Online Casino Slots – Rules, How to Win, Where to Play

Don’t know how to play slots to win? Please read this detailed guide on rules for slot games. Also learn the best tips to win money at this exciting casino game!

To begin, you need to understand the basic and unique rules of each game if you do not want to make foolish bets or choose the wrong slot machine. Do not mindlessly keep hitting the “SPIN” button continuously. Doing so is how you empty your wallet in a short duration!

What is the difference between classic slots and video slots?

At most online casinos, you will find that the games are divided into 2 main categories – classic slots and video slots.

Moreover, classic slots are usually missing bonus rounds and do not have any special features such as Scatters or Multipliers. To put it simply, classic slots truly mimic the physical slot machines that you will find at land-based casinos. On the other hand, video slots will almost always include exciting graphics and some even have detailed stories that are very similar to video games.

Why play online casino slots?

Because slots have wonderful graphics and exciting gameplay! The quality of many slots can be compared to Xbox’s or PlayStation’s video games. But before playing any game, you need to understand how to win. And slots are no exception.

When you play blackjack, you need to beat the dealer.
When you play poker, you need to beat the other players.

So, what about slots?

The essence of slot machines are as simple as this: you need to get a specific sequence of symbols to match on 1 (or more) of the game’s active paylines.

Not all sequences and symbols are equal and some are way harder to get than others. Obviously, the harder-to-get symbols contribute to higher payouts for you! In order to get winning symbols, you first need to enter a bet amount and then press “SPIN”.

How to select a betting amount?

A lot of players underestimate the importance of adjusting the default betting amount to a value that suits their budget. If you have €/$15 to invest in a slot game, should you really bet €/$1 every time you click “SPIN”?

The minimum bet accepted in a game changes from one slot to another. Usually, the range starts from a minimum of €/$0.10 / €/$0.20 to a maximum of €/$100 / €/$500 per bet. Simply change this default amount to adjust to your own playing style!

Once you know how much you are going to bet, push the “SPIN” or “START” button and let the reels do the magic. To understand if you won or not, you next need to understand the concept of paylines.

How do slots paylines work?

Remember the last time you looked at the screen thinking that a game was cheating you because you did not get paid even if high value symbols appeared? The reason is not the game, it was the paylines.

Paylines are the designated lines in a screen full of symbols where winning combinations will count. Usually, the paylines begin left to right. However, some games are designed to count your wins from right to left, and some can even have diagonal paylines!

An easy way to understand paylines is to click on “SPIN” for about 10 times to understand some simple patterns. Or, you can click on the “Info” button to read the descriptions of the Payout Tables.

Slot Payout Tables

Understanding the payout of a game is an important part of learning the basic rules of slots. As a slots player, you should always keep in mind that regarding payout calculations, there is no such thing as a general rule. The payout will change from one game to another.

Graphics and flashy themes aside, different games will reward players for various combinations that can range from $0.20 to hundreds of US dollars (or the equivalent in Euros, British Pounds, Bitcoin, etc.)!

Special Symbols – What are these and how do they work?

Out of all the symbols you find on slot machines, the special symbols (or BONUS symbols) are the ones that you want to get. In general, we could say that there are roughly 4 categories of bonus symbols, each connected to very different results.

Scatter Symbols (or Bonus Symbols)

The Scatter symbols are perhaps the most valuable symbols as they trigger free spins and other special features. Usually, if you get 3 or more Scatter symbols, you are automatically entitled to free spins right away. For players, getting free spins is usually the best opportunity to win big money!

Wild Symbols

Acting like a “Joker” card, a Wild symbol can be substituted for any other symbol except Scatter symbols. Wild symbols come in handy if you have a payline with a row of three symbols and you need a fourth symbol to get a higher win!

Expanding Wilds

Not only do Expanding Wild symbols work in the same way as the Wild symbol does, but when you get an Expanding Wild it expands across the entire column of one reel. What this does is allow you to win on more than one payline.

Stacked Wilds

Similar to Expanding Wilds, Stacked Wild symbols come in bunches of 2, 3, or more, and they end up stacking on top of each other, therefore improving your chances of hitting a winning combination across several paylines.

Special Features – How to win even more money?

Besides bonus symbols, these days slots are usually jam-packed with tons of other special features and gameplay. Let’s check out some main features.

Multiplier Feature

Multipliers are unique features that have the capacity to multiply your winnings by a predetermined number. The main goal of Multipliers is to double, triple, or even increase your winning amount by 100x. Sometimes it can go as high as 1,000x!

While some Multipliers will multiply your wins, other Multipliers might count towards your line bets and total bets. Each game offers its own gameplay regarding the use of Multipliers, therefore, it is important to understand the rules before playing.

Recommended casinos with a wealth of slots with the Multiplier feature:

Buy Bonus Feature

Slots with the Buy Bonus feature are online slots where you can pay a premium in exchange for immediate access to the bonus stage of the games (usually the free spins feature). Also known as a “Feature Buy”, the price is typically between 50 to 100 times your stake, and in rare cases up to 2,000x. Players love Buy Bonus slots because it saves a ton of time!

Recommended casinos with a wealth of slots with the Buy Bonus feature:

Bonus Games – What are these and how do they work?

Most slot games produced in the past 5 years will feature Bonus games. These are essentially extra levels that can be achieved, outside of the base game. There are 2 main types:

Free Spins Bonus Rounds

If you reach the bonus round via a lucky spin, the game will usually unlock between 3 and 20 free spins. Getting these free spins is the best chance to earn big money!

Standard Bonus Rounds

Aside from the free spins, other standard bonus rounds can simply be mini-games that can offer higher payouts or higher volumes of Bonus symbols. With slots, there can be so much creativity in the gameplay. Basically, the sky is the limit!

Commonly Used Vocabulary

Let’s check out some commonly used terms regarding slots, such as hit frequency and return-to-player.

Hit Frequency (HF)

Hit Frequency refers to how often a slot machine’s RNG (random number generator) produces a winning combination for the player. Usually this is expressed as a percentage of spins. While games with higher hit frequencies pay you more often, those games usually give you lower winning amounts.

An example of a sequence of 10 spins could look like this:

Return To Player (RTP)

Return to player (RTP) rates are also expressed in percentages, but these percentages show the average amount of money returned to players versus what was put in.

For example, the popular online progressive jackpot slot game Mega Moolah has an RTP of 88.12%. Out of €/$100 of the money that players have put into the game, on average €/$88.12 is returned. On the other hand, non-jackpot games have much higher RTP, usually 95 to 98%.

An example of a sequence of 10 spins could look like this, with €/$100 played:

Modern Unique Gameplay

These days, many new slots have unique gameplay that does not revolve only around reels! Some major examples are Cascading slots, Cluster Pays slots, and Megaways slots.

Cascading Slots

For Cascading slots, when you get symbols that are part of a winning combination, you are paid immediately. The winning symbols then explode or disappear from the screen, allowing new symbols to drop into their initial places.

Cluster Pays Slots

For Cluster Pays slots, you get paid for getting matching symbols regardless of reels, position, or paylines. The important thing about this is that symbols must appear beside each other to form a cluster.

Megaways Slots

With Megaways slots, you get paid when you get a winning symbol in consecutive reels, and these reels are counted from left to right. This winning symbol can be anywhere inside each reel, so your “ways” (or combinations) are increased dramatically! Therefore, paylines are not needed for Megaways slots! Some Megaways slots give you the chance to win 50,000x!

How to win at online casino slots?

Because results from slots are always predetermined, there is no magical way for any player to continuously make money from slot games. However, you can get lucky by taking advantage of the following tips:

1. Practice With Demo Slots (FREE!)

Many online casinos provide free demo versions of the real slots. Instead of wasting precious money to understand how a slot game works, players can use free games to understand how to trigger bonus features and other exciting gameplay.

New players also make the mistake of wasting welcome bonuses or their own funds on real money slot games when they have no idea what they are doing. For example, sometimes it is better to bet a higher amount (not a smaller amount) at the right timing in order to get a much, much bigger win. Always try free demo games first to gain a better understanding of how to win.

Recommended casinos that have a ton of free demo games:

2. Read Slot Reviews

If you want to find more info on which slots to play, then read lots of reviews. Usually, reviews will tell you how to trigger bonus games, the most lucrative features to achieve, and whether a game is even worth your money.

In addition to reading slot reviews, don’t forget to research casinos as well. Online casino reviews should cover a website’s game selection, payment methods, and bonuses.

Recommended casinos with a huge collection of popular slots:

3. Understand Payout Percentages (RTP)

RTP is one of the most important tools players can use to help them win on slot machines. It tells them which slots have the best odds of hitting a payout, and which to avoid. While typical slots have an average RTP of 93-94%, players should search for games near 94-97% to give themselves the best chance of winning in the long term.

If you are playing jackpot slots, then the RTP is usually 85-90%. This may seem low, but if you win, then you win BIG!

Recommended casinos with a plethora of jackpot slots:

4. Look for Low Wagering Requirements

When playing slots online, check a casino’s Terms and Conditions before depositing any funds. Some online casinos have high wagering requirements, which means that players must bet a certain amount of money before they can withdraw any winnings. Imagine winning a huge jackpot on a slot game, only to discover you cannot withdraw it until after you’ve bet more money! Fortunately, most of the casinos introduced on our site have very reasonable wagering requirements!

Summary – Where to play the best online casino slots?

Every casino introduced on our website will have at least 1,000 slots for you to choose from. Some casinos even have up to 5,500 slot titles, so you know that you will never be short of choices!

But which website to choose?

If you like playing new titles all the time, then Bitcasino.io is a great choice! New games are added daily!

If you enjoy thrilling jackpot slots, then 7Signs Casino will never disappoint. The biggest jackpot amount of current game is currently €1,454,067!

If you prefer an online casino with a generous welcome bonus, then please consider Fairspin Casino. As a welcome present, new players can get up to 5 BTC plus 140 free spins!