It’s no mystery that slot games are the heart and soul of successful online casinos. They are also the backbone of today’s leading retail casinos. Because slots are the most abundant, it’s easy to throw away caution and just let it rip. While it is true that online slots don’t require massive amounts of strategy, there is still a method to the madness for winning them. This article highlights the fundamentals of winning slot games.
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Understanding the Different Types of Slots
The world of slots continues to expand with lightning speed. When playing slot games at today’s online casinos, you can look forward to these top categories:
- Classic Slots: The oldest of all the slot game categories, classic slots are originally three-reel gems with a single pay line that dominated the casinos in Old Las Vegas and Atlantic City. However, many are revamped to include more pay lines and reels.
- Video Slots: Video slots actually have their roots in the 1970s, making their debut in a handful of Las Vegas casinos. With the rise of broadband Internet in the 2000s, video slots became the standard for modern-day slot games. These video slots became home to many of today’s most popular themes, including adventure and mythology.
- Progressive Slots: By far the most popular of all the slot categories, you can find a section dedicated to progressive slots at virtually any online casino. The allure of progressive slots is the chance to win million-dollar jackpots with one fateful spin.
- Fixed Jackpot Slots: While these slots don’t get into the million-dollar range, they remain popular because they hit more frequently. It’s common for these slot games to have up to four separate jackpots that can hit independently in the same gaming session.
- Cascading Slots: Cascading slots can be viewed as the gift that keeps giving. When a player wins, the new symbols land in place of the winning combination. And if you win again, the cascading wins process continues.
- Megaway Slots: Similar to cascading slots, megaways also have the cascading reel feature. Taking it one step further, these types of slots expand the pay lines to well over 100k in some instances. It’s also common for the winning multiplier to grow during this winning streak.
- Hold and Win Slots: Similar to hold and spin, these slots build on the principle and rewards of the re-spins bonus. Usually, hold and win slots give the player slightly more control over the reels to trigger the re-spins that can renew themselves.
Knowing these different slot game categories puts you one step closer to winning.
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Understanding Slot Game Volatility
Slot games remain highly unique because volatility factors heavily into their payouts. Slot games come in these three main categories:
- Low Volatility: Classic slots fall under this category. Low volatility means that these slots pay frequently. However, the trade off is these slot games don’t usually pay an overwhelming amount. Also, low volatile slots usually have next to no bonus features.
- Medium Volatility: The best way to describe medium volatile slots is that they are in the middle of the road. While they don’t pay the fastest, they also don’t pay the longest. You can expect a basic free spins round, with these slot games.
- High Volatility: Expect peaks and valleys playing high volatile slot games. However, when you do win, expect to win big, like progressive jackpot big. It’s common for high-volatile slots to have multiple bonus features that make them worthwhile to play.
In many ways, the player’s budget greatly impacts which types of slots they play.
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Best Strategies for Winning Slot Games
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1. Consider the RTP
Just as important is the slot’s RTP. The RTP is the opposite of the house edge, for it determines how much a player can expect to get back over time. For slots, the average wager is $100 to gauge the RTP. The rule of thumb is to start playing slots with at least a 95% RTP.
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2. Don’t Forget the Bonuses
Fortunately, because slots are the most abundant at online casinos, they get the lion’s share of the bonuses. The prize bonuses are the welcome bonus and free spins. Both of these user-friendly promotions allow members to play free online slots while having the chance to win real money.
Playing free slots means you can test the game to first see if you like it enough to wager real money. You can also gauge the payout frequency.
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3. Read the Paytable
Today’s slot games are complex visual masterpieces and productions. For the medium and high volatility slots, you can expect more game symbols. Taking a moment to read the paytable helps you understand the different symbols and how much they payout. The paytable also highlights the different in-game rules and how to trigger the in-game bonuses.
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4. Consider the Different Bets
Slots are the most affordable compared to the other casino games. Classic slots sometimes are penny slots, although some of the top video slots only cost a penny or a nickel to spin. For those on a budget, knowing the minimum bets works wonders towards stretching your budget and ultimately winning.
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Common Myths About Slot Games
- Myth: “I can determine whether or not I win?”
Truth: All slot games are determined by a random number generator.
- Myth: “The progressive jackpot is due to hit?”
Truth: Not how it works. Just because a progressive slot has a history hitting in the millions doesn’t mean the next win will do the same.
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FAQs
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1. Do I have to be rich to play slots?
Not at all. Some slot games only cost a penny to begin playing.
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2. Is it better playing slots on the desktop or on the phone?
The choice is yours. Today’s online slots are developed to be mobile-first so they scale and play flawlessly on the different mobile devices.
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3. Are slots fair?
Licensed online casinos only deal with reputable game developers. The premier developers like Microgaming and NetEnt are certified and audited that they use random number generators.
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Spin It to Win It!
Thanks to massive technological leaps, there is more access than ever to play and win online slots. Social casinos are another popular option to game with like members and have fun.
