Understanding Different Types of Online Slot Machines

We would be wasting your time if we attempted to categorize all the types of slot machines. Every casino offers a wide assortment of slots to attract gamblers. Slots come in hundreds of types and variations, from single line and 3 line, to 3 or 5 reel, and from bonus games to progressives, to mention only some.

It makes more sense to check out the typical features of slot machines.

Number of Reels

There are usually 3 or 5 slots at a slot machine. Early slots had just three reels. We remember them as "classic" or "regular" machines.

Nowadays, 5 reel slots are common, and they generally feature more than 1 payline (see below).

Number of Rows

Slots machines comprise one, two or several horizontal rows marking positions on the vertical reels.

Extra rows, usually one above and one below the payout screen, tempt players with a view of how they may have missed a win.

Number of Pay Lines

There may be one or more paylines crossing the reels. It is common to see 5, 3, 9, 15 and more recently even 20 lines. For a winning combination, the designated symbols must fall on a line, often the central horizontal line.

There's just 1 payline crossing the 3 reels on a traditional machine. You can bet one or more coins per spin but only the centre line pays, and raising your bet does not improve your odds of winning.

On a slot with more than 1 payline, you are able to bring extra lines into play by increasing the amount of coins you are playing. You do not have to bet on every accessible payline.

Suppose you are on a three line slot and you are expected to insert 1 coin to play the middle line, another coin to play with the line above centre and a third coin to play with the line below centre. If you now bet just 1 coin and the reels exhibit a winning combination on the line above or below the middle, you do not win anything since you played with too few coins.

By providing diagonal matches, slots with 5 reels may have from 5 to 20 paylines.

Denomination of one coin

There are slot machines that accept denominations from as little as 5 cents to $5. High roller slots may accept"coins" with a denomination of up to $500, although these are few and far between. Some online casinos have special limits set up for their players to adapt big bets.

Number of coins that can be played

The most bet on classic slots is usually three coins, but there are a few slots that take a 2-coin maximum wager. Again, video slots have changed this attribute radically, with some multi line video slots currently accepting up to 10 coins per line.