Slots are among the favorite casino games for both beginners and experts, and owe their popularity to their apparent simplicity: you press a button and wait to see if you've won, and how much. It will always be worth knowing a little more about the game before you start. True gambling professionals recommend knowing the basics of each game before putting our money in. So, let's find out what the basics are that you should know before you start playing.

Do you want to try to earn money or just practice?

If you want to have the opportunity to win real money, you must register in one of the many authorized casinos. To help you choose between them, our experts from moneygamblingapp.com have prepared reviews of licensed online casinos. (If you just want to practice playing without betting, you can find many free slot games on this site.). If you have decided to try to win money in a casino, make your deposit (taking advantage of the welcome bonuses of the best online casinos) and you will have a fund to play. The equivalent number of credits will be shown on screen. You will be in control of your money all the time. Whether betting real money, or practicing in "fun mode" (i.e. no money), the mechanics of the game are identical.

How to play slots

A slot machine will pay when all the correct symbols meet the payline. Playing slot machines is so simple: it is much less intimidating to press a button than to interact with dealers or other players. Playing slot machines is a very personal activity. So, choose a game that inspires you and let's get started.

Set your bet

After the home screen, you may see a short introductory video. In any case, at some point you will find yourself in front of a screen with symbols and buttons. At this point, the slot is already set to a bet between the minimum and maximum, and in fact you could already press the Rotate button to make your first move. However, it is worth trying to adjust your bet, and if the machine allows it, also the number of pay-lines. The total amount of your bet is given by the bet amount multiplied by the number of pay-lines.

Rotate the reels

Press the Spin button until you have reached the number of credits you wish to play. If you wish, you can press the "Maximum bet" button. This will indicate to the slot machine the maximum amount of coins allowed per spin in that machine. Then, pull the lever or press Spin and wait for your destination. Unlike card games such as Texas Hold'Em and Blackjack, slots are not played with a dealer or opponent. It's you in front of the machine. It's important that you understand how they work so you don't fall into myths and misconceptions about effective ways to play. It all comes down to the random number generator.

The generation of random numbers

Often referred to as "slot machine brains," random number generators are microprocessors similar to those found in computers. The device randomly generates numbers to match the symbols on the slot machine. It is the RNG that governs the winning combinations. Each possible combination of symbols is assigned a number. Each time a lever is pulled or a button is pressed indicating that the reels should spin, the RNG receives a signal and sets a number that controls the combination in which the reels will stop spinning. It is not necessary to understand the complexities of the algorithms that generate random numbers: it is only important to bear in mind that the numbers chosen by the RNG are, in fact, random. This means that the probabilities of hitting a particular combination are the same for each extraction. Your odds of winning the next toss are the same as the previous toss.

Wild" wild symbols

The best way to explain these jokers is that they are responsible for activating the wins that can drive most players crazy. Jokers are found in most slots and are often referred to as the most beneficial symbols. They can also take the place of any of the standard symbols in the game, which greatly increases the possibilities of forming combinations. Due to the popularity of wildcards, software developers have created wildcards with different functions. These include pushers, scatters, sticky, multipliers, stacked, expanders, and shifters.

More about wildcards

Wildcards are usually transferred to any adjacent reel. In online slot machines that feature wild transfers, the set of reels typically consists of different reel sizes, meaning that reels one and two are larger than reels three, four and five. Transferring or pushing jokers that appear on the first two reels, and then go to other reels while remaining in the same position. Others expand to adjacent reels by transforming the standard symbols into jokers, which guarantees an increased chance of winning. The jokers extend or expand to cover the entire reel on which they appear. This creates the perfect opportunity for massive winning conditions.

Sticky Wildcards

Players like the sticky joker or "Sticky Wild" for the abundance of winnings they offer. These usually appear in free spins and remain in place until the end of the bonus round. If more sticky jokers appear, another replay will be awarded and therefore sticky wilds can generate important chances of winning.

Multiplier Wildcards

Multipliers or multiplier jokers are another great feature designed to increase players' chances of making big wins. It means that a wild symbol not only replaces the standard symbols but also has a multiplier value. Because of this multiplier value, once a wild symbol is part of a combination, the payout is multiplied by 2 or 3 times (the specific figure will always be indicated in the paytable).

Dispersion Symbols

Scatter" symbols are probably the most appreciated bonus symbols, because when present, prize winnings can come from anywhere, even when they do not form a traditional combination on a pay-line. In addition to payouts that are easily achieved no matter where these symbols are scattered, they bring with them great excitement as they have the power to activate bonus rounds.Once three spins appear in a single spin, it often happens that the free spin bonus round is activated immediately. A minimum of three scatters can unlock the free spins round and award up to 20 free spins, while four scatters increase the number of free spins to around 30, and when there are five scatters visible, 50 to 100 free spins are awarded. The number of free spins differs greatly in each game. During the free spins bonus round, three or more scattered symbols can reactivate the bonus, which means more free spins are added to the number of free spins remaining. On some slots, the appearance of scatters during the bonus round of free spins adds a multiplier value to the free spins payouts.

Bonus Symbols

Numerous online slots feature free spins and bonus rounds on a second screen. While scatters generally activate the free spins round, bonus symbols usually activate opportunities to choose from a series of bonuses on the screen. Bonus symbols are also often responsible for activating progressive jackpot bonus rounds that could include spinning a wheel of fortune.

Bonus Games

Bonus reels are the most exciting part of the slot game. And multi-level bonus rounds are extremely popular as they require interaction and current challenges. Nothing is as exciting as activating a progressive bonus round. Multi-million dollar slot payouts often come from these games.

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