Slots Features - A Guide for Newbies

Even though playing casino games isn’t difficult and this activity is considered to be the one that requires no prior preparation or training, players who know the ins and outs of gambling games have something of an upper hand. So, it always pays to learn a few things about your beloved titles to have a better overall gaming experience.

Some casino games, like blackjack, are perfect examples of games that rely on skill and luck. That’s why it’s advisable to learn a few tips and tricks about blackjack to increase your chances of winning. However, you need pure luck to win while spinning offline or online slot machines.

Nonetheless, it’s always helpful to know the standard features found in almost all slots. Doing so will help you choose the right bonus buy games in the overcrowded market of online slots and additionally increase your opportunities to make a killing.

An Overview of Slot Features

Slot features are the fundamental features of each machine. They’re designed to liven up the gameplay experience and increase your winnings. Think scatters, wilds, avalanche reels, free spins rounds, random triggers, and jackpot symbols… These are just a few of the common elements present on the reels of most games.

If it’s your first time playing online slots, those with multiple options might seem overwhelming. However, once you understand the mechanic behind their work, they are likely to be listed as your new favorites. Remember, the more often you spin the reels, the faster it’ll be to understand different features.

Most Common Features

Apart from the theme, slots are defined by the features they have, that are designed to entice players to play specific titles with real money.

Here are the different types of slot machine features, under different categories. After reading through this list, we hope you’ll find the right title to try your luck.

Wilds

These are special symbols you can use to replace any other symbol, particularly when creating winning lines. While wilds are an older slot feature, they’ve been experimented with quite a lot in recent times. As such, they’re now available in various versions, including:

• Expanding wilds;
• Sticky wilds;
• Walking wilds;
• Transferring wilds;
• Stacked wilds;
• Random wilds.

Scatters

Scatter symbols derive their name from their ability to do their job regardless of their position on the screen. Standard scatter symbols need to occupy adjacent reels or be on a payline to be effective.

In most cases, at least three scatters unlock bonus round activities, including free spins. In some cases, you can receive a bonus in the form of a scatter payout.

Autoplay

When playing online slots, sometimes you might choose to multitask or simply watch the reels spin rather than click the same button all the time yourself.

Autoplay is the perfect feature for the job, and it’s one of the most common around. To use autoplay, just tap the respective button to begin and then again to stop.

You can configure the autoplay feature to run for a specific number of slot games (e.g. 10, 20, 100, 500, etc.) You can also set it to stop a game if you score a big win or lose heavily. Autoplay also stops when you enter bonus rounds.

Return to Player (RTP)

RTP refers to a percentage of wagers (on average) that a slot will pay out if a player wins. For example, if a machine has an RTP of 96%, every $1 you wager will return $0.96 to you, with the balance of only $0.04 kept by the casino.

Paylines

Basically, paylines are imaginary lines that reward players if they’re filled with a symbol combination. More often than not, paylines pay only from left to right. This means you won’t get a reward if symbols on the second and third reels match.

Unlike in the past, many of today’s slots have more than one betline. In fact, some even come with thousands of potential paylines thanks to different gameplay systems.

Slot Volatility

Volatility refers to the frequency with which a slot pays out. High volatility means it’ll be particularly tough to hit wins, but they might be massive. On the other hand, low volatility means that wins will occur often but will be quite small.

Bonus Features

Matching bonus symbols might trigger one of two bonus rounds:

• Free spins: The free spins mode is probably the most common bonus feature. Here, you typically receive a bunch of free games when multiple free spins or scatter symbols show up on the reels. While playing with free spins, you can also receive extra perks like increased multipliers;
• Mini-games: Bonus mini-games are often triggered by wins that reward a player with different levels of bonuses. The mini-games can include spinning another wheel, rolling dice, or picking from cards. Mini-game rewards make any slot exciting, with different amounts of bonus rounds, free spins, and multipliers up for grabs!

Apply Your New Knowledge in the Future Gaming Practice!

The features of modern gambling machines provide players with extra gameplay excitement while giving them a chance to land huge prizes. They’re the main reason why many players decide to play some slot games for real money.

We hope that this guide to slot features has helped you gain valuable information as a newbie. Have fun, and make sure to gamble responsibly!

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