Online Slots

Classic slots are a favourite game for many online casino players. The reasons for this vary but they include familiarity as classic slots are made to be like those that you find in real casinos. The online versions simulate the noise and the game play, with three reels and a single winning payline. As an online casino player you will be presented with many alternatives to classic, three reel slots though. This includes those with five reels and many more paylines. The benefit of three reel slots is that they often have bigger jackpots. They also have a high variance so you might have to spin a lot of times in order to hit the jackpot, but your winnings will be big.

One of the areas of online casinos that have benefited most from the advance of new technology is video slots. These deliver more than the two-dimensional graphics of simple three reel or five reel slot machines. Instead, they have comprehensive themes and they tell a story - often by way of a video which plays as you start the game. Video slots also offer a vast array of reel, payline and symbol combinations, plus you get top quality graphics and sophisticated features that go far beyond what was possible five or 10 years ago. Some even come in 3D versions to enhance the experience even further. Usually video slots are based on a familiar theme, such as a well-known character, novel or movie.

Slot machines are one of the most exciting games available on online casinos, but progressive slots take that excitement up a level. Progressive slots offer some of the largest jackpots that you can win on any game in an online casino. This is because of the way they are set up. The slots that you play at an online casino are manufactured by a handful of software manufacturers. That means the games appear on multiple online casino websites. In a progressive slot the jackpot is shared across all the casinos that host the game so every time someone plays, more money goes into the jackpot pool. Because multiple casinos are involved, the jackpots can get pretty big, which makes progressive slots very appealing.

When there is so much online slots variety, how do you choose? If you are playing just for fun then you should choose a game with a game play, graphics and theme that you like. If you are playing to win, you will have to be less fussy about the game. You also have to consider how much money you are willing to risk. If the game has a low jackpot it might be because it pays out more often. This is ideal if you don't have funds to reload your balance regularly. If you play a slot with a big jackpot it is likely to pay out less often. You will probably run out of funds regularly while playing, but if you can keep reloading, the payouts can be big.

Traditional online slots have three reels but five reel slots are also common. Playing is simple - you just click or tap a button to spin the reels. If the reels stop on a payline, you win. Some games will have multiple paylines, while others will have just one. You can also get freebies while you are playing. This includes bonus rounds and free spins that you can use without having to stake any money. The images on the reels that you have to match up on a payline are called symbols. One of the special symbols is called a scatter symbol which multiplies any winnings that you receive. Wilds are substitute symbols and make it easier for you to get matches.

Progressive slots are usually the games that have the largest payouts. This makes them highly attractive - if you hear about someone winning a large amount of money on an online casino it is usually from a progressive slot. How do they work? In terms of game play they are just like any other slot. The difference is that the jackpot pool is built up by taking a small percentage of each player’s stake. The jackpot gets bigger every time a player places a bet but doesn’t win. To make it even bigger this usually works across multiple casinos - a single jackpot built up by players placing bets on the same game that is available in several different casinos.

Free spins are one of the great features that are available on the best online slots. They essentially allow you to spin the reels without having to place any bets. You usually get free spins by lining up certain symbols on one of the paylines of your slot. The game will usually take into account your previous bet to work out the value of the free spin. For example, if your previous bet was 10 coins across nine lines (a total of 90 coins) your free bet will be to this value too. Not all online slots offer free spins so if it is a feature that you enjoy make sure you check out the game rules before playing. 

Bonus slots are promotions offered by the casinos to encourage you to stay on their website and play more. For you they are a way to play for free for a time and hopefully build up your amount of coins. Bonus rounds are typically triggered by achieving a bonus feature on the reels while playing the slots. Often it involves playing another fun and exciting game for free. That means you can win cash to continue playing for real, but you don't have to place any bets. As such bonus rounds are similar to free spins, although they usually last longer and present a better opportunity for winning.

Smart phones are now incredibly popular so it is not surprising that more and more people now choose to play online casino games on their mobile phones. This includes slots. The online casinos and the games manufacturers have therefore been working hard over recent years to produce slots that work perfectly on mobile phones. Many of the biggest and best casinos now offer iPhone and Android apps that players can load on their phones. Typically, these apps do not contain the same range of games that are available on the desktop version of the casino, but they all have options to play slots. Having the facility to play mobile slots means you can play whenever you want, without being tied to a desk or a laptop computer.