Slot Features
To make your experience of playing slots an enjoyable one, understanding all the features is the key. Fundamentally, these games are easy to play with spinning reels coming to a halt to form a combination of symbols; however, understanding these symbols and the terminology used will increase both your confidence and chances of having a happy outcome. Here comes the Slots School from SirSlot team.
Below you will find the most common slots features explained, as well as some additional information that will be of value for you who enjoy playing online casino slots. The same terms and features apply for mobile casino slots, as well. No matter what device you use for gambling on slot games, this school guide will turn you into a real slots feature expert.
Slots School: List of Main Slots Features
Cascading Reels
Let's start our slots school with Cascading Reels. When a reel has stopped spinning any payline with a winning combination will be automatically cleared and replaced by a new set of symbols, the feature is being called Free Falls and Falling Symbols by some slots suppliers. The most popular term, however, is Cascading Reels. Example of the slot game with this type of feature is Gemix from Play'n Go.
The replacement symbols also have the potential to form another winning slots payline and so the process continues with another set of symbols ‘cascading’ into their place. This process will continue until there are no more winning combinations.
Coins in Slot Games
When you play slots online, coins are virtual. So what do they represent? Coins in casino context express the amount that you bet on each payline, the total amount of coins represents the amount you bet on each spin on slots.
Free Spins Feature
Well, this is probably the easiest term to cover, as 99 per cent of online casino players today are familiar with free spins, thanks to amazing promotions at NetEnt casinos. Free spins are spins that you don’t pay for and are normally triggered by hitting 3 or more Free Spins or Scatter Symbols on the reels. These are also offered as part of a promotion or offer. Actually, you don't need our slots school in order to get in terms with free spins. This is probably the simplest feature there is, when it comes to the ones that are available at online casinos.
Multipliers
One of the most important features in slots online that most of the players have never heard about is actually Multipliers. These are the symbols that multiply your winnings about a certain amount. Most often they get triggered by a number of special multiplier symbols on ther reels.
Slots Paytables
These are the instructions, rules and regulations of how a particular slot game works and every casino has these. Always familiarise yourself with the Paytable of a particular game before playing. We recommend you to not limit your education with our slots school, but spend a couple of hours, learning more about Paytables on slot games.
Paylines
These are the lines on the reels that you bet on with ‘Coins’ so that when a set of symbols forms a winning combination your bet wins and you get paid out.
Progressive Jackpots
These are Jackpots that keep increasing in size as each person places his bet until the Jackpot is won. Read more about this feature below.
Scatters
The slots scatters are symbols are a very exciting feature because wherever they land, they give you a reward. They pop up randomly on reels and don’t even have to land on your payline to pay out.
Different Wilds
Wild Symbols are the Joker of Slot Games being able to replicate any other symbol, acting a substitute in order to help you form a winning combination.
The best way to learn all the features of slot games is by playing them and experiencing the thrill of casino slot games for yourself. Time to start now!
- Shifting wilds are the wilds that move around the reels after each spin. They are the opposite of Sticky Wilds that don’t move after each spin. As a wild they always substitute for any other symbol to help form a winning combination.
- Stacked wilds fall on top of one another in a reel, forming a ‘stack’. Again these wilds, like all wilds, will always substitute for any other symbol to help form a winning combination.
- Expanding wild symbols that are common in casinos online will fall on a reel and expand to cover the entire slots reel which in turn will form winning combinations as the increase in the wild symbols will form multiple paylines.
Slots School: Lesson #2 Free Spins Feature
Next step of our slots school is introducing Free Spins feature. Feel free to follow the link above in order to learn more about this concept. When you play slots in online casino for an extended period of time you will be rewarded. One way we reward players is by offering them Free Spins as a bonus. They may offer Free Spins as part of promotion on a particular online casino game or as a bonus feature whilst you are playing.
When you play your Free Spins and win, the winnings are converted into Bonus Money if part of a promotion, or else converted into cash.
Free Spins on Slots Explained
A Free Spin gives you the opportunity to spin a reel on a slot without having to pay for it. It’s that simple. Always play your Free Spins as the worst that can happen is that you’ll win! Most of modern online casino games will offer Free Spins at some stage during your gameplay. Some of the most popular and exciting games that offer Free Spins include Mega Fortune Dreams, Cosmic Fortune and Jack and the Beanstalk which always adds an extra thrill to playing these games.
No Deposit Free Spins Feature
From time to time you may be offered No Deposit Free Spins which are Free Spins that don’t require you to make a deposit. These can be offered when you open an account with Casino online and the No Deposit Free Spins will appear within your account when you login.
Can I win Real Money with Free Spins on Slots?
The simple answer is yes you can. Even though the Free Spins are offered for free as part of a bonus or promotion you can still win real money by playing them. However, some Free Spins do come with wagering requirements.
Wagering Requirements on Free Spins
If your Free Spins come with wagering requirements it means that you will have spin them a certain number of times before you can withdraw your winnings. This can be up to 30 times, but never more at best online casino sites.
Slots School Lesson #3: Feature Glossary
To help you enjoy your online slots experience, understand all the features and have the confidence to make the bets you want, SirSlot has created a casino slot game guide explaining some of the common words and expressions you’ll encounter along the way. We continue our slots school with the best glossary that you have ever seen.
| All or Nothing | When a player wins because he has ALL the cards or numbers. |
| Bankroll | The money you have available to play with during a game. |
| Basic Slots | Slot games that have one single payline and static jackpot. |
| Bonus Symbols | Symbols that trigger a bonus game or Free Spins. |
| Cascading Reels | Reels where winning lines are replaced by new symbols. |
| Casino Bonus | An incentive that's offered to a new customer when he first signs up. |
| Casino Tournament | A tournament where players play for prize money. |
| Coins | The amount you bet on each payline. |
| Expanding Wilds | Wild symbols that expand to cover the entire reel creating winning combinatons on the way. |
| Free Spins | Spins that incur no cost when played and lost. |
| High-Roller | A player who deposits and bets large amounts in an online casino. |
| Jackpot | A Jackpot is the top prize a video slot can payout. |
| Line Bet | A bet on an activated payline on multiple payline video slots. |
| Multiplier | A bonus slot geature where payouts can be multiplied. |
| Payline | A payline is the line at which winning combinations must land to win the payment amount. |
| Payout | The amount won from a winning combination on a casino slot game. |
| Pay Table | The sign that tells you about all the different winning combinations on a slot game. |
| Progressive Casino Slots | Casino slot games that have a Jackpot that continues to grow until it's won. |
| Reels | The wheels that spin on casino slot games with symbols on them. |
| Scatter | They pay wherever they land on the reels whether they fall within a payline or not. |
| Scatter Pay | When a slot game sets a specific symbol on the reels to payout regardless of what the other symbols are. |
| Select Lines | The number of paylines selected on a casino slot games. |
| Shifting Wilds | Wilds that shift around the wheels with each spin. |
| Spin | The movement of the reels as activation by the spin button. |
| Stacked Wilds | Act as substitutes for any other symbols to create a winning combination. |
| Symbols | The different images on casino slot game reels. |
| Wagering Requirements | The number of times a game must be played before being able to withdraw any winnings. |
| Wilds | Wild symbols substitute for winning symbols to create a winning combination. |
Understanding what these words mean will help you master the world of online casino slot games. Always make sure you understand the rules of any game before you start playing to avoid disappointment. If there are any more slots features that you feel we have missed in our list above, please let us know. By now, however, you are done with the slots school and should be ready to start playing online slots. Let's list some other important tips and tricks that might help you to maximize your gambling experience.
Slots School Extra Material: Start playing
Now that you have learned the basics about slots in our slots school - all the features and main rules, it is time to help you to start playing slots. Most people the first time they encounter Slot Games in an online casino are overwhelmed by the amount of casino games they have to choose from and all the rules that they have to learn in order to play them.
If this is your first time playing online slot games in an online casino you have nothing to fear and a whole world of excitement just waiting to be discovered. All you need to know are some of the basics and you’ll soon pick the rest up as you go along.
Slots 101
These games are both incredible popular as well as easy to learn, with the potential of huge Jackpot wins. There is a vast number of games from classic slots and five-reel video slots to bonus and progressive slots to choose from. Some games are customisable allowing you to tailor the game to your requirements giving you more control on your spending without having to spend time thinking about it when playing. To start with follow these guidelines:
- Choose a game with a betting amount you’re happy with.
- Decide on how much you want to bet.
- Select how many pay lines you want to bet on.
- Play and spin the reels.
Configure your own settings
- Start by selecting Your Betting Preferences: Firstly, choose how much you are prepared to spend per spin, then choose how many paylines you wish to bet on and how many coins to bet per line. Most games will remember your preferences after you have played them.
- Enable Auto Play, if you wish: If you enjoy just sitting back and watching then simply enable the Auto Play feature. It allows you to set the game to spin for a number of times automatically or up to a selected spend amount allowing you the freedom to do something else.
- Set Your Own Audio Settings: Some players enjoy listening to the sound of the games they play which can feature music from film soundtracks and TV shows. However, if you prefer a silent environment there is always the option to set the audio to mute.
Now it’s time for you to play for real and experience the thrill and excitement of Slot Games for yourself.
Slots School for Best Students: Understanding Paylines
Apart from Features, there is yet another one vital thing you must know as a beginner on slots - the paylines. The clue is in the name, a payline is the line on which any payout to you will be based. It’s probably the most important feature in any online casino slot game.
You place your bet based on a slots payline so it’s very important for you to understand how these paylines work and the winning combination that they payout on. Always remember that you can only win if you have placed a bet on a payline with a winning combination.
Normally within the description of any game you will find how many paylines it has. Most online casino games have less than 10 paylines on average; however, some video slots can have up to 100 paylines. Historically slot games always had horizontal paylines, but now casino slot games can have numerous different types of paylines in multiple directions.
How Do Paylines in Slots Work
Firstly, paylines can be either straight, diagonal or even zig-zagging across the reels depending on the game.
Secondly, casino slot games can have either adjustable paylines or fixed paylines. Online casino slot games with fixed paylines only allow you to bet on all the paylines at once; whereas casino slot games with adjustable paylines allow you to select which paylines you want to place a bet on.
Finally, be aware that most casino slot games payout for winning combinations that appear from left to right. Some slot games payout regardless of the direction and is another reason why you must always consult the Pay Table of the game you’re playing.
Remember that when you play with multiple coins you can activate multiple paylines in the same spin. When playing with only one coin however it normally only activates the middle horizontal line. So as a rule of thumb the more coins you have, the more paylines you can play and that is why you should try and place the maximum bet in order to activate all the paylines.
Naturally when you do this you will have an increased chance of achieving a winning payline. As a final note please remember that a winning combination may appear on the reels once you have spun them, but if you did not place a bet on that payline, you will not get paid out.
The best way to learn about the paylines of online casino slot games is by playing them and experiencing the thrill yourself!