Online Slots Guide

Get started with playing slots at online casinos

Online slot machine games are in essence the same as playing slot machines at real casinos throughout the world. While the first slot machine was created by a German factory worker in the late 19th century, the premise and design remains very similar today.

Known as “the one armed bandit,” the slot machine earned its nickname because of its completely random way of paying off. A player can literally be at the same machine pumping money in for long lengths of time with no return whatsoever. There are no odds calculations for slot machines.

Slots are widely popular online basically because of their simplicity. A player has no influence whatsoever in determining the placement of slots, therefore it’s completely a game of chance. However, what makes it attractive is its payout percentage. Slot percentage payouts average between 88-97 dollars for every 100 dollars played. While this may not seem like a lucrative proposition, any user could be paid out money that was lost by someone who had previously played that machine and won nothing at all.

There is no real strategy to playing slots at all. Because it is so random in nature and based almost entirely on chance, there are ways that a player can lessen their odds of losing money.

Playing simple three-reel slots has an advantage, as it’s much easier to win on a three symbol combination as opposed to a four or five symbol combination using multiple lines. While the larger reel game with multiple lines can pay off much larger jackpots, the odds are considerably higher.

One way of playing slots that has gained in popularity in recent years is through slot tournaments. Slot tournaments start out in a similar fashion as online poker tournaments.

Entrants are required to pay an up-front fee to enter a slots tournament. Most slot tournaments have players sitting at their individual slot machines for a set period of time. The person who wins the most amount of money or credits at their slot machine wins the tournament. Prize money is paid out through the entry fee paid at the beginning of the tournament. In many cases, the top ten, twenty, thirty or even forty top money winners are paid out through the prize pool, depending on how many players originally paid the entrance fee.

Progressive jackpots is another way to win big money in online slots. Progressive jackpots are accumulated over a longer period, and are generally accumulated through other players’ losses. Depending on the exact combination of reels and lines, a player can win a progressive jackpot that reaches seven figures.

There are some online casinos that may interconnect different slot machine games in order to make one huge progressive jackpot. In these cases, a specific reel-line combination is required to win the progressive jackpot. If you win a jackpot like this, there is a pretty good chance you may never have to work again!

Online slots offer a lot of fun, especially to just a casual player. For the more serious gambler, it may not offer anywhere close to the best of odds compared to other games, but the payoff can be absolutely enormous if lucky enough to hit the right combination.