When you log in to an online casino, like Mega Vegas, you’ll be overwhelmed by the variety of Slots games available. They’re by far one of the most popular forms of casino gaming, due to their ease of play and little experience or skill required from the player.
Whatever your interests or hobbies, you’ll find a game that suits you – it could be film and TV or ancient mythology/civilisations, or even retro/classic Slots. However, there’s an awful lot of terminology to get your head around, and in case you don’t know your cascading reels from your colossal wilds, read on as we give you all you need to know when it comes to Slots.
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3-reel: the style of classic Slots, before the online age. Usually three reels by three rows and featuring the retro fruit symbols such as lemons, grapes, watermelons and cherries
5-reel: the more common style of online slot. Video Slots are generally five reels with either three or four rows of symbols. These are the ones that (unsurprisingly) offer more ways to win, are packed with bonus games and some may even offer progressive jackpots alongside the base game
A-Z
A is for Auto spin: online players love this button because it requires them to do pretty much nothing. Simply place a wager and watch the reels spin automatically for a number of pre-determined turns. One of the reasons why Slots is easy
B is for Bonus round: this is where the fun and big wins can happen. The bonus round is often activated by landing certain symbols on specific reels. Once you’ve unlocked the bonus round, expect to win free spins and instant cash prizes
C is for Cascading reels: a relatively new feature to Video Slots, cascading reels are exactly what it says on the tin. Winning combinations will disappear from the reels and be replaced by new symbols from above to create even more chances to win
E is for Expanding wilds: a type of wild symbol, which will expand the reels to create more chance of winning and open up more winning combinations. Usually covering the entire reel, expanding wilds occupy a space of 2×2 or 3×3
F is for Free spins: again, it is what it says. Free spins are additional plays added to your game without the need for wagering. Generally speaking, landing scatter symbols unlocks free spins and the price of your pay-out for landing winning combinations is based on your previous wager
I is for Icons: also known as slot symbols – these are the images that appear on the reels. Depending on the theme of your chosen slot game, these will vary and be relevant to that theme. For example, Irish-themed games will feature leprechauns, pots of gold, pints of Guinness and shamrocks
J is for Jackpot: the jackpot, of course, is the biggest prize/pay-out the slot can offer. Some games also feature a progressive jackpot, which is one that continues increasing with every bet placed. Progressive jackpots sometimes need to be won by a certain point – either a time of day, or before they reach a certain amount – and they could be part of a pool of numerous games, run by numerous operators
M is for Multiplier: multipliers are symbols which increase your winnings, often by 2x or 3x but they can be as high as 5x or even 10x. These are often found in bonus games, but can also be applied to some base games
P is for Pay-line: these are the positions in which symbols can create winning combinations. In earlier versions of Slots, they were just straight across the reels, but now there are numerous patterns of winning combinations. See also ‘ways to win’
R is for Return to Player: the return to player (or RTP) is the percentage which suggests what portion of total bets placed on the game will be returned to the player in the form of winnings. Generally speaking, any game with an RTP of 97% or higher is one to play, while one with an RTP lower than 94% should be discounted
S is for Scatter symbol: these symbols are integral to games and are the most-loved by players. Unlike other symbols which need to line up in order to pay-out, scatter symbols can appear anywhere on the reels. These highest-paying symbols will unlock bonus games, free spins and other advantages
W is for Ways to win: some Slots have pay-lines, others have ways to win – these are random combinations that can create hundreds of thousands of ways to win. The Megaways brand of slot is the most common that offers extortionate ways to win, alongside eye-watering jackpots
W is also for Wilds: these are symbols which can be substituted for other symbols to create even more winning combinations. There are various types of wild, and we’ve already discussed expanding (or colossal) wilds, but other kinds to look out for are sticky, duplicate, and moving.
