Slot Machines History
A slot machine is a casino game that has spinning reels and symbols that land randomly when the reels stop spinning. Players receive a payout when the symbols line up, depending on which ones fall on that payline. The original slot machine that was created in the 19th century by Charles August Fey used gears and springs to spin the reels. These classic 3-reeled machines have a lever on one side, which earned them the nickname one-armed bandits. The one-armed bandit slot machine initially had card symbols. It then later evolved to bell-fruit, numbers, and horseshoe symbols on the reels.
Later, new machines had fruits like bananas, cherries, and grapes on the reels, to tone down the gambling aspect of the game in conservative communities. Modern slots use random number generators to determine where the symbols land. These online slot machines also make it possible to include over 20 symbols per reel.
Modern slots also allow game developers to adjust the winning odds without overly affecting the game mechanics. Slot machines with bonus games, wild symbols, scatter symbols, and progressive jackpots make for even more riveting gameplay. Today, slots have evolved again to include mobile gaming, which allows players to enjoy their favourite games wherever they are.
Slot Machine Types
Because slot machines have evolved so much over the past century, we’ll cover a few that gained the most popularity. Slots.xyz is a knowledge bank for slots-related issues. We’ll explain what each machine has to offer, whether you want to play in a brick and mortar casino or online on your desktop PC or smartphone.
Free Slots
By definition, a free slot machine is one that doesn’t require a real-money wager. You can play free slot machines on anything from casinos on the internet to handheld video games. Mobile casino gameplay has also increased the number of free casino games that developers are creating.
You can also occasionally find social media games that are modelled after slots, which is proof of their widespread popularity. Playing on a free slot is a fun way to try out several titles before you play for real money at some land-based and most online casinos. Since there’s no money being exchanged between players and the game provider, freeslots can even be enjoyed on your browser, or download and play offline.
Classic Slots
Depending on what year you were born, the phrase classic slot might mean different things. The older generation of players will probably think of actual mechanical one-armed bandits that have mechanical action. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find such a slot machine on a casino floor. A few do still exist in museums and as collectors’ items. Younger players usually refer to modern slots that are styled after mechanical slots as classics. Although both the physical and online versions of these games have random number generator brains, they still have three reels and one payline. Both versions of classic games are popular due to their simplicity and retro looks.
Video Slots
Players usually toss the phrase video slot machine around a lot. However, we don’t really classify it as a slots category. Any slot that shows modern graphics or video scenes and animations can be called video slots. As such, virtually every slot in Las Vegas is a video slot. Still, we think it’s vital to know the phrase, even if it’s only to distinguish classic slots from all other machines. An example of a video slot is Gonzo’s Quest, where players see imagery of the imaginary characters going through Eldorado. These graphics appeal to younger players who were raised on video game consoles and PC games.
Bonus Slots
Any slot machine that has a bonus round, skill games, or side bets like 21+3 blackjack as part of their gameplay can be regarded as bonus slots. However, not every bonus slot game features bonus rounds. If you enjoy things like shooter-style skill games or virtual card games that double your wins, then you’ll love bonus slots games. You may also come across a combination of slot types, such as free slots with bonus games.
Progressive Slots
Progressive slots are machines that are linked on a network that has a common jackpot which continuously grows until a player wins it. A small percentage is shaved off every penny that’s paid into the system by players to feed the pot. Progressive slot machines can produce jackpots that run into the millions.
Licensed Slots
Any slot machine that has a title, voice, image or other aspects from things like movies, celebrities, and songs, is called a licensed slot. These machines include titles like Batman, Jimi Hendrix, and Game of Thrones. The appeal of playing these machines is undeniable. Players get to interact with symbols of their favourite characters, as well as scenes from the movies of videos.
Slot Machine Odds
Nothing feels worse than playing on real money slot machines, enduring a long spell of dead spins, and seeing your bankroll dwindling rapidly. Players should first play free slot machines with free spins no download. That way, you can enjoy the game and assess the winning odds without committing your money or device storage space. It’s difficult to provide precise odds of landing a winning payline on a slot machine because the random number generators that determine outcomes are sophisticated. What that means in simple terms is that playing a 99% RTP slot machine doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to get 99% of your stake back in your gaming session. Return to Player percentages refer to the estimated lifespan of the machine.
High RTP Slots
If you’re like most players, you prefer to play on slot machines that supply you with regular wins, however small they may be. Seeing your account balance slowly drop with 20 or 30 dead spins can be demoralising. In case you’re wondering, anything above 97% qualifies to be labelled a high RTP slot. We tend to advise players to steer clear of any game with an RTP below 90%.
Low RTP Slots
Unless they are playing free slot machines with free spins, just why would anyone play a game that pays less often? One word—volatility. A low RTP slot with high volatility will pay out big wins less frequently. How such gameplay translates to entertainment for you will depend on how well you can handle the rollercoaster ride with your account balance. High rollers who like riding big dips and high rises, then you may go for lower RTP slot machines.
High RTP, Low Volatility Slots
Most players prefer the smoother ride of playing high RTP, low volatility games. Playing on such a machine means you can look forward to more frequent, lower value wins. Your bankroll will most likely last longer, which allows you to play and enjoy your favourite game for longer. The house edge is still there, which means that you should be losing in the long term. Free slot machines with bonus rounds, scatter rounds, and jackpots, however still provide chances to win big.
How to Win On Slot Machines
A slot machine works pretty much like an online roulette game, but with a lot more possible outcomes. The reels can combine in a thousand, and sometimes more than a million different combinations. With extremely rare exceptions, slot machines are not designed to be games of skill. As such, asking how to win on slot machines will only result in a disappointing answer—the truth is that there’s very little. However, because our team at slots.xyz has come across its fair share of supposed strategies and cheats, we’ll indulge you with a few.
Jackpot Hunting
Some players believe that they can beat slot machines by studying how they award jackpots. These players will play free slot machine games with free spins while they chart the jackpots on different slots. They note the average payouts when other players win the jackpot. Over time, jackpot hunters have a general idea of the average jackpot payout and start playing when it’s close.
In our opinion, there’s no harm in starting to play when the average jackpot amount is reached—in fact, it’s better than playing from the base level. However, it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be the one to win from that slot game.
Slot Machine Choice
Here’s a slot machine rule of thumb from slots.xyz. The more bells and whistles a slot machine has, the lower its RTP is likely to be. For example, a flat top jackpot slot will usually have a higher payback percentage than a progressive jackpot. That’s because the growing pot has to be fed by small parts from each bet. A bigger and flashier machine will also cost more to make, which means casinos will take a more significant cut to recoup their investment. A slot game that’s branded with the name of a blockbuster movie or popular character is also less likely to have a high RTP.
Slot Machine Location
Casinos offer better-paying slot machines games to entice players who’ll also play other casino games into the building. Bars and airports usually have less competition and don’t have as much incentive to offer loose slot machines. Players in airports and bars will, therefore, often go through more dry spins.
Practice with free slot machine games with free spins
Before you start playing a slot game using real money, you have the option to play free slot machine games with free spins and bonus. Not only is it fun to play on slots for free on demo mode, but it’s also an excellent opportunity to know a few games and their secret quirks.
Slot Bonuses, Features & Free Spins
Slot machine house edges are usually high, which makes it challenging for players to play as much as they’d like without blowing through their bankroll. As slots are purely games of chance, creating systems and strategies is also virtually impossible. Fortunately, most casinos offer super bonuses to neutralise the house edge and level the playing field. Different slot machine bonuses, free spins, and special features enable a player to play much longer and potentially win more from a relatively low deposit.
Welcome Bonus
New players at a UK online casino are most likely to receive a welcome bonus. The welcome offer may be in the form of a matched bonus or free credit. For example, if you get a 100% up to £200 welcome offer, you can deposit £200 and play games like live casino roulette as well as UK online slots for £400. Casino sites also sometimes stagger deposit bonuses so that players return to deposit and play slot games. In such cases, players may get the 100% up to £200 on their first deposit, then another 50% up to £300 on the second deposit, and so forth.
Free Spins
In addition to the matched bonus, players may also receive casino free spins no deposit when they register to an online casino. Free spins allow players to enjoy free online slot machine games and still be able to get a real money payout. Of course, you’d have to complete wagering requirements first before claiming any winnings.
No Deposit Bonus
An online casino no deposit bonus is essentially a payment into your casino account without you having to part with any of your money. It’s not a wonder why every gambler wants to get such an offer. These rewards are usually either cash added to your balance, free scratch cards no deposit, or a free spins offer. New players can also get a free £5 no deposit mobile casino when they register and verify their accounts using a mobile app. All these bonuses allow players to have a feel of several games and the casino for free. New casinos 2020 UK also use no deposit offers to increase their customer numbers.
Wild symbols
A wild symbol is a slot machine symbol that can take the place of any other symbol. For example, if you’re playing on a classic 3-reel slot, and you get a berry-berry-banana payline. Under normal circumstances, that would be a losing spin. However, if the banana is a wild symbol, then it can act as a berry, thus making you a winner. As your winning chances increase with the number of wilds that are on a reel, players love expanding wilds that can expand and cover the entire reel. Keep in mind that wild symbols can’t substitute for scatters, free spins, and other bonus symbols.
Bonus multiplier
A bonus multiplier is a slot feature that multiplies your winnings many times over. Bonus multipliers start at 2x to 10x, but may even go up to 100x your win. These features aren’t very easy to trigger, but when you do, the returns are usually massive. Slots that have multipliers are typically favoured by players, as they deliver plenty of excitement and anticipation along with bigger wins.
Scatter Rounds
It can be frustrating to play a multi reel slot machine and keep getting winning symbols, but just not on the payline. Scatter symbols may appear elsewhere on the game screen but still register a win, as if they were in the same line with other matching symbols.
Random Features
Random features appear just as their name suggests and may substitute other symbols as wilds or boost your winnings like multipliers. The difference is that random features appear on a slot game without warning, and without any apparent trigger.
Slot Machine Games
The lights, the buzz, ringing, clinking of coins, and a much-anticipated jackpot! Slot machines are the go-to game at most casinos. The days of mechanical one-armed bandits may have passed, but the excitement has only grown significantly. Today, sound effects, 3D graphics, bonus features, and blockbuster movie themes have taken the gaming experience to hitherto unprecedented heights. You may have come across other top slot machine lists, but this one from slots.xyz takes gaming to the next level.
Mega Moolah
Dubbed the millionaire maker, Mega Moolah has a wild safari theme, entertaining sounds, and colourful imagery that are hard to ignore. The slot has a progressive jackpot that keeps rising until a player claims it. One such lucky player won a £13 million jackpot, the highest at the time, from a 25p stake in the game. Mega Moolah also has plenty of bonus features, including a wild lion and free spins.
Gonzo’s Quest
Any top slot machine list wouldn’t be complete without the NetEnt classic, Gonzo’s Quest. Follow Gonzo, a Spanish explorer, as he sets off on a quest to find lost gold in the mystical city of Eldorado. Gonzo is on the left of the screen spinning his helmet and scratching his beard throughout the whole game. Just get a few winning paylines, and the little guy fist-pumps, and even moonwalks across the screen. The Gonzo’s Quest slot has an avalanche feature, in which symbols fall from the top of the screen instead of spin. Winning paylines explode and make space for new symbols, which gets you more chances to win per spin.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra is a video slot that’s based on traditional land-based casino machines but has 5 reels and 20 paylines. Also, the game graphics feature many elements from Egyptian culture, music, language, and symbols, which adds a unique aura of mystery. The slot machine features the timeless from the culture, such as the Sphinx and beetle, as well as various hieroglyphics. Also, the seductive voice of Egypt’s most beautiful queen will definitely keep most players fixed to their screens for hours on end.
Starburst
Keep your eyes peeled for a slot game that could only have been made in intergalactic space. Produced by NetEnt, the Starburst slot has three rows and ten paylines. The intergalactic sounds and shining graphics offer a majestic gaming experience that players would only expect to get outside the earth’s stratosphere. The game doesn’t have a lot of bonus features. However, the exceptional design creates a feel-good experience both when each reel is spinning and when they stop with whatever outcome. Remember that we have plenty of UK online casino reviews that can direct you to the best website to enjoy this and other slot games.
Marvel Slots
Marvel has dominated the comic book and superhero movie genre for a while now. Their blockbuster movies and characters, such as Iron Man, Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and X-Men, have built a cult-like following. It’s not a surprise that some of these themes have crossed over to casino games and slot machines. Today, players can stay on the edge of their seats while they interact with popular heroes.
Game of Thrones
If you love the Game of Thrones TV series of books, playing the slot machine is a no-brainer. With real clips and a thumping soundtrack from the TV series, this isn’t just another slot. Microgaming included the four houses of Westeros, Lannister, Baratheon, Stark and Targaryen. Join arms with any one of them or throw in your bid and fight all of them for the Iron Throne. Players locate matching symbols to get payouts. There are also loads of scatter, wild, and free spin symbols.
Slot Machine Software Providers
Where do casinos get slot machines from? It’s a question that you might not have the slightest concern for. All that matters to the average casino visitor is to login and enjoy a fun and exciting slot machine online experience. More discerning players, however, know that an exceptional game takes specialised software development teams a lot of time to create. Each game developer has their own strengths, weaknesses, and style of gameplay that cater to different players’ needs. Players who can identify the studios that create that they enjoy can, therefore, quickly find new titles.
Slot Machine Grids and Paylines
Compared to other casino games, slot machines seem to provide the most themes, rows/reels, bonus rounds, and other features. The number of rows, columns, and paylines determines how a slot machine pays out players, as well as how fun it is to play. Our experts collected all the information and laid it down to help you figure out to play slot machines.
Reels and Rows
When Charles August Fey created the first slot machine, he could have hardly imagined that the one-armed bandit would evolve into modern video slots. Slot machine rows and reels form the basic game structure. These reels and rows are also sometimes designed around arcade game themes, and spin chaotically to add fun to the game. Instead of spinning reels, grid slot machines have grids where symbols cascade from the top of the screen. When a winning combination is created, the symbols explode and make way for a new combination to form. Gonzo’s Quest is the perfect example of a grid slot.
Paylines
Paylines are the most exciting part of any slot machine—that’s where wins and losses are formed. When you’re playing any slot game, any combination of matching symbols that forms on the grid is called a payline. In a classic slot machine, three matching symbols form a winning payline. All your winnings are formed as a result of paylines that are shown on the paytable. The paytable is a list of possible paylines, as well as how many credits or coins you can win by hitting each combination. The more paylines that you hit in one go, the more your payout will be. However, that’s not to say that a slot with 1000 possible paylines is better-paying than a classic slot. Some slots allow players to choose the number of paylines that they’d like to play with, as well as the amount of money they’ll put on each line. In such cases, the payline is called a bet line.
Slot Machine Tournaments
Some players sometimes avoid playing in slot machine tournaments, as they have an incorrect notion that the games have lower RTPs. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, playing in slot tournaments significantly boosts your winning chances. But just how do these slot machine tournaments work? Players are invited to play the same slot game over a specific duration and date.
Your wins are added and recorded during the tournament. The player with the most wins at the end of the competition gets to collect a prize. Runners up usually also win consolation prizes. Slot machine tournaments rarely have cash prizes, but often provide free spins and other rewards. If you were going to play the slot anyway, you might as well have an additional potential award added to ramp up the excitement.
Conclusion
Before we round up our guide, our experts always seek to ensure that every player enjoys playing slots responsibly. We’re sure that you don’t need a reminder, but just in case—always make sure that you gamble with money that you can afford to lose. Winning on slot machine games is a matter of luck, and their house edge means that you’ll lose in the long term.
