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Skills and slots: a beginner’s guide to slot games

When you check out some of the most popular games in online casinos, you will often see different kinds of slot machines at the top of the list. Slot games are played by so many gambling players because of their simple and fun gameplay, as all you have to do is push a button or pull a lever and wait for the spinning reels to stop and hope that you can align the same symbols on the reels.

Although jackpot slots are very simplistic when it comes to their gaming mechanics, there is actually a little bit of strategy involved in winning more spins or rounds in the games. 

Various strategies can be applied to different online slot machines, such as video slots. One of these strategies involves using free spins bonuses and other kinds of bonuses and rewards in order to get more spins or rounds without spending more money.

If you want to know more about the tips and tricks of playing slot machines, here is a beginner’s guide to slot games.

Take Your Time in Learning Slot Machine Basics

Before you start playing big jackpot slots in online casinos, social casinos, or even land-based casinos, you will first need to take your time in learning slot machine basics, which can include its gameplay and commonly used terms.

In terms of gameplay, the slot machine may feature a button or a level that you need to press and pull to begin spinning the reels. Then, the reels may spin for a few seconds before they stop on their own, and that is where you can see if you have aligned the same symbols found on the reels. 

You will need to align the same symbols on paylines in order to win a jackpot. If you don’t know what paylines are, then you are most likely also unfamiliar with other terms that are used in slot machines. As the first part of the tips and tricks we can give you, here is a list of commonly used slot machine terms:

• Payline - this is the line where you need to match the symbols on the reels in order to win a prize or increase your total points. Paylines can usually be horizontal or diagonal, but there are sometimes weird or peculiar paylines that can appear in some games.
• Jackpot - this is the ultimate prize that you can win in different slot games, like VIP slots and video slots.
• Progressive Jackpot - a type of jackpot that progressively increases as long as no player is winning it. The slot machine jackpots may be set at a specific starting amount and will increase based on how many people are playing the game. If you are wondering, “What is the best slot machine to play to win?” then you should play progressive online slots just because of the size of the jackpots or rewards they can provide.
• Multiplier - this is an effect that increases or multiplies the points that you win by aligning symbols on the reels.The points you collect in most slot games enable you to have a higher chance of winning the jackpot prize.
• Bonuses - these are the rewards typically given by online casinos or land-based casinos in order for the players to get extra chances of playing and winning in different casino games. For slot games, these bonuses may come in the form of bonus rounds that can win you prizes separate from the jackpot.

Free Spins - these are a type of casino bonus that can be used to get free spins from slot games. These free spins can be used for bonus rounds so that you can get special prizes, or they can be used in the actual reels to get an extra spin.

Know Your Odds

In order to win in jackpot slots, you will need to know your odds. These odds can be determined by various factors, including the number of players who have previously played the game, the RTP (return-to-player) rate, and the game’s volatility. Let us discuss each of these main factors:

• Number of Players - the number of people playing a specific game would often determine the odds of you winning the jackpot. If there are already plenty of players who have spun the game’s reels and nobody has won the jackpot, there is a high chance that it might be you who can get it, as land-based and online slots would sometimes give out the prizes after a certain number spins on the reels. The chance of you winning is also directly related to the RTP rate and volatility.
• RTP (Return-to-Player) Rate - the RTP or return-to-player rate refers to the percentage wherein the players can gain back the money he or she has wagers while playing multiple rounds of the game. If the game has a high RTP, there is a big chance that you can win your money back and possibly even gain more. The chance of you getting your money back will also increase if you use free spins and other bonuses.

Volatility - the volatility of a slot machine indicates how often it would give out prizes or jackpots to players. Slot machines with high volatility do not give prizes as frequently as games with low volatility. However, if the jackpot is progressive, having high volatility can be beneficial if you are lucky to win the prize, as the jackpot would surely be larger than what you can get from low-volatility themed slots and video slots in online casinos.

Learn the Visual Queues of Slot Machines

Slot machines have visual queues to tell you where you can get multipliers or bonuses. These visual queues may vary per game, but they typically give out the same rewards. 

Moreover, the visual queues can appear like symbols that are connected to the themes of the game. These themed slots, which may include VIP slots, are often found in online casinos or social casinos, and you can find the best casino slot machines with themes by reading casino reviews.

For example, if the theme of the digital slots is about fruits, there may sometimes be special fruits that appear in the game that you may need to click or press in order to get a bonus. Keep an eye out for these visual queues so that you can have a big win in the casino slot machines you will be playing.

Learn About RTP

If you want to get the best experience when it comes to playing slot games, then you should play slot machines with high RTP, as they can guarantee that you can win a lot more compared to other games with low RTP. Here are the different ways for you to find the best highest RTP slots:

• Check Descriptions - sometimes, the online casinos will already tell you which of their games have high RTP.You can check for these slot games by reading their descriptions, which you can find on the introduction page of the themed slots, VIP slots, and other kinds of slot games. These descriptions tell you not only about their RTP but also other pieces of information like gameplay mechanics, themes, and bonuses.
• Read Reviews - another way for you to find slot games with high RTP is to read reviews, which are available on casino review websites and some online casinos. These reviews will also take a look at the fun factors of slot games and how they perform in terms of frame rate and lag time.

Follow Recommendations - you may also want to follow recommendations from your friends who regularly play slot games at online casinos. Message boards that are centered on online casino discussions may also have threads about the slot machines that experts and experienced casino players recommend.

Keep an Eye Out for Daily Rewards and Bonuses

Daily rewards and bonuses are what you will need if you want to play more slot games and win more prizes while spending less money. These bonuses and rewards are particularly utilized to get free rounds in different casino games, including slot machines. Here is a list of the most common types of bonuses you can get from online casinos:

• Welcome Bonus - this is given to new players who have recently created an account on the online casino. If you are a new player, we recommend that you play free slots first so that you can enjoy playing without spending money. There are also free slots with bonus rewards that you can use to win more in the game.
• Deposit Bonus - this is the type of bonus that is provided after you have deposited money to your account’s digital wallet.
• No-Deposit Bonus - as the opposite of the deposit bonus, the no-deposit bonus is given even if you haven’t deposited anything into your account's digital wallet.

Free Spins - these are the bonuses that are specifically used in big jackpot slots to get extra spins or bonus rounds in the games. With more free spins, you can have a higher chance of getting slot machine jackpots.

FAQ

If you have any more questions regarding slot machines, we hope that this section will provide you with some answers. Below are the frequently asked questions about slot games and the answers we can provide for each of them.

How to Choose a Slot Machine with the Best Odds?

As we have mentioned previously, there are several ways to find slot machines with the best odds or high RTP rates. These ways include reading reviews, following recommendations, and reading various threads on message boards about the best and most popular slot machines in online and land-based casinos. For more information on the features of great slot machines, you can read Unveiling the Best Slot Machines: A Comprehensive Review.

Can I Win Big Rewards in Slot Games?

Yes, you absolutely can win big rewards in slot games, although you will need to find the best games with the highest jackpot prizes in order to make your every spin or wager worth it. Look for progressive slots that have jackpots that continuously get bigger if nobody has won them yet. 

These progressive slots would often have the biggest prizes that online and land-based casinos can offer. Be sure to win the free spins bonus and other reward bonuses to gain more spins in the games.

Are There Themed Slot Machines?

There are thousands of themed slot machines available in online casinos or social casinos, while land-based casinos would often only have a few. So, if you want variety in terms of symbols, items, icons, and backgrounds, you should definitely play the themed slot machines in online casinos.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Play Slots?

In online casinos, it doesn’t matter when or where you are playing, as you can already access various online casino games using your preferred platform, which can be your desktop computer, laptop, mobile phone, or tablet.