Slot game types

Learning about slot types is as easy as counting to three, take a look below...


3 Reel Slots
Slots with three spinning reels from which your winning combinations can be formed.

Basic information about 3 reel slot games:

  • another name – classic slots
  • traditional version of slots, the simplest slot machine
  • three reel slots can have up to 5 payout lines (top row, middle row, bottom row, left diagonal and right diagonal)
  • traditionally, in a brick and mortar casino had limited jackpots because even the rarest event could happen every 1,000 plays,
  • recommended to novice slot players since they allow to quickly get to grips with the slots ins and outs,
  • now because of the increasing popularity of five reel slots, somewhat of a relic of gambling history

Examples: Jackpot 6000, Haunted House
 

5 reel slots
Slots with five spinning reels from which your winning combinations can be formed.

Basic information about 5 reel slot games:

  • another name – video slots, meaning that they appear on a screen and are run by a random number generator
  • first developed in the late 1990s
  • most notable and popular slots which for the most slot fans represent the ultimate fun experience
  • between 9 and 100 paylines
  • most numerous
  • huge variety of themes
  • higher payouts, but smaller winning odds than in 3 reel slots
  • huge choice of different slot games allowing you to switch machines very often
  • more additional features which help player win more money: free spins, bonus game, special icons, progressive

Examples: Lord of the Rings, Fantastic Four

7 reel slots
Slots with seven spinning reels from which your winning combinations can be formed.

Basic information about 7 reel slots:

  • another name – video slots, meaning that they appear on a screen and are run by a random number generator
  • simple paytable – 3 or more of any symbol in a winning line means payout
  • the number of winning combinations is the largest
  • least popular of all the slots


9 reel slots
Slots that looks like a 3-reel slot, with the only difference that the reels on 9-reel slot spin independently from one another.

Basic information about 9 reel slots:

  • very infrequently found
  • "only" 8 pay-lines (three horizontal, three vertical and two diagonal lines)

     

Progressive Slots
Unlike the most common standard slot games which have fixed jackpots, progressive slots have a jackpot which grows the more players play. Progressive slots can have three, five or nine reels. As more players join the game, which usually happens across a casino network, the jackpot increases until it reaches a limit determined by the casino, e.g. $1million. The value of a constantly accumulating prize is not displayed in coins like in a regular slot game.

Progressive slots are divided into:

  • individual progressive slots (one slot machine and one jackpot),
  • linked progressive slots (electronically hooked-up groups of slot machines in a single casino, they contribute to one common jackpot)
  • multi-location progressive slots (one titanic jackpot fed by hundreds of machines based in many different casinos).

Basic information about progressive jackpots:


Popular progressive jackpots:

Millionaires Club – available at Cryptologic Casinos a slot game which represents the life of a millionaire. It is based on the traditional 3 reels and 1 payline and linked to Millionaires Club 5 Reel, 9 Payline version which also contributes to the jackpot.

This progressive jackpot always starts from a minimum of $175,000.
The largest win in this progressive jackpot is $8 million dollars.

Mega Moolah – released in Nov. 2006, available at MicroGaming casinos a slot game which features the world of African animals. The game offers 5 reels and 25 pay-lines plus a Wheel of Fortune style jackpot.

This progressive jackpot always starts from a minimum of 1 million dollars.
The largest win in this progressive jackpot is $5,5 million dollars.

Rags To Riches – available at Cryptologic casinos featuring the fairytale story about getting immensely rich. The slot game has 5 reels and 20 paylines.

This progressive jackpot always starts from a minimum of $100,000.

 

Bonus features explanation:

Wild symbol – found in reel slots and video slots games substitutes for all symbols. It's main function is to substitute other symbols to complete successful combinations. Wild Multiplier also doubles, triple and quadruple the rewards.

Scatter symbol – featured only in video slots games. When it appears on the reels it can a) carry rewards, the more scatter symbols there are on the reels, the greater the reward, b) multiply winnings, c) activate a bonus round in the game.

Skill Stop – allows you to stop the spinning reel by clicking the "Spin Button."

Pick Win – features which allows you to choose what you want as a reward, e.g. coins or free spins.

Bonus Game - extra slot game feature which allows you to win extra Bonus Prizes, or a progressive jackpot. It may be thematically connected with the symbols of the slot game. Very often it takes form of a "fortune wheel" or simply requires from the player to pick one the several objects for Bonus Prizes hidden inside. Some modern slots Bonus Games are simple versions of online Skill Games.