Understanding Different Types of Slots Machines & How They Work
The first slot machine in its ‘modern’ version was invented in 1894 by Bavarian-born American inventor Charles August Fey. It was a coin-operated gambling machine that Fey, a San Francisco mechanic, built in his basement. Fast forward to 1976 when the first video slot machine was introduced, featuring an electronic color display and logic boards. The internet revolution of the 1990s saw the first online casino with online slots launched in 1994. Since then slots have gone mobile, providing players with access to thousands of slots at their fingertips from any smartphone or tablet device.
But despite leaps in technology that revolutionized the way we play slots, many basic principles of slot machines remain similar.
How Slots Work
The first step to learning how to win slots is understanding the principles of the game. Whether digital or mechanic, a slot machine will contain reels with symbols that represent different values. One or more paylines will outline the pattern of symbols that needs to align on the reels in order to generate a win.
The player will spin the slot’s reels by pulling a lever or pressing a button (for mechanical, and computerized slots respectively) with the aim of landing a winning combination of symbols that corresponds with the slot’s paylines. The payout will depend on symbol values and the amount of money wagered on the payline.
It is important to know that all slots have a Random Number Generator (RNG) which makes sure that the outcome of every spin is completely random.
Types of Slots
Beyond basic similarities, slots differ significantly in their number of reels and paylines, features, payouts, bonus rounds and more. To make the most out of your slot experience, you need to find a slot that suits your gameplay, personality and strategy.
Below are the main types of slot machines available to UK players:
🎰 Classic Slots: These are perhaps the easiest slots to find and the simplest to play. They use traditional symbols such as lemons, cherries, bells, lucky 7s and card suit symbols. The most basic ones include 3 reels and 1 payline across. But there are many newer slot machines that offer a classic theme combined with more reels, multiple paylines and innovative features.
🎰 Multi-Reel Slots: Advancements in technology allow to make slots that are more visually attractive and exciting. So modern-day online slots moved away from the classic 3-reel design, adding more reels for a more interesting gameplay and increased chances to win cash prizes. The most common is a 5-reel slot, and there are games with even more reels available.
🎰 Video Slots: Video slots are used as a generic term for online slots. However, this term is also used for slots that boast more sound and visual effects such as intricate design, animation and movies.
🎰 Multi Payline Slots: As their name suggests, this category of slots offers multiple paylines across the reels. Innovation in recent years brought about slot mechanics that enable many paylines. These include 3, 4, 5 and even 25 playlines, pay-both-way slots which pay for symbols aligned from either side, and even 1024-ways-to-win slots with a colossal amount of possible winning combinations.
🎰 Mega Spin Slots: These slots allow to play 4, 5, 6 or even more games at once. Where there are several grids or game sessions happening with every single spin.
🎰 Multiplier Slots: This slot machine has bonus features that are triggered randomly and give players the chance to multiply their winnings. Players can double, triple or even increase their wins by 100 times if lucky.
🎰 Mobile Slots: Most of the newer online slots are compatible with mobile devices such as iOS and Android. However mobile slots are a special category of slots that have been created specifically to be played on smartphones and tablets. These slots provide a seamless mobile experience with enhanced visuals and features that are designed to be played on smaller touchscreens.
