How to Play Slots – The Basics

For those who are new to casinos slots games are often the starting point. They are easy to learn and have the potential to pay out large amounts of cash.

This is what makes them popular with seasoned gamblers. However, nowadays there are a lot of choices when it comes to slots. Do you choose classic slots or five reel video slots? Bonus slots or progressives?

How to play slots has become quite a bit more complicated these days. But, slots are still easy to play, you just need to know the basics for each type of slot machine.

Classic slots are available both online and in land based casinos. These are three reels and a single pay line making it the simplest form of all the slots games available.

There is little difference between online and offline slots. The important thing to know with offline slots, though, is how you collect your money.

This is typically done these days via a ticket so when you are done playing you get a voucher that can be inserted into the next game and your credits will appear. When you are ready to cash out, just go to the cashier.

The premise of classic slots is simple and will cover all slots with minor variations. When you spin the reels they will eventually stop on a pay line.

On classic, single pay line slots this will be the center line. What symbols appear on the pay line will determine your jackpot, if any.

You can usually see the payout schedule on the machine so you can easily look up the combinations that pay from least payment to the biggest jackpot. Some symbols are “wilds” which means it can replace any other symbol on the reel making an otherwise losing combination into a winning one.

Some three reel slots have multiple pay lines, though. Some have up to three pay lines across the top, middle and bottom of the reels. Examples would include Double Diamond slots and Five Times Pay slots

In order to be eligible for these extra pay lines, though, extra coins must be wagered. So, with a single coin wager you would get the standard single, middle pay line.

Two coins would trigger the second pay line and the max bet of three coins would give you the third. If a winning combination occurs on any of the three pay lines you win the jackpot.

This same premise continues with 5 reel or more slots and multiple pay line wins. Examples of this type of game includes cleopatra and monopoly slots as well as new games like wizard of oz and lord of the rings. You can get 20 or more pay lines in multi reel slots. All you need to understand is how many coins are needed to unlock each pay line.

Usually as you choose pay lines they will be highlighted so they are easy to read. When you spin, you get the jackpot if the correct symbols land on any of the pay lines you have activated.

The basics of how to play slots are easy. No matter how many reels and how many pay lines if you manage to get the top winning combination, you will receive a jackpot.

The main difference is that the more reels and the more pay lines you have the more opportunities you have to win. However, it also means your beginning wager will be higher.