The right way to play Online Slots

History of Slots

The first slot machine was invented by in New York by Sittman and Pitt in 1891. This precursor to all modern slots featured 5 drums each containing 10 playing cards and the rules of the game were based on poker. The first fully electromechanical slot didn’t arrive until 1963 when Bally launched the Money Honey slot. The game was a precursor of the video slots that we know and love today which began to arrive by the mid-1970’s. Coin Co. was one of the first video slots manufacturers, based in Kearny Mesa, California, their first slots went live on the Vegas strip in 1978. Video slots dispensed with the need for physical reels and opened up a whole new world of slot designs and gameplay ideas. Video slots first started to become popular online during the early 1990’s when the first online casinos began to pop up.

Types of Online Slot

Although there is a huge variety of slots available online most can be placed in three main categories of slots; classic slots, video slots and jackpot slots. Classic online slots are slots based on the very first slot machines. These are usually the most simple and straightforward online slots and are the perfect place for beginners to start. They usually feature 3 reels with one or three rows and between one and five paylines. The look of these slots is very traditional with classic symbols and they are often characterized by pretty basic bonus features and gameplay.

Video slots were the successors of classic slots and in real-world casinos, they dispensed with the slots need for physical reels. Online you can find a huge range of video slots covering almost every gameplay idea imaginable. These slots can range from quite simple and straightforward games to very intricate and expertly designed ones. Video slots usually have 5 reels with 3 rows with the number of paylines varying from as little as 9 to as many as several thousand depending on the complexity of the game.

Jackpot slots can be either classic or video, though video jackpot slots are much more common online. Jackpot slots are slots where players can win big with some truly life-changing amounts up for grabs. The jackpot can be won in a number of ways with some slots awarding it at random while others require players to win a mini-game. The jackpot slots with the highest payouts are the progressives.

These slots can be linked across several hundred online casinos with thousands of players contributing to some truly astronomical jackpots. Every time the slot isn’t won the jackpot increases slightly and on the world’s biggest progressive jackpot slots such as Mega Moolah and Mega Dreams Fortune it often stands at several million pounds.

Slots Strategy

All online slots operate using the same premise; the player places a bet on a spin before spinning the slot. If the player is successful the winnings are calculated based on the initial wager and the value of the combination landed. Slots are based entirely on luck with the outcome of the spin determined by a Random Number Generator (RNG). This means that there are no real strategies that will give you the edge over the slot machine. However, one common tactic is to bet lower amounts to increase your number of spins. For example, if you had £$€50 you could play 5 x £$€10 bets or 100 x 50p bets. Over the 100 x 50p bets you’d expect to hit more winning combinations than with the 5 x £$€10 ones.

Before playing any slot always check its RTP, Return to Player. A slots 'RTP' determines how much money goes into the machine and how is paid out to players. For example, a slot with a 95% RTP will return £$€95 for every £$€100 put into it. Of course, this is over a long period of time. To maximize your chances of winning always look for a slot with a high RTP.

Check out our article on the History of Online Slots now!