Not so long ago, slot-machine players were seen as the second-class citizens of casino customers.
Jackpots were small, payout percentages were dismal, and slot players just weren’t eligible for the kind of complimentary bonuses – such as free rooms, shows and meals – commonly given to table players. But in the last few decades, the face of the casino industry has changed drastically.
Nowadays, about 80 per cent of first-time visitors to casinos head for the slots. But you don’t need to book a trip to Vegas or even leave the house to play slots anymore – you can play online casino slots, and be in with a chance to hit the jackpot, from the comfort of your own home.
It takes some strategy to get lucky with a slot machine. But if you keep an eye out for “advantageous” machines, you just might hit the jackpot.
How to play:
- On reel-spinning slots, push a button marked “play one credit” until you’ve reached the number of coins you wish to play. Then hit the “spin reels” button, or pull the handle on the older slots that still have handles, or hit a button marked “play max credits,” which will play the maximum coins allowed on that machine.
- On video slots, push one button for the number of paylines you want to activate, and a second button for the number of credits wagered per line. Video slots are available with 5, 15, 20, 25, even 50 paylines, accepting up to 25 coins per line.
- Many reel-spinning machines have a single payout line painted across the centre of the glass in front of the reels. Others have three payout lines, even five payout lines, each corresponding to a coin played. The symbols that stop on a payout line determine whether a player wins.
- Video slots usually feature bonus rounds and “scatter pays.” Designated symbols trigger a scatter pay if two, three, or more of them appear on the screen, even if they’re not on the same payline. Similarly, special symbols will trigger a bonus event. The bonus may take the form of a number of free spins, or the player may be presented with a “second screen” bonus.
- When you hit a winning combination, winnings will be added to the credit meter. If you wish to collect your credits shown on the meter, hit the button marked “Cash Out,” and on most machines, a bar-coded ticket will be printed out that can be redeemed for cash. However in a few older machines, coins will drop into a tray.
Tips:
- Memorise which machines are advantageous and how many credits the machines must have in order for you to play them.
- Look for machines that have been vacated recently and left in this advantageous condition.
- Use a reasonably-sized bill for the machine you are playing. Inserting a $100 bill into a five-cent machine is not a good idea.
- Play the machine as fast as you can. If you can play at a high speed without making mistakes, do so.
- To fill you in on the lingo and get you even better prepared to hit the slots, check out this slots glossary.
Don’t forget to check out some of our other casino-related posts to get you in that high-rolling mood!
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