How to play Slots?
By John Isaac,Editor at online-gambling.com
John Isaac
Editor at online-gambling.com
You Have to Sign Up to Begin
All online casino slots require you sign up on their websites or that you download their casino software that will run on your Personal Computer or mobile device. The software connects to the internet casino and the game and wagering data is passed back and forth. While this may sound technical it’s really as simple as clicking on a link and waiting a few minutes or seconds, depending on your network provider, while the online slots software downloads and installs itself. Then you simply make your deposit and start playing! Winnings are tallied in real-time and you simply bet any part of your available pot up to the machine’s limits.
You Don’t Need Much Cash to Start!
Making deposits is the first step to take in playing an online casino. The deposits ensure that you stake real money on casino games to cash out real money when you win. Most online casino websites give welcome bonuses for first deposits to new members and reload bonuses to their loyalists. Some casinos allow players to play for free, but for a limited time. Eventually, you would have to deposit to make sure all your spins and wins are profitable in real cash. Deposits are usually done using debit cards or credit cards. You simply enter the details of your card correctly to make deposits into your online casino account.
You and the Next Guy Have an Equal Chance of Winning!
In learning how to play slots online, you need to understand first that slots are random. This is the basics of slots. By random, it means every possible outcome shares an equal chance of being the actual outcome. For example, if there are five numbers on the reels: 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. With the random selection, the chances of drawing any of the balls are the same as drawing any other ball. If in a game, only the number 30 is required on the reels for a big win, other numbers on the reel share an equal chance of being drawn. This does not mean you share an equal chance of winning, because only number 30 which is the winning ball is special. This is the basic idea behind slots. However, there are other factors to consider such as combinations, wilds, scatters and many more.
Now that you have seen how that slots are random, you will see how symbols are picked, on every slot machine a Random Number Generator (RNG) picks a random number for each reel in which each number matches a stop on its reel. The machine stops on the number selected by the random number generator. As a player, you carefully pick any of the options on the reel and place your bets on it. Note that by the time the reels are spinning, the game is already over. The random number generator would have selected the number at the end of the spin. The spinning is just to make the game look more cinematic. At the end of the spin, the machine will tell you whether or not you have won.
Have You Heard of Game Credits or Coins?
Now that you are acquainted with how slot games work, the following information will be needed. First, slot machines have currency acceptors that accept currencies into the slots. The machine displays the equivalent amount of credit on a meter. For reel-spinning slots, the button marked “play one credit” is pushed until it reaches the number of coins you wish to play. This action is followed by hitting the “spin reels” button and in some cases pull the handle or hit the button marked “play max credit” which will play the maximum coins allowed on that machine.
The Main Features
For video slots, they have five reels spinning on a video screen. The pay lines do not only run straight across the reels but also run in V’s, upside-down V’s, and zig zags across the screen. A video slot usually has five pay lines, but this depends on the casino and game provider. Some video slots have more than five and up to fifty pay lines in some cases. Regardless, you should get the option to either choose the number of pay lines that you need or play all the pay lines at once. Some slots have a fixed pay line, regardless of the number of pay lines present. There is also a button or icon pushed for the number of credits wagered per pay line. Video slots usually feature bonus rounds and more to turn the game up a notch. Designated symbols usually trigger scatters or wilds, if two or more of the symbols appear on the game screen. You would need to keep an eye out for those if you want to win big in any casino slot game.
Bonuses events triggered by special symbols may take the form of either number or free spins, and sometimes, a player can be presented with a second screen bonus or bonus games. The popularity of bonus events is why online video slots have become fast growing in the past decade.
Your Earnings Are Yours to Keep
Winnings get to be added to the credit meter when you hit a winning combination. This grants you the opportunity to hit the “cash-out” button if you are satisfied with your winnings and if otherwise, you can choose to play on with your winnings. For modern online slots machines, a barcoded ticket will be printed out using the inbuilt printer that comes with the machine so that it can be redeemed for cash. For Online casinos, the cash-out option is located on the screen, the player can then choose to withdraw the winnings into a bank account. Most online casinos do not allow for withdrawals into another account aside from the one used to deposit to the website or software.
You also need to know about the return to player percentage (RTP). It is a very important part of learning how to play slots. It is a percentage of all wagered money that a slot pays back to its players. It is not the amount you will get back when you wager on real money slots, and it does not indicate whether you have fewer chances to hit a bonus or not – but it gives you a great indication on whether a machine pays enough for you to play on it or not. The return to player percentage usually ranges from 1 to 100 but most slots have a return to player percentage of 90 – 97 percent.
Top Tips for Playing Real Money Slots Online
Playing slots online is not entirely for fans of online slot machines. As a matter of fact, novices can also play slots online because there are a lot of things to learn when it comes to playing slots online.
In this guide, you will learn how to play slots and get acquainted with the different aspects and features of online slots and 10 handy tips. With this information, you should have an increase in your chances of winning.
10 Tips on How to play slot machines
1. Take advantage of deposit bonuses
Deposit casino bonuses are offers that players get after depositing into their account on an online casino. For newbies, they get welcome bonuses which are bonus offers for making their first deposit on that online casino. This is just one of the few ways an online casino decides to appreciate your membership on their platform. For choosing them as their preferred online casino means a lot to them. However, loyal members get better bonuses than newbies. So, it might be a good idea to stick around for a while if you want to get the best out of any online casino. As a sneak peek, just know that a type of bonus includes a percentage of your deposits as the bonus – it can be anything between 50-150%!
Deposit casino bonuses are literally not free money; they only increase your chances of playing for free online. The more you play, the higher your chances of winning real money online. If you get a $30 no deposit bonus after signing up, take advantage of this as it will increase your chances of playing online slots for free, while giving you the chance to win real money. Of course, if you’ve made a substantial win, you would be required to make a deposit in order to cash out your winnings. Just bear in mind that all bonuses in online casinos come with terms and conditions that make the platform conducive for all players.
2. Play free games
Playing online slots for free is the best way to improve your playing strategies and also device new strategies to play online slots with real money. Luckily, some online slots give you the opportunity to play casino games and slots for free, which means that you could improve your strategy without costing you a dime. Playing online slots for free also gives you numerous chances to learn how to play slot machines with pay tables and in-game features such as multipliers and wilds. These would come in handy in any online slot game you play.
You can also try the bonus rounds to better understand the odds. It’s a fantastic way to discover whether you want to play an online slot with real money or move on to another slot. The better the offers on a slot game, the more likely a player would want to stay. So consider all that the casino offers as you play its free games.
3. Look out for loose online slots
The term ‘loose slot’ dates back to the time when mechanical slot machines had some mechanical defect that would make the slot ‘loose’. These types of slots tend to pay out more often than regular slot machines without any mechanical defect.
In the world of online slots today, there are several cases of loose slots. These loose slots are more likely to pay out often. If you want to learn how to play slots to win, one of the ways of doing such is looking out for the rate at which the slot pays out.
4. Jackpots
Local jackpots are specific to a particular slot where the funds are generated from players playing the slot game. As a matter of fact, the jackpot for the same game varies from one casino to another. On the other hand, a network or a progressive jackpot is a type of jackpot that pools players’ money from varying online casinos. The slots come in different forms with a league of online casinos working hand in hand to bring to the players a mega increasing jackpot.
Playing a local jackpot increases your chances of winning the jackpot. Here the competitors are minimal in comparison to a network or a progressive jackpot where competitors troop in from different online slots to win a single jackpot. Although the winnings in local jackpots are quite small compared to the winnings in the network or progressive jackpots. It is also possible for you to come across local jackpots that pay very well because the online slots are not created the same way. They all pay at different rates; something you should keep in mind as you learn how to play slots online.
5. Maximum bet
The truth about maximum bets is that with online slots having multiple pay lines, you can cash out so big on multiple line winnings. A lot of websites out there always advise you ‘bet max’ or ‘max bet’. Either way, they mean the same thing. However, at the same time, it is also pertinent to know that with random number generators, your chances of winning at online slots are the same with multiple pay lines, no matter if you are betting on all the pay lines or less. Maximum bets do not increase your chances of winning neither does it boost your odds of winning. Online slots sometimes vary according to their degree of volatility so you have to take into consideration the degree of volatility when betting max. This is where learning how to play casino slots comes in handy. Online slots with high volatility do not pay as often as you would like them to, they pay big on the few occasions they eventually pay. On the other hand, online slots with low volatility tend to pay out in small amounts very frequently. It is advisable for you to capitalize on high volatility machines, it would help to bet a little higher. But, while doing this, you need to take into consideration some important factors such as multipliers, which would most definitely be your ticket to massive wins. Since you want to learn how to play slots to win.
When it comes to low volatility slot games, it would be best to bet lower and to take a slower approach with the aim of hitting more wins. It might take a while to make a substantial amount of money, but it would pay off with patience in the long run.
6. Survey the competition among online casinos
You can use the competition among online casinos to your advantage. Online casinos use features such as free spins and casino bonuses to get you signed up to their network. These features are used to attract new players to the slot and also keep already registered members of the network.
First and foremost, when checking out for the competition in a particular online slot you need to look at the wagering requirements. A wagering requirement is simply a multiplier that states the requirements you must meet before your bonus can be converted to real cash. These requirements include the bonus amount you must bet and the number of times you must bet before your bonus can be released as cash.
It is advisable that you also look out for casino bonuses that do not come with a maximum cash out. While some online slots tend to limit the amount you can withdraw from your bonus winnings, others allow you to make an unlimited withdrawal of bonus winnings. In order to understand a platforms terms and conditions, you have to understand how to play slot machines properly before all these can make some sense to you.
7. Free spins
The competitive nature of online casinos has made them device new ways to bring both old and new players to their website. Many online casinos offer free spins on specific online slots to attract players to their casinos.
Take advantage of this chance to play for free. Since you are learning how to play slots online, it would be safer on you and your wallet this way. These free spins allow you to get acquainted with the online slot and make you get a feel for how best to place your bets. The free spins allow you to take a shot at winning without having to spend a dime.
8. Taking careful peek at the pay tables
Taking a peek at pay tables and doing very deep research about game options helps in searching for an online slot. Each online slot has a peculiar paytable. The variations in pay tables among online slots can sometimes be surprising. These long range of variations in paytables can make significant differences in your bankroll in the long run.
Knowing that the online slot of your choice has these added features, can boost your bankroll significantly.
9. Know which online slots are worth your money
Frequently playing an online slot and not winning is quite unhealthy and so it is not advisable to continue playing. It is important to keep random number generators in mind when picking an online slot to play. If an online slot has a certified random number generator, then you can rest assured that every outcome stands an equal chance as the others. Some slots are not reputable and might look for ways to drain you of your hard-earned money. So, investing a lot of money in an online slot machine does not entirely increase your chances of winning at that particular slot. If you seem to be on a string of losses on a particular online slot using this method said above, it is advisable you switch to another online slot where the odds might be in your favour.
10. Special online casino bonuses
Casino Bonuses in form of loyalty packages and programs are designed by the online casinos and incorporated on their websites as a sort of reward for having an account with them and being an active member for a long time. Online casino bonuses come in different types and are usually activated or claimed using the bonus code given by the casino. Online casino bonuses are also intended to bring in more players into that online slot and as well keep them playing on that casino. Many online casinos also offer a sort of VIP treatment in the form of bonuses for their high rollers and players with high deposits. Some of the most commonly found bonus casino bonuses available on online casinos include; Welcome bonuses, Card/Registration bonuses, reload bonuses, birthday bonuses, special promotions etc.
Conclusion
Picking the right online slot, having a good and reliable betting technique in place and using these online casino bonuses could make all the difference to boost your chances of life-changing wins. Just make sure to have fun and not get competitive when the wins don’t happen as frequent as you expect. The main idea is to always have fun!
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John Isaac is one of the editors at online-gambling.com. He is an expert at card games, such as blackjack and poker. In addition, he writes about the US gambling laws and the Indian and Dutch gambling markets.