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Slot Machine Terms to Know in 2024
We’re going to explain to you some of the most basic slot machine terms so you can get a better understanding of the concepts that you might encounter while playing in your favorite online casino. Use these tips and understand all of the basic slot machine slang!
| Term | Definition/Explanation |
| 3-reel Slot | A slot that has 3 reels. This is the usual setup of classic slot games. |
| 5-reel Slot | A slot with 5 reels instead of the classic three. This is the usual setup of modern video slots. |
| All Ways | Refers to games that don't have fixed winning ways, but rather offer the chance to win by combining symbols in any direction. |
| Autoplay | Feature present in most modern video slots that allows players to set a number of spins that they wish to play and have the game spin automatically without the need to click a button. |
| Bet | Amount of money that a player stakes per spin in any given slot game. |
| Bet Per Line | The amount of cash that is being staked per each line. Some slot games allow players to select which lines they wish to place bets on, allowing them to tweak the cash total of their wager. |
| Bonus Buy or Feature Buy | The feature that allows players to pay extra money to instantly activate the bonus feature of an online slot. The price of the bonus buy feature varies depending on the player's desired bet value. |
| Bonus Features | In-game actions that get activated and permit users to obtain free spins, play minigames, win more with bonus rounds, and more. |
| Bonus Rounds | Special spins, often triggered by collecting multiple scatters or wilds, that permit players to win more money with multipliers or pick-a-win features. |
| Branded Slots | Slot games made by a slot developer in collaboration with a brand. This refers to games like the Guns N' Roses, Game of Thrones, or Narcos slot games. |
| Coins | Betting option that encompasses your total stake. You can modify coin value to edit the total value of your wager. |
| Cold Slot | A slot game that hasn't been paying money for a while. |
| Demo Mode or Practice Mode | Feature present in most online slots that allows players to try out the game before playing with real money. Once clicked, the slot will load and assign players fake currency to play the game with €1,000 - €5,000 unclaimable money. |
| Expanding Wilds | Bonus feature that makes wild symbols cover the entirety of a reel, helping users win much more money than they would in a normal spin by opening the door to multiple winning combinations. |
| Increased Multipliers | Bonus feature that triggers multipliers that increased their total value (2x, 4x, 8x...) by winning multiple rounds in a row, collecting special symbols, or fulfilling other in-game requirements. |
| Feature | Special attribute offered by an online slot game. |
| Fixed Jackpot | Maximum amount of cash that can be won in an online slot, which doesn't change over time. |
| Free Play | Feature that works just like Demo or Practice mode. Allows the player to enjoy the game for free. |
| Free Spins | Feature that grants players spins with a predetermined value. Each spin allows players to play one game round. They can be found within games, as bonus features, or as part of online casino bonuses. |
| Gamble | Bonus feature that allows players to stake their wager for the chance to double their winnings in a 50/50 bet, often represented by a coin flip. |
| Hot Slot | A slot game that is "on fire", paying money multiple times in a row. |
| House Edge | Percentage that represents the amount of cash that the house expects to keep over time. |
| Jackpot | Maximum win that can be obtained by playing a slot. Could be progressive or fixed. |
| Line | A sequence of reels from left to right. |
| Max Bet / Min Bet | Maximum and minimum sums of cash that can be bet on a slot |
| Max win | Maximum sum of cash that can be won in a slot game. The max win takes into consideration bets placed with a max bet in fixed jackpot games, or the present value of the jackpot if you're playing a progressive jackpot slot. |
| Megaways | Exclusive game setup developed by Big Time Gaming that permits slots to have over 100,000 winning ways. |
| Minigame | Bonus feature that permits the player to interact with the slot and win in-game rewards like multipliers, free spins, or cash prizes. |
| Mobile Slot | Online slot game that can be played in mobile devices with no compatibility issues. |
| Multiplier | In-game feature that exponentially increases the amount of cash that a player can win, based on the value of their stake. |
| Payback Percentage | The amount of money that the casino expects players to keep over time. The casino expects to pay €96 per €100 bet on a slot with a payback percentage of 96%. |
| Paylines | Lines that allow winning combinations to be formed, based on the symbols that are present within each slot game. |
| Payout | Total amount of money that you win after a round. |
| Paytable | Table that includes all symbols present in a slot game with their respective payouts based on how many symbols the player is able to get on a payline. |
| Pick-and-Win | Feature that allows the player to manually select an option within the game, which could deliver free spins, rounds with multipliers, access to jackpots, or money prizes. |
| Progressive Jackpot | Jackpot that builds up over time by taking a small percentage of player bets and putting them in a pot and allowing one lucky winner to claim it in a jackpot round. |
| Reels / Rows | The setup of online slots. Reels represent the number of horizontal lines, while rows represent the number of columns. |
| RNG | Random Number Generator; software used to keep online slots fair. It is present in most casino games. |
| Rollover | Amount of times that players need to wager their money in an online slot, or other casino game, before they're able to withdraw a casino bonus. |
| RTP | Return to Player; the amount of cash that the casino expects to pay to players over the course of 10,000+ games. It's the same as Payback Percentage. |
| Scatter | Symbol present in most online slots that triggers a bonus feature when collecting 3 or more regardless of their position in the reels (they don't need to be contiguous or close). |
| Select Lines | Ability to pick which lines you're going to place your bet on. More lines increase bet size. Not all games offer this feature. |
| Shifting Symbols | Bonus feature that allows certain game symbools to change shapes based on their placement within the reels or by forming special combinations. They can cover more of the screen, creating more chances for the player to win. |
| Skill-Based Slots | Online slot games that allow players to make decisions within the game and influence the outcome of each round. They generally have a large payout percentage (99%+) |
| Spin | Action taken to start every round. |
| Stacked Wilds | Bonus feature that allows wilds to stay in subsequent rounds after triggering them once. This can lead to significant wins in certain slot games. |
| Symbols | Images, icons, and numbers that are found on any given game's reels and rows. |
| Tumbling Reels | Bonus feature that makes it so symbols "break" after a winning, making more symbols fall without the user having to spend more money on a spin. |
| Volatility or Variance | The frequency with which you can expect to win in an online slot. High volatility means that users will win less often, but wins will have a higher value on average. Low volatility equals more frequent wins, but each win will have a lower value. |
| Wagering Requirement | Same as rollover. The number of times that a player has to spend their money in any given game to unlock the money won with a casino bonus, be it a cash or no free spin bonus. |
| Wild | Symbol present in most online slot games that substitutes any other symbol in a winning combination. It allows players to create winning combos without getting the right symbol. |
| Winning Combination | Refers to whenever the player manages to line up the right symbols to earn themselves a payout. Winning combinations often require lining up at least three symbols in a payline, from left to right. |
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At The Casino Wizard we provide online casino offers through affiliate links. This means that we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click through and make a deposit. This will not affect the bonus terms in any way. We always recommend that you play at a casino licensed by regulators such as UKGC, MGA, DGE, NZGC, CGA, or similar and urge visitors to abide by local gambling laws, which may vary and change. The Casino Wizard is not part of - or related to - any commercial online casino and doesn’t offer gambling facilities. We can’t be held responsible for third-party site activities, and don’t condone gambling where it’s prohibited.
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