The slot machine was first invented in 1899 by a man called Charles Fay in San Francisco. It was known as the Liberty Bell Machine and had very basic slot features compared to what we see in game titles today. Over the years, slots have grown and developed massively, adapting to new markets and providing various game types that can suit most players. As they have developed, the games have added many more mechanics and features, elevating their gameplay potential. However, it may be slightly challenging for newcomers to slot play to understand certain aspects of some more detailed games. The best way to understand how slots work is by knowing the basics, which is exactly what we will be looking at today.
What Does A Slot Do?
When understanding a slot machine, the best place to start is to look at the basic function and how the game’s aim is achieved. There are many common questions surrounding slots, such as, ‘How do they generate results?’, ‘What do the symbols mean?’ or ‘How many symbols are on a slot machine reel?’. Well, a brief overview of what a slot does may help to answer a few of these questions you may have.
The main purpose of a slot machine is to match symbols in combination across an active payline that may trigger a prize value return from play. Whether it is an online or physical slot machine, the aim of the game remains exactly the same and the way the machine functions is maintained. To play the game, gamers can set a bet stake they are comfortable with, with each game offering its own range of bet stake options. Gamers can then spin the reels, and if matching symbols fall within one of the game’s paylines, they will be awarded a prize value corresponding to the stake that was placed. Symbols differ in what they represent, with some symbols landing in play, even offering a bonus game or bonus feature. It is best to check the game information section to see what the different symbols represent in each slot title.
What Is A Payline?
A payline is the combination on the playtable that symbols must fall in to be a successful spin. Similar to the symbols, paylines can change from game to game, with some games even having more paylines than others. The more common number of paylines is around 10-25. However, a variation of slots known as megaways can feature as many as 240,000+ paylines across the base game and bonus game opportunities. The higher the payline count in play, the more ways that successful symbol combinations may form across the reels, although this does not increase the players’ chance of winning from a slot game. Some players even prefer lower payline games that feature more basic mechanics like early slot games!
Paylines are relatively easy to understand and can be viewed on most games’ information pages, with some even showing a visual representation of what makes a successful combination.
What Do The Symbols Mean?
The symbols in slot games can vary depending on what game you play, with developers like Microgaming and Pragmatic Play featuring unique symbols in their releases. However, there are a few symbol styles that are common in a vast amount of games. The main example of this is the typical card symbols such as Jack, Queen, King and Ace, representing the lower value symbols of the game. The bonus Wild and Scatter symbols are also common in slot games but can feature different bonus mechanics in play. Ordinarily, the Wild will act as a combination placeholder and can substitute for all symbols apart from Scatter. This symbol will substitute for a base game symbol to make or increase a combination, should it land in a position to do so across the reels. The Scatter, however, can vary in its role by doing a range of different things like collecting any prize value symbols from the playtable, awarding free spins, unlocking a bonus game and much more. Symbols of higher value in slot games tend to be represented by imagery that is associated with the theme of the game.
Overall, symbols can vary in design and value depending on the game you play, and this information can be viewed on the game ‘information’ page. Some symbols may equate to prize values or multipliers, whereas some may be able to trigger a bonus game feature.
What Are Bonus Features?
Bonus features in slot games can come in all different forms, from free spins to totally different game formats that feature different symbols, prizes, or even mechanics. Moreover, bonuses can be awarded during play in numerous different ways, for example, by landing bonus symbols in a combination or even progressively unlocking them as you play. The bonus features of a game are sometimes unique to the game, giving the player a reason to play that game specifically.
Examples of bonuses could be free spins, which reward a number of reel spins, and players can still receive a prize value despite not putting a stake in the free spins. Another example of a bonus game that could be unlocked is a Pick’n’Win feature in which gamers choose from symbols on the screen to reveal the prize values or features hidden behind them.
Conclusion
The slot industry is constantly expanding, with new, unique tiles added to the selection of games all year round, along with new developments in play mechanics and features. Slots work in various ways, making each title’s gameplay feel fresh and offering gamers lots of choice!
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
