The History of Slot Machines
The history of slot machines takes us back to 1891 when Sittman and Pitt from Brooklyn, NY, created a gambling machine that is the predecessor to the modern machine. When the first game of this type was created, many people were wondering – what is a slot and how does it work?
This machine proved to be extremely successful as many bars in New York and a few of them. They were also simple to play. Players just had to insert a nickel and pull a lever. The drums would then spin and reveal the cards. The interesting thing about the early forms of slot machines is that they did not have direct payments. Instead, they provided rewards such as free games, cigars, and drinks.
After slot machines started gaining massive popularity throughout the country and the world, the first video slot machine was developed in 1976 in Keamy Mesa, California. This machine had a 19-inch colour receiver and a board with several slot functions. If you are wondering how the first few slot machines work, their gameplay was pretty similar to the modern one.
Then, this video slot was purchased by IGT in 1978. As for how much a slot machine cost, especially this one, there is no accurate information.
How Slot Machines Work: from Mechanical to Online
The next topic is how slot machines work. These games can be found at pretty much every gambling venue. As mentioned earlier, their gameplay is simple. Mechanical slots usually have a lever that you need to pull to spin the reels. Some of the more modern-looking slots have a button that you need to press.
As for placing bets on these slots, you insert a certain amount of coins. Each slot has different minimum and maximum values. The rewards are paid in coins or bills.
Online slots have similar basics, with the obvious difference being that you play them online. First of all, if you want to play online slots for real money, then you need to register at an online casino. Registration is very simple. All you have to do is supply the online casino with basic information about yourself.
Then, the next step is to verify your identity via email or by sending an ID card, passport, driver's license, or utility bill. After you’ve verified your identity and selected your preferred method, the next step is to deposit funds that you will use to play the featured slots.
It is worth noting that these days, online slots can be accessed on both mobile and desktop devices as they utilize the latest HTML5 technology.
Slot Games Payout: Odds, RNG and RTP
Apart from learning what is slot and how do slot machines work, it is vital to learn some of the technical information about them. That includes the use of RNGs, Return to Player, odds, etc. Why? Because this information will get you familiar with how do slot machines pay out and how big are the featured rewards.
Taking a look at the type of jackpot is not enough. As you are familiar, there are two types of jackpots at slots – progressive and standard. Standard jackpots are fixed, while progressive jackpots increase as players continue to feed the game. Let’s check out some of the features.
Random Number Generator
First off, making sure that the featured slot game has an RNG, or a Random Number Generator, is of massive importance. Here’s why. RNGs are AI technology that enforces fair play. They do that by creating random outcomes of each spin.
All licensed online casinos use Random Number Generators to keep the chances even. As you may know, game rigging is sort of a problem in the gambling industry, especially in illegal rings, but thanks to the fact that operators utilize this type of technology, they made sure that they are at the forefront in the battle against corruption.
This technology has been tested at many laboratories and has proven to be very effective. RNGs are all about numbers. This is a microprocessor that produces and selects numbers that vary between zero and several billion. They correspond to the slot's reels and these numbers are what predicts the outcome of a spin. Each starting number is known as a seed number whose basis is formed on a complex algorithm.
The programme uses the seed number to generate a new number that will replace it and this cycle repeats infinite times. It is worth noting that once you spin the wheel, the number/outcome is decided instantly. The spinning reels are just a cool visual effect and they do not represent a timeframe in which the outcome is being determined.
Slot Odds and Return To Player (RTP)
Next up, RTP rates and slot odds are also factors that decide how big of a payout you will receive. Let’s start with the RTP first. The RTP is a measurement of a stakes a game the players receives in percentages.
The minimum RTP depends on the laws and regulations of the country, but it always varies between 75% and 98%. Logically, the higher the RTP rate is, the bigger the rewards are. Here’s how it works. If one slot machine can be played with €1 and has an RTP rate of 95%, that means that the slot will pay out €950,000 of the €1 million staked.
But, the RTP is not the only measurement; odds are important too. For example, if the maximum jackpot exposure is 4,000x the bet, that means the jackpot is hit once every 4,000 spins and that the RTP rate is 100%. Each featured symbol in the slot also has a different payout. Not only that, but the payout depends on the number of symbols that you land on a payline.
Finally, the table of probabilities is known as PARS (Paytable And Reel Strips) and it helps players understand the psychology of the chosen slot.
Finding The Slot’s Payout Percentage
Of course, the aforementioned topics provide you with important information on how slot machines work, which is only logical that they will be featured somewhere. But, the main question here is, how to find the payout percentage on a slot machine?
Most slot games will have an information's tab which you can click and thus, read everything concerning the payout percentages. That includes the symbol payout, minimum and maximum bets, expected returns, and RTP.
Pretty much every reputable game provider will include all of this information on this page, but if it doesn't, there is one additional way through which you can get familiar with it. Other solutions include reading the featured reviews on the specific slot or go to the provider’s page and check the information concerning the slot. Since providers are those that create the slots, they will always have accurate data on this topic.
Slots Features and Options
So, we’ve figured out how slot machines work and what are some of the attributes that will indicate how big the rewards are. Now we turn to yet another topic which is slot features.
Each slot game has a selected number of features such as reels, paylines, volatility rate, as well as in-game bonuses like Free Spins, bonus rounds, feature buy, and gamble opportunities. We will be taking a look at all of these features, explain them, and thus, allow you to get familiar with the last tiny details concerning these casino games. Let us start with slots’ reels and paylines.
Slot Reels and Paylines
Slot reels are the vertical positions on the grid. Back in the day, most of the slots had a classic grid that contained 3 reels, but thanks to technological advancements, slots have a variety of numbers these days. The most common slot layout usually contains 5 reels, but thanks to game mechanics some slots even have bonus rounds in which the number of reels expands (example picture - 5 reels).
As for the paylines, they represent the featured lines on which players can form winning combinations. Up until a while ago, the number of paylines on each slot was fixed, but these days, slots allow you to set the number of paylines that you want to have on each spin. So, if you are questioning yourself ‘how many lines should I play on a slot machine’, the answer is as many as you want(example picture - 9 paylines).
Additionally, there are new pay systems, such as Megaways, Cluster Pays, and Infinity Reels:
Megaways slots can contain up to 117,649 paylines and this concept was developed by Big Time Gaming back in 2015. The mechanic changes the number of symbols on the featured reels with each spin and thus, provides players with thousands of winning combinations every time they press the spin button.
Cluster Pays are yet another innovative form of paylines. Unlike forming winning combinations from left to right, or both ways, the Cluster Pays system groups of matching symbols. Basically, you get paid when you land 5 or more symbols that touch horizontally or vertically.
Finally, Infinity Reels is a mechanic by ReelPlay and as the number itself suggests, the player continuously receives new reels on the right side of the game. The number of reels that can be added is not limited.
Online Slots Volatility or Variance
The volatility rate of the slot game, or also known as variance, is an indicator that shows how rewarding the jackpot of the slot is and how often does it drop. There are three main volatility rates – low, medium, and high.
Slots that have a low volatility rate do not have very rewarding jackpots, but the good thing here is that they drop often. On the flip side, slots with high volatility have extremely rewarding jackpots, but they do not drop too often. Classic slots usually have a low volatility rate, while Megaways slots and slots that have progressive jackpots come with a high volatility rate.
Medium volatile slots are the golden middle. Their rewards are decent and they drop far more often than slots with a high volatility rate.
Maximum Jackpot
As we just mentioned, one of the main factors that influence the maximum jackpot payout is the slot volatile. But, another factor that influences the rewards players get by playing slots is the type of the jackpot itself.
There are two types of slot jackpots – standard (fixed) and progressive. When it comes to standard jackpots, there is a cap on the maximum exposure of the jackpot. On the flip side, progressive jackpots often do not have limits on the maximum prize that the player can hit.
The more players access and play the featured slot, the more the jackpot feeds itself. IN many cases, the rewards at slots with progressive jackpots can exceed several millions of dollars.
Bonus Rounds and Gamble Opportunities
Online slots have tons of bonus features, with bonus rounds and Free Spins being the most popular. Free Spins are often triggered when players hit at least 3 Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels. The number of the Free Spins that they receive depends on the slot, but also the number of Scatters landed.
It is important to mention that there is a difference between a bonus round and Free Spins. When a player receives a bonus round, he or she is rewarded with 1 re-spin. The way to trigger the bonus round varies from slot to slot.
One popular way of triggering a bonus round is when you land 2 Scatters on the reels. In this scenario, you are rewarded with a bonus round in which the goal is to land the third Scatter and thus, receive Free Spins.
It is worth mentioning that Free Spins and bonus round may come with multipliers, an increased number of Wild symbols and a few other extra features.
As for the Gamble feature, it is triggered when you hit a winning combination. With the gamble feature, the slot allows you to go double or nothing in a few consecutive rounds. Thanks to the gamble feature, you might even end up winning 10 rounds in which you are doubling your winnings on each round.
Slot Symbols: Standard, Wild, Scatter
We mentioned quite a few symbols in the previous heading, so it is only right to explain them. There are two types of symbols in every slot – regular/standard and special symbols. Regular symbols are those that allow you to form winning combinations. They can be divided into low and high-paying categories, but they can also be included in just one category.
As for the special symbols, the two most popular in this section are Wild and Scatter symbols. Wild symbols are pretty interesting and very welcome as they help them form winning combinations. In most cases, the Wild symbol substitutes all regular symbols. Not only that, but it can form winning combinations of its own.
As for the Scatter symbol, it is often the key to Free Spins. But, it is also worth mentioning that slots that feature a Scatter symbol but do not include Free Spins, turn this symbol into a Scatter Pays symbol. That means that regardless of where it lands on the reels, 2, 3 or more Scatters will form a winning combination.
