How to Go from Novice to Casino Master

Do you wish you could become more involved with online slot play? Thousands of uniquely themed games await you, and you may shoot for some very impressive jackpots while you play.

Participation is simple: Many slot machines in casinos provide free practise rounds, and when you are ready to play for real money, you may always start with a low bet. Playing slots for pleasure is fine, but if you want to take the experience seriously, you should strive to become a casino specialist.

Put on Your Guru Face

So, how can one attain the status of "Casino Guru?" Knowing the difference between wilds and scatters and what a progressive jackpot is all about is essential knowledge while playing slot machines. To truly become an expert in any facet of the casino industry, you will need to master its unique lingo.

You will be an expert in stacked wilds, gamble features, and expanding reels by the time we are done, but such stuff can wait for now.

Slot Machines: The Basics of Playing Online

This tutorial will take you by the hand and show you every step you need to take to master the reels, beginning with the game you decide to play. The number of rows and columns in a slot machine game is referred to as the "reel format," and it is a common topic of discussion in evaluations of these machines.

The 3-4-5-4-3 format is one example of the complexity that can arise in some of them. We suggest beginning with a 5x3 reel grid, however others may choose to do so when additional games become available. Known as a "classic" grid, this layout is ideal for beginners.

Since our primary goal here is amusement, select a game that piques your interest. You may pick from a wide variety of settings, such as the Ancient Egyptians, Viking raiders, mystical woods, scary monsters, or cute kittens. Pick a topic that interests you and keep the tone light.

That takes care of the fundamentals, and after you have settled on a game, you should be able to modify it to your liking.

Conditions of an Online Casino

Players may adjust the settings of the game to their liking before each spin. There are a variety of choices, including as

Each video slot game has its own unique music, designed to add to the fun as you spin the reels.  While the accompanying music suits the concept and might add to the excitement, some slot players may find it annoying. Just push the mute button and carry on spinning if you would rather play in silence.
 
Slots can be played for as little as a few pennies up to £100 or more, depending on the player's betting preferences. The number of paylines available is usually fixed but some games allow players to increase their stake to bring in more betways or more features.
Make sure you are happy with the stake before you hit the spin button.
 
Auto Play: Pressing the spin button should not require much effort, but if you want to kick back and watch the reels spin without having to do anything, this is the mode for you. This feature enables players to predetermine their wager for a predetermined number of spins before accepting and releasing the machine to carry out the arduous task.
 

You Should Be Good to Go at This Point

Now we’ve picked our slot game and adapted it to suit our settings, so it’s time to delve a little deeper and move forwards on the path towards becoming a Casino Guru. 

Slot games using wild symbols in online casinos

Almost every slot machine has a special function for the Wild Symbols. The aim for a wild is to match with other symbols on the reels to find a winning combination that wouldn’t exist otherwise. A wild symbol should be able to stand in for any standard picture but not for other bonus or scatter symbols.

Before playing a slot, it’s important to identify which symbol is acting as the Wild. Often, you can’t miss it as it will be a square carrying the word ‘Wild’ in big lettering but, on other occasions, it’s a unique icon that relates to the theme of the slot game.

Free-For-All Symbols 

In general, a scatter cannot be replaced by a wild as this is a special symbol in its own right. A scatter will lead to a bonus feature and this usually involves a set of free spins. A certain amount of scatters (usually three) will need to land on a spin and the bonus round will then be activated.

As with the wild feature, remember to check which image represents the scatter in the specific game that you are playing.

Other Bonus Symbols

Most slot games have a wild and a scatter but, on rare occasions, there may be other bonus symbols too. Perhaps they will lead to a pick game where players select a cash prize or another bonus which is hidden behind a secret door.

Other options might include a Wheel of Fortune game where you spin to win more rewards or they may be a respin which offers another chance to claim cash. We can’t be specific here as there’s no way to generalise when describing other, possible bonus symbols. Players will have to identify the mechanics before getting involved with the game in question.

Stacked Symbols

Slot reviews will occasionally talk about symbols that become stacked. This simply means that they will expand and cover all positions on a certain reel. For example, that review might state that the ‘wild can become stacked on reel 3.’

When this type of feature occurs, the wild extends to fill all available positions on the nominated reels and the intention in this instance is to increase the chances of matching other symbols to provide a win.

Payline

Earlier in this guide we mentioned that a slot machine has a certain number of paylines but what, exactly, does that mean? A payline is an invisible line, set on those reels where symbols need to match in order to win a prize.

It could be central and completely horizontal so, if we look at that classic 5x3 grid layout, the most prominent and, usually the highest paying payline, is right in the middle, across the five rows.

Paylines can also be diagonal and at times, they can be irregularly shaped too. Very occasionally, slot machines can pay out on winning combinations formed from right to left as well as the more traditional left to right. Once again, it’s a case of identifying those paylines before committing to real money stakes.

Tumbling Reels

In some slot games, when a win drops in, the matching symbols will disappear and others will take their place.

This feature is known as Tumbling Reels and effectively, it’s giving the player an extra spin with a view to landing more winning combinations.

Progressive Jackpot

There are two types of jackpot in a slot machine - fixed and progressive. With a fixed jackpot, the amount you can win is clearly shown in the paytable and this doesn’t change.

A progressive jackpot can be much higher and it’s made up by a percentage of stakes from around the online casinos that host the game in question. It’s progressive because it increases until it’s won.

Gamble Features

Some slot developers like to add a gamble feature to their games. This will appear at the end of every winning spin and will offer the player to double, or possibly quadruple their prize.

This will generally involve the turn of a card so, you may be asked to guess whether hearts or clubs will be produced. Remember, this is an optional feature and, if you call incorrectly, the original win will be lost.

Over to You

You’re well on your way to becoming a casino guru and, armed with the information provided in this guide, you should now be familiar with the jargon used at the online slot machines.

Remember, each slot is different and while we’ve given you the general rules that typically apply, it’s important to just check every game before you commit to play. Exceptions to the above rule might include a slot game where the wild symbol also plays the part of a scatter or, perhaps there may be additional wilds that appear in the bonus rounds.

All games have their subtle differences so, as any casino guru will tell you, it’s important to check them out fully.