to be larger.

In mechanical slots the payout table is usually printed above or below the playing area. In video slots the payout table can be accessed by clicking the appropriate link on the screen.