Slot Features

Slot Features

Online gambling entertainment continues to gain momentum. Interesting slots, roulettes, poker, and other card games appear, but most players prefer slot machines and do not stop looking for new solutions. Manufacturers offer several thousand original themes, beautiful designs of slots, and big payouts. Sometimes the user is not interested in winning, but in the gameplay itself.

Before describing the features of slots, we should indicate the key features and advantages of all slots:

  • high-quality graphic design;
  • original style;
  • interesting storyline;
  • realistic details;
  • beautiful special effects.

Reels & Paylines Features

In the structure of games, 5 reels are most often used. This is the simplest game format, especially for such online slots, it is easy to prepare a strategy. Separately, there are offered 3 reels. This is a true classic and is rarely used today.

The number of lines can be very diverse. Today, from 5 to 100 pieces are isolated, but 9 lines are most often indicated. This is the golden mean between winnings and the probability of losing. Some developers do not use lines but form the final combination according to a special scheme.

Modern slots are characterized by different forms of paylines. They may be:

  • straight;
  • zigzag;
  • forming complex angles.

In addition to the shape of the paylines, their orientation distinguishes between them. For some slot machines, combinations are counted from one side (for example, from right to left). For others, it happens both from left to right and from right to left. All information on how combinations are taken into account is available in the payout table of the slot.

RTP & Volatility Feature

The theoretical return (RTP) is a measure of the frequency of winnings over a long distance. The higher the RTP of the slot, the more often paid combinations of symbols are formed on the reels. The indicator of RTP of slots is usually indicated in their description. Information about RTP can also be found in the reviews of slots. The theoretical return ranges from 91 to 98 percent.

In addition to RTP, volatility is of great importance – the level of risk. You can determine the volatility of any slot by the value of the multipliers: the larger they are, the higher the level of risk. The low volatility means that winning combinations of symbols appear frequently, but the payouts are low. With the high volatility of the slot, gamers win less often, but the size of the winnings is large.

Dispersion Feature

Variance is defined as a variance from the intended results. The RTP of a slot of 97% does not ensure that the player will lose money if he plays 100 times in it. However, deviations from the % encoded in the gameplay will be far more visible in some titles than in others. In practice, it appears as follows. You lose money by losing spin after spin. If your balance is significant enough and you are willing to wait for a profitable opportunity, you should eventually receive a big combo with a respectable payoff that will cover the fees. High-variance slots operate in this manner.

On the contrary, some online slots payout on practically every spin. Therefore, their amount may not always exceed the total wager sum. This is most common in slots with a high number of lines, special symbols, and bonus rounds.

If your financial possibilities are limited, choose the second option. Such slot machines will allow you to wait out bad periods and just stay longer in the casino. You can determine the level of dispersion by looking at the payout table. If the maximum combinations are paid at very high odds, and the rest at extremely low odds, most likely, the deviations from the expected result will be significant.

Types of Slots by Winning Feature

Multiplier Slots

Gamers can trigger all winning combinations with a single coin on this sort of gambling machine, and any extra money help enhance the possible win multiplier. In this case, two coins will pay twice as much as you would expect from a single coin bet. While some players may insist that max betting is the way to go, most experts still recommend sticking with the one-coin bet.

Slots with Bonus Multiplier

These types of slots are similar to the first type since they are triggered by a single coin, however in this case the additional coins can multiply the potential wins – on top of the potential bonus payout and massive jackpots that can usually only be made active by placing higher bets.

Combination Slots

These types of slot machines usually combine two or more genres of slot machines, which may include, for example, a multi-line progressive jackpot or a classic multiplier slot. If you are interested in playing these types of slot games, most casino professionals will agree that it is always a good idea to bet high enough to trigger all possible bonus options.

Megaspin Slots

Megaspin slots, as the name implies, help the users to spin different sets of reels at once. This is typically part of a special or extra function, and when it is activated, more reels may become available for you to spin on.

Game Control Features

The slot control panel usually includes several groups of buttons. There must be a key to start the rotation of the reels. Most often, the “Auto” option is provided to trigger autospins. In this mode, the rotation will stop when you press this button again or will continue as long as there are credits on the account.

If the player can choose the number of active paylines in the machine, then there are special buttons for this. Be sure the control panel includes the choice of the size of the bet. A description of the rules of the game can be viewed by selecting “i” or “Help”. If the slot provides for a risk game, then after the prize combination falls out, the corresponding button is activated.

Random Number Generator

All slot machines today operate on the basis of RNG (random number generator), which ensures the fairness of the draws. It is the RNG that is responsible for the frequency of collecting prize combinations, determining which sequence of symbols will fall out in the next spin. As a result, the combination is formed randomly, and it is impossible to influence it. Each chain of the specified number of identical symbols made in the slot can become paid.

Bonus Features

Most slots contain special bonus symbols. One of them is the wild symbol. With it, you can replace any icon in order to create a winning combination. They can move around the field, occupying one place or another. This feature will allow the player to form a winning combination even when there was none.

There are the following types of wilds:

Expanding Wilds: Some developers employ special symbols in their slot machines. Growing wilds arise and reach throughout all lines to create a single icon.

Stacked Wilds: Wild icons that occur on the reels on top of each other. Stacked wilds normally occur to cover the full reel and assist gamers in increasing their wins.

Sticky Wilds: They stay in place until the next spin. Whenever this occurs, the reels and icons spin, but the Sticky Wilds remain in place.

Shifting Wilds: (similar to Sticky Wilds) remain on the reels for the next spin, but will “move” the reels between spins. Shifting wilds can stay on the reels until they pass through the reels from left to right.

Scatter is another symbol with unique functionality. There are no special rules for using it because it lines up in a lane and brings wins. It also activates the free spins round with an additional opportunity to earn.

Jackpot – usually used to draw progressive jackpots. In some slots, the player receives it if he collects 5 Jackpot symbols on the central line. Sometimes these icons are just the start of a special round that has yet to compete for the progressive jackpot.

Multipliers do exactly what their name means: they multiply wins and increase payouts several times. On these images, the coefficients x2, x3, x4, etc. are indicated. They are taken into account when calculating the winnings. Often the multipliers are a variation of the joker.

Additionally, bonus games are launched. As a rule, a certain combination must fall out before they are launched. Most often, the essence of bonus games is to beat the dealer by guessing a higher value of the card than he has. The current win when winning the bonus round is doubled.

Risk Game Feature

For some gamers, the feelings and excitement provided by the primary game are insufficient. As a result, most current slot machines contain a risk game in their functioning. It is usually a simple poker game in which you must predict the top card at face value. In some slots, you must estimate the color of the card rather than its dominance. Slot machines, in which you must predict the suit of the card, are less prevalent. It is important to note that the stake in the risk game is the player’s previous round win. If the player answers wrong, the whole award will be sent to the operator.

Free Access

The developers of slot machines not only create excellent gaming solutions but also offer players to take advantage of the free mode with the ability to win virtual currency. The functionality and technical parameters of the slot remain unchanged.

The demo is a great opportunity to learn the game, develop a strategy, or just spend your free time whenever possible. There are no special requirements here, the main thing is to choose the slot you like, although it can be changed at any convenient time.

Choosing Slots According to Features

You can use slot machines for entertainment without planning to make a profit on almost any resource. Nevertheless, if you desire to win, you should devote this topic as much as you can. To accomplish so, the player should analyze slot machines using the set of criteria:

  • The payment amount is expressed as a percentage. Slot machines with RTPs of more than 95% are the most lucrative and exciting.
  • The regularity with which winning combos occur is affected by volatility. In addition to the rewards. With low volatility, successful combos will occur regularly, but investment returns will be low. When there is considerable volatility, the scenario changes: you will win less frequently, but your profits will be higher.
  • The game’s quality and possibilities, as well as the inclusion of extra benefits such as bonus rounds, multiplying games, and free spins.
  • The total quantity of pay lines. There are slots with functional lines that can be picked in the needed quantity, and slots with fixed lines that cannot be modified. The more lines there are, the better the player’s odds of producing winning combinations. 

Gaming software manufacturers do not stand still. To keep players interested, creators come up with innovative mechanisms, modifying the game’s fundamentals, testing with the number of reels, rows, and lines, and introducing special symbols and unique prize elements. Over time, new rewards will be added to slot machines, virtual reality slots will get more popular, and the action will be more comparable to typical computer games.