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If you’re just getting started exploring casino games online, you’ve probably found that there are lots of video slot machines. Video slots are some of the most popular games available to play online right now – and with thousands of them available, it’s often difficult to narrow down your choices.
But what are video slots exactly? In this guide, we’ll explore how to play video slot machines and show online video slots ratings and how to win at video slots, and which machines are the most popular. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear idea of why these games are so huge right now.
Video slots are casino games based around the classic fruit machine setup and mechanisms. In these games, you usually have at least three reels and three rows of symbols that you spin. At the end of the spin, if you match any symbols on a payline, you can win a prize.
Of course, over the years, there have been huge advances made in video slot design. Now, you’ll find games with more rows and reels – such as Almighty Buffalo and Dancing Drums – which aim to extend gameplay and make things more interesting.
Specifically, video slots are slot machine games that are designed either for the web, or for standalone machines in casinos and gaming centers. Unlike traditional fruit machines and slot games, video slots run on software – there are no physical working parts. It’s a bit like playing a video game with a slot theme.
That said, there are plenty of video slots out there that borrow from old-school slot mechanics. Games such as Big Bass Bonanza, 9 Masks of Fire and Razor Shark all clearly take inspiration from traditional games.
Let’s quickly run through how to play video slots. Remember, the style and setup of each game varies, so just take this as a general guide:
Most video slots are now completely mobile-friendly. This means that they’re designed specifically for casino apps you can use on smartphones and tablets.
Now that you know how to play video slot machines, let’s take a closer look at the different types out there currently.
Not all video slot machines are created equally. There are many different ways to play these games online, and it always pays to read their paytables carefully before you start.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the most popular and common types of video slot machines, both online and offline.
As mentioned, there are plenty of video slots that follow the traditional slot machine template. These games usually give you a simple play grid with reels and rows, and a range of symbols to look for.
In these games, you’ll typically need to look for ‘Wild’ symbols, which can replace other symbols on paylines to create winning combinations. In many cases, there are also bonus rounds you can unlock with ‘scatter’ symbols, which give you free spins or multiplier opportunities.
These games are some of the easiest to get into if you’re new to video slots. Some of the most popular video slots following the standard template include Sugar Rush, Da Vinci Diamonds and Book of Dead. In-person video slots that are popular with players include Double Diamond and Ultimate Fire Link.
Some classic video slots take the basic template and add some fantastic twists. For example, the iconic Starburst lets you play from left to right and right to left. Cash Eruption, meanwhile, has a creative symbol mechanic while still borrowing from traditional game templates and aesthetics.
Megaways is just one brand of multi-line video slot games available to play online. These games expand the usual format of three to five reels and give you tens of thousands of paylines per spin. In some cases, these games change the number of paylines available on each spin.
This means that you never really know what to expect, and that, hypothetically, there are lots more ways to win compared to traditional video slots. That said, the odds and volatility of these games are still uncertain. Just because one video slot has more paylines than another doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easier to win at, or that the odds are better.
Some of the biggest slot games available with thousands of paylines include Buffalo Blitz, Bonanza and Hypernova Megaways.
Cluster pays video slots give players large grids full of tiny symbols that fill up on every spin. In these games, you usually need to arrange matching symbols together to create a winning cluster rather than a typical payline, which then breaks away.
One of the most popular and most creative cluster pays video slot games is Reactoonz, which has unsurprisingly launched a number of spinoffs.
Flat top or flat jackpot slots are games that offer big prizes that never change. These are fixed top prizes that you can play for at any time, and that carry the same odds regardless of where you play it.
Some video slot machines have several fixed or flat jackpots to unlock, which players can strike for by lining up scatter symbols or activating a random event.
Again, the odds of winning flat jackpots will vary, and just because a game has a handful of jackpot prizes doesn’t mean that the odds of you winning them are high.
Some of the biggest flat jackpot video slots we recommend are Fortune Coin, Rich Little Piggies and Gold Blitz. These frequently appear on jackpot slot apps.
Progressive slots have some of the most substantial prizes across the industry. Available both online and offline, progressive prize games let you play for jackpots that grow into the millions.
The reason for this is that progressive video slots are all linked together across different casinos. Anyone playing these specific games at different casinos all have an equal chance at winning the prizes.
Progressive jackpot prizes increase in value as more and more people make bets. Each bet adds to the prize total. In some cases, video slots offer a ‘ceiling’ such as a ‘must win by’ total, which means that the top prize will drop by the time it reaches that amount.
In most video slot games, there is a bonus round or feature that you can unlock by spinning the right symbols into view. However, with bonus buy slots, you can buy the feature outright.
This means that you must pay a specific bet amount and risk your potential reward from the bonus that awaits. This can be a highly risky move, and if you’re just getting started with video slots, it’s not something we always recommend.
That said, you can still enjoy playing bonus buy video slots without actually buying the bonus! Games that offer this feature as part of a broader experience include Wanted Dead Or A Wild and Gates of Olympus.