Slot Machines And Pay Table: What Are They And How To Use Them?
Online slots are incredibly popular and seem to be getting ever more so by the minute. A pointer to the popularity of online slots lies in the fact that revenues from online slot machines gambling make up a large and growing percentage of all gambling revenues worldwide. Max respects to these simple, but no less captivating means of gambling!
While online slots are certainly simple in both concept and practice, noobs to the online slots world might find them a little confusing. For the noobs and other interested fellas who wish to learn some useful things about slots, detailed below are some simply explained facts about online slot machines and their paytables.
We hope that these explanations will both enhance understanding of the game and boost the thrills to be had. So, read on!
Traipsing Into The Online Slots World!
In most offline and online casinos, slots are king! They are by far the most popular casino games around and are how most casinos earn the bulk of their revenue.
Part of the appeal of slots lies in the incredible fact that no strategy at all is required for gameplay. Instead, all that players need to do is to wager as much as they like, click on the “Spin” button or pull a lever to get the reels spinning. Lady Luck then takes care of the gameplay outcome and capriciously decides whom to bless or curse.
No wins in slots would be possible without the existence of the paytable. So, what exactly are slot machine paytables and how do they work? Well, these are some excellent questions and the answer to them will be detailed below.
Pay It At The Table Now!
Ever wondered what a slot machine paytable is all about? Well, wonder no more!
See, while all slot machines have different features, one thing they do have in common is a paytable. All slots in existence have a paytable as that is critical to the gameplay.
The paytable in slot machines is not exactly hidden. Still, it won’t automatically make an appearance once a slot game has been started. Instead, each slot has a button that is dedicated to displaying the paytable and the vital information it carries.
While the paytable does not directly boost winning chances, it can do so indirectly. This is because the paytable carefully explains all the features of any particular slot machine.
Reading and then understanding the information displayed on the paytable can make it possible for players to make wiser choices and wager more skillfully. This can slightly increase the winning chances, apart from promoting a better understanding of the slot game that is being played.
Usually, the following information can be found on the paytable of any slot machine:
- Slot icons and how much they are worth.
- The different bonuses featured and how they can be triggered.
- How the featured free spins work and the means of activating them.
- Detailed diagrams of the paylines. This can easily make it possible for players to know where on the reels they should land icons for enhanced wins.
- The game rules.
- The jackpot offers, if any.
The information in any slot machine paytable tends to vary, but most include what is detailed above. In other paytables, information about the RTP, tournaments and more might be listed too.
It bears restating that thoroughly reading up the paytable is called for, well before any slot machine should be spun up. By reading and digesting what the paytable has to say, players can optimize their gameplay, know what to do to trigger free spins and jackpots and be able to tap into the highest fun possible.
More, checking out the paytable before gameplay commences enables players to differentiate the icons of high value from the ones of low value. This well might make it easier to land hard-hitting wins.
In light of the above, reading the paytable of any slot machine should be an acquired habit for all players. Starting now!
Slot Machines Get To Work!
So, how exactly do slot machines work? Well, many are those who have asked that precise question over the years! Thankfully, the answer is pretty simple.
Slots can come in a wide array of flavours and have different features, but nearly all are equipped with paylines. These paylines are also occasionally referred to as winning lines and betting lines.
All slot machine winning combos land on the paylines. Back when slot machines were first created, they had just a single payline and never felt the need for more. However, as technology advanced and player tastes changed, video slots came into being.
These video slots were equipped with multiple paylines. Invariably, the more paylines that a slot machine has the more a win is possible.
At present, slot paylines vary from the aforementioned single paylines to 1024 paylines and more. Yes, there are indeed slots with 1,024 paylines, and while this might seem like overkill, it is worth remembering that there are slots with even more paylines.
The number of paylines that a slot is equipped with, just like other pertinent information can be found in one place- the paytable. And this is one more reason why checking out the paytable of any slot before commencing gameplay is recommended.
The paylines in slot machines pay out in a predetermined pattern. In a great majority of slots, the paylines pay out when players land certain icons on the reels starting from the left to the right. The paylines are certainly the most important slot game feature, as a win is only possible when identical icons are landed on them.
Icons that end up on inactive paylines will however not pay out. With this being the case, just how many lines should slot players play with?
Well, that depends on the particular slot game being played. Usually, the biggest possible wins are only possible when all the paylines in an online slot are active. More, in a jackpot game, winning the jackpot requires the use of all the featured paylines in a slot machine.
However, while playing all the paylines in a slot can result in some impressive wins, it can as well be pretty expensive. Thus, players should endeavour to play only as much paylines as their bankroll can support.
New Slots Take Over
While slot machines of the previous era had flexible paylines, this is not the case with most of the recently released video slots. In these slots, the user cannot adjust the number of paylines in use. He/she is therefore obliged to play every featured paylines whether that is preferred or not.
There are however pros and cons to this. Playing with all the paylines results in increased winning chances if identical icons make it to the reels. On the other hand, playing with a fraction of the supported paylines means that a win is not recorded if winning icons were to land on an inactive payline.
This means that for a win to be recorded, all the icons -bar the scatter and bonus icons- need to show up on active paylines. And that is why the newer generation of video slots with their rigid payline structure might be better than the older generation of slot machines with their flexible payline structure.
The Orientation And Direction Of Slot Machine Paylines
As has already been stated, most paylines record a win when winning icons land from the left to the right. There are however other existing slot directions and winning orientations and these are as follows:
- Right To Left– this payline pays out when identical icons are landed from the right to the left.
- Pay Both Ways– this is found in an increasing number of slot machines. Here, landing icons from the left to the right, as well as the right to the left will result in a win. This feature is as of now found only in a few slots, with NetEnt’s Starburst slot being among the more prominent.
- All Ways– in slots with an All Ways feature, the number of paylines is usually more than 100. The most typical is the 243 ways to win, which triggers a win whenever players land matching icons on all reels starting from the left to the right. When a slot has an All Ways feature, landing a 5-of-a-kind winning combo becomes a breeze, as players merely need to land matching icons on every reel, rather than landing these icons on a winning payline. The Thunderstruck 2 slots from Microgaming is a prime example of an All Ways win slot.
- Cluster Pays– these are a little different than the ones detailed above. To record a win in a slot with Cluster Pays, players are required to form a cluster of identical icons. This can be from 3 to 5 icons. An example of a Cluster Pays slot can be found in the Aloha! Cluster Pays slot from NetEnt.
The Combo Wars!
Hopefully, the above write up sweetly explained all about online slots, their paytable and paylines, apart from getting readers in the mood to spin up a slot or two and practice what they just learned. If that is the case, here is a choice selection of slots and the paylines they are equipped with:
- Major Millions– 3 Paylines
- Inferno Star– 5 Paylines
- Dead Or Alive– 9 Paylines
- Drive: Multiplier Mayhem- 15 paylines
- Rise Of Olympus– 20 Paylines
- Jack and the Beanstalk- 25 Paylines
- Immortal Romance– 243 Paylines
- Dwarf Mine– 1024 Paylines.
Readers should feel free to check out the slots above and explore sweet sweetness on the paylines and paytables on offer. By so doing they are practically guaranteed to get thrilled to the limit!