Online Slots - Basics of the Game

Slot machines are the most popular games to play at most casinos.

A slot machine has several spinning wheels marked with symbols. Each time the handle is pulled, these wheels come to rest with a random selection of symbols. The object is to earn money by hitting a winning combination on a pay line.

Depending on the machine type, there can be various numbers of pay lines. You will be paid out according to the Payout Schedule of the particular slot machine you are playing.

The winnings paid out on the slot machine depend on the symbols showing on any enabled paylines once the reels have come to a stop. A payline is a line where winning combinations can appear. Some slot machines have multiple paylines. The more coins you wager, the more paylines are enabled. For example:

Coin 1 enables the first (horizontal, center) payline.
Coin 2 enables the second (horizontal, upper) payline.
Coin 3 enables the third (horizontal, lower) payline.

An Online Slot Machine from one of our
Approved Casinos (click the machine to visit)

The Payout Schedule

The Payout Schedule is a table showing what combinations of reel symbols are valid winning combinations and what they pay out. When you get a winning payout the number next to the winning combination will be highlighted on your screen. Winnings are paid out on the highest combination on each enabled payline only.

If a winning combination appears on a payline that you have not enabled, you will not receive any payout for that combination.

Some machines have 'wild' symbols that substitute for every other symbol, while others have 'scatter' symbols that multiply the payout when combined with winning symbols.

Types of Machine

There are two main types of slots - Video slots and 3-reel slots. The difference is that Video slots have more than three reels. 3-reel slots look like the old-style slots with the 'bar and cherries' for the purist player, whereas Video slots have more animation and graphical entertainment.

The biggest jackpots are those that you'll find on Progressive Slot machines. These are machine that are 'linked' to all the casinos that feature them and any number of players from those casinos can play them at the same time.

You can find examples of the top Progressive machines with LIVE jackpot amounts at our Progressive Slots Jackpot page

Quick Tip

Here's a tip for playing slots - always play the most coins possible. This enables more paylines and more ways to win and it's usually the only way you can win the really big prizes. This applies to Progressive Slot games as well.