How to Play Slots for Beginners: Symbols, Paylines & Strategy

Online casinos offer thousands of different slot games, but how do they really work? We explain basic slot concepts like paylines, symbols, free spins, and scatters, and delve into basic slots strategy for you to follow. This guide will teach you how to bet on slots, how to activate bonus features, and get paid in the most popular slot games. 

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What are Online Slots?

Online slots are the digital version of slot machines you might see in your local casino. Slot games are simple to play and offer a variety of themes, gameplay mechanics, and payout options, which make them so popular with players.

While slot games may differ in theme and layout, the general mechanics are always similar. Pressing the spin button gets the reels spinning, with new symbols appearing on the reels. Line up the right symbols across the game’s paylines, and you can score big wins in just seconds.

Online slots are powered by random number generators (RNGs). Games like Big Bass Bonanza, Book of 99, and Gates of Olympus all get their random outcomes directly from these computer algorithms, making each spin completely unpredictable. 

Next we explore where slots come from, how they work, and their features.

Origins of Slot Machines

Slot machines date back to 1895, when Charles Fey created his famous Liberty Bell game. The Liberty Bell was the first mechanical slot machine, featuring three reels with simple symbols like stars and bells, which remain a staple of many modern slot games to this day.

Slot machines have continued to improve over the years as technology has evolved. In 1976, Fortune Coin Company launched the first video slot machine powered by an RNG. This game was approved by the Nevada Gaming Commission and introduced in Las Vegas casinos in 1978, marking the birth of a new generation of slot games.

In the early 1990s, with the advent of the internet, the first online slots also emerged. Companies like IGT, Microgaming, and Playtech were among the pioneers of the industry, laying the foundation for the thousands of modern slot games available today.

RNG in Real Money Online Slots

Each online slot is powered by a random number generator (RNG). An RNG is a computer algorithm that is embedded into the game to randomize the outcome of each individual spin. There is more than one RNG algorithm out there, but they all serve the same purpose, as they ensure randomness and fairness across casino games.

It is worth noting that computers can’t achieve true randomness just yet. Instead, the algorithm uses a complex set of mathematical operations to achieve “pseudo-randomness,” which chooses one outcome out of billions of options. Third-party auditors independently audit RNG software, and are used in other casino games as well, such as in online poker, where a good RNG is necessary to ensure fairness and transparency of each deal. 

How to Play Slots: Step by Step

Now that you understand the basic mechanics of slots, let’s get you ready for your first round. Here is a step-by-step guide to playing slot machines, after you’ve signed up with our crypto casino. We will use the Lord of the Ocean slot as an example, but the steps involved with playing slots will stay the same across most titles.

Types of Online Slot Games

Today’s online casinos offer thousands of slots, but they are not all the same. Slot games these days can be split into a few major categories, ranging from the old-fashioned classic slots to modern games with features like Megaways.

Classic Slots

The simplest of all slot games, these slots usually involve only a few reels and paylines, and very few bonus games or extra symbols. A typical classic slot has three reels of three symbols each, and anywhere between 1 and 5 paylines. Some modern classic slots also include free spins and bonus features, but most are limited to payline wins only. These games tend to have the lowest volatility of them all. 

Video Slots

The more modern slot games fall into this category. Video slots usually have better graphics and animations than classic slots, and they usually have a theme. A typical video slot comes loaded with symbols associated with a particular theme, such as Egyptian mythology or outer space. These games are loaded with special features like expanding symbols, free spins, and bonus games, making them very fun and unpredictable. The volatility is often high, and RTP can be lower than that of classic slots. 

Megaways

Ever since Big Time Gaming invented Megaways slots, nothing has been the same. These games feature dozens of symbols on the reels, and up to thousands of paylines, as all symbol combinations from left to right pay. Megaways slots fall into the category of video slots, but are built upon the usual mechanics with an extreme number of paylines. 

Jackpot Slots

Jackpot slots are the most lucrative of them all. Games like Mega Moolah and Age of Gods have made hundreds of millionaires, as money is accumulated over time and awarded to one lucky jackpot winner. Jackpot slots usually have a fairly low base game RTP, as money is taken out of play and into the jackpot prize pool with every spin of the reels. 

Slots Layout Explained: Reels, Bet Options & More

When you launch a new slot game, your screen will display the game’s main grid made up of reels and rows with symbols, gameplay controls, and a variety of numbers and buttons.This guide to online slots next explains the inner workings of reels, layouts, and betting choices.

Reels & Rows

Slot games are based around a grid of symbols, lined up across several reels and rows. Popular slot layouts include 3×3, 5×3, and 6×4 grids, among others. For example, the Lord of the Ocean slot, depicted below, features five reels and three rows of symbols.

Each slot on each reel and row displays a symbol, totaling 30 symbols. Today’s slot games tend to have more reels and rows, while older classic slots often have smaller grids, such as 3×3 or 5×3.

Stakes & Bet Sizes

Usually displayed under or on the side of the slot’s grid, you will find buttons that allow you to change the stakes you are playing for. Most slots allow you to change the value of your coin, the number of coins to bet per payline, and the number of paylines you wish to bet.

For example, the Sweet Bonanza Super Scatter slot lets you adjust both your coin value and the number of coins per line. With 20 paylines active, you can bet between 1 and 10 coins per line, each worth $0.01 to $1. That means your total stake per spin can range from $0.20 (20 × $0.01) up to $200 (20 × 10 × $1).

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Paylines, Symbols & Payouts: How Slots Determine Wins

Slot games are a sum of a variety of mechanics, with paylines, symbols, and paytables working together in each game. Let’s take a look at how symbols combine across the slot’s paylines, how payouts are triggered, and how it all ties in together. 

Symbols

Symbols are the lifeblood of every slot game. In most slots, you will find about a dozen symbols in total, which appear randomly across the reels each time you hit the spin button. Symbols range from low-paying (usually 9, 10, J, Q, K, A) to high-paying (usually icons motivated by the game’s theme). For example, in the Book of Ra slot, symbols like the Scarab, the Spinx, and the Explorer offer big payouts, while the more common numbered symbols only provide small wins. 

Wilds

Wild symbols take slot games to the next level and add more interactivity to the gameplay. As you might have guessed, wild symbols replace all other symbols in the game and connect the different symbols across paylines. Modern slots, like Infective Wild, may have multiple types of wilds appearing on the reels, along with various wild-related features such as sticky wilds, expanding wilds, and multiplier wilds. 

Scatter Symbols

Scatter symbols are some of the most exciting symbols you will find in any slot. They can appear anywhere on the reels and work together regardless of their positioning on the paylines. For example, landing four scatters in Sweet Bonanza Super Scatter activates a free spins round, which is the game’s most lucrative feature. Landing multiple scatters on the same spin can also lead to big payouts, especially if you can get on one every reel. 

Bonus Symbols

Much like scatter symbols, bonus symbols can usually appear anywhere on the reels and activate a bonus game. These symbols typically activate the “mini bonuses,” such as pick and win rounds, wheel of fortune spins, or jackpot features. Pirate Bonanza is a good example of a slot with a mini bonus, as Bonus symbols trigger a treasure map-themed mini game where you can win instant prizes. 

Paylines

In order to win in slots, you typically have to land identical symbols, possibly combined with wilds, on a payline. A payline is a path (usually from left to right) that symbols must follow to trigger wins. Slot games can have anywhere from just one (in classic slots) to thousands of paylines (in Megaways slots), and some even pay for any combination of symbols lined up from left to right. 

For example, the Lucky Lady’s Charm slot features 10 paylines across its reels. If identical symbols line up on any of those paylines, a payout is made in accordance with the paytable. On the other hand, a game like Sweet Bonanza, which features cluster pays mechanic, will pay anytime eight identical symbols appear anywhere on the reels. 

Paytables & Payout Calculations

The slot’s paytable displays all the potential payouts you can expect to get. You can load up the paytable by pressing the appropriate button in the game’s user interface, usually at the bottom of the screen. The paytable usually displays different symbols as images, and tells you how many coins you can expect to get for landing 2, 3, 4, 5, or more of each symbol on a payline. 

To calculate your potential wins, multiply your payline bet by the multiplier displayed next to the appropriate number of symbols. For example, if you are betting $0.5 per payline, and the paytable indicates 100 coins for 5 K symbols, you will win $50 anytime you land 5 Ks on an active payline.

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Slots Bonus Features

Slot bonus features have revolutionized slot games. Features like free spins, bonus games, and expanding wilds have made slots a lot more exciting to play. Let’s take a closer look at how popular bonus features in slots work, and how you can trigger them.

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RTP, Volatility & Payouts in Slots

All slot games are governed by random number generators (RNGs), which determine the random outcome of every slot. While outcomes are always random, they are governed by a set of rules, which are preprogrammed into the game. These include the following:

Each slot game offers payouts for symbol combinations, which are outlined in its paytable. Slots with very high maximum wins and progressive jackpot slots tend to have high volatility and fewer winning spins, while those with limited jacktpots often produce more small and medium wins. A combination of high RTP and low volatility yields the ideal slot for players seeking to maximize their playing time. 

What is the House Edge in Slots?

The house edge in slots is closely tied to the concept of RTP. While RTP stands for return to player, house edge is the exact opposite. It represents the percentage of all the bets that the house wins in a particular slot over the long run. 

For example, a slot with an RTP of 96.5% has a house edge of 3.5%. This means that for every $100 wagered by the players, the game will pay back $ 96.50 to the players, while the house will win $ 3.50. Keep in mind that these numbers only manifest over the long-term, while short-term results are a lot more volatile.

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Online vs. Live Slots Compared

Both live and online slots have their target audiences, and millions of players worldwide enjoy both. There are some major differences between these two game types, and each has its pros and cons. Here is a quick look at how online slots and live slots compare across a few important rating categories:

	Online Slots	Live Slots
Reels	3 – 8	3 – 5
Mechanism	RNG-based	RNG-based
Fairness	High fairness	High fairness
RTP	95% +	80 to 90%
Payout Speed	Instant (at CoinPoker)	Instant
Play Pace	Very fast	Medium
Privacy	Completely private	Not private
Bonuses	Lucrative bonuses	No bonuses

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Slots Strategy

Are you ready to jump in the action? Before we send you out to play some real money slots, let’s discuss some key slots strategy. You can check out our detailed slots strategy guide for even more details, but the three tips below each bring a valuable lesson to the table:

Master Slots with CoinPoker

After reading this guide, you know more about playing slots than most players who have been playing them for years. All that’s left is to put your knowledge to the test, and you can do so right now at CoinPoker. Sign up for a free account today, get up to $2,000 in casino bonus money, and pick your lucky slot from our extensive library. 

Alternative Games to Slots You Can Explore

Crash Games: Play the world’s most innovative casino crash games, take to the skies, and land your plane just in time to pick up the ultimate prize. Variants of Jacks or Better Poker 

Online Roulette: Learn all there is to know about the game of roulette and play real money roulette games at CoinPoker. 

Video Poker: Explore optimal video poker strategies, pick the right video poker machines, and play the casino games with the highest RTP.

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