The Basics

There are many different slot machine games that vary by jackpot sizes, combinations, symbols, size and number of coins allowed in each play. Included in these games are the popular Video Poker games. All slot machines display the payoffs, and those that work in a certain way, have instructions on them. Even with all this variation Slots are probably the easiest casino game to learn and play. It's also one of the most fun and most popular. It is a game of chance with symbols displayed on reels. The objective of Slots is to spin the reels so the symbols form a winning combination in the payline(s).

The payout is dependant on the winning combination formed, and the amount that is bet. There are two types of slot machines, straight slots and progressive slots. The straight slots have fixed payouts and generally offer more payouts that a progressive machine. The progressive slots offer a jackpot but a player needs to play the maximum number of coins to be able to win the jackpot.

Playing Slots

The first thing you do to a slot machine is you place your bet. You choose what amount you would like to bet, usually from 1 coin to sometimes up to 4 or 5 coins per line. Machines can very from coin values of as little as $.05 to as much as $5. So if you bet four coins on a $.25 machine, your bet is one dollar.

The next thing you do in online slots is click a button to start the wheels spinning. This is the same as pulling the arm on a real slot machine. All you do now is wait and see if you win.

Where the wheels stop determines if you win and how much. The goal is to get the symbols (i.e. cherries, numbers and so on) to line up on the payline in one of the winning combinations listed on the pay table. Each game will have its own pay table. Three cherries in a row may pay 3 to 1. Some machines have three or five paylines, or pay on the diagonal.

Slots Variations

Progressive Jackpot Slots means that a jackpot builds as more and more players play the casino's progressive machines. The first person to hit the winning combination wins the total jackpot. To be eligible for the jackpot you usually have to play the maximum number of coins. The jackpot is usually displayed above the machine so you know exactly what you are playing for. When the jackpot is won, it is reset to a base value and starts to increase again as more people play.

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