In any casino that you enter, whether online or offline, the highest number of games you will find are slot machines. This simple fact attests to the massive popularity of slot games. Well, the fascinating thing to note about slots is that they are popular both with casino players and casino operators. Players love them for their simplicity and potential to pay out big with minimum investment –sometimes even pennies! On the other hand, operators love them as they contribute the biggest portion of a casino’s revenue.
Slots, however, don’t just follow the same template. Rather, slots come in all shapes and forms hence the reason they appeal to different types of players. In this article, we are going to share all the main types of slot games, in the process, revealing the main characteristics of each type. By doing this, we aim to help players, especially, casino beginners to know which games to go for depending on their gaming preferences. With slot portfolios at different casinos often boasting hundreds and sometimes thousands of games, the information contained here is invaluable when it comes to searching for the best and perfect slot machine.
Classifications of Slots by Type
Traditional (Classic) Slots
Slot machines have been available for quite some time now. Back in the days when things were moving at a gradual pace in the gaming industry, slots used to follow an almost similar template. The games would come with three reels and often, just a solitary payline. There was a lever attached on one side of the machine which enabled players to spin the reels once pulled down. On the reels, players would encounter more or less the same symbols namely, golden bells, lucky 7s, Jokers and different fruit icons. Such slots are referred to as traditional or classic slots.
True classic slots are available at land-based casinos. However, as most players nowadays prefer playing on the go using their mobile devices, software developers through their ingenuity now design classic slots which can be played online. It’s against this background that players can find traditional slots even at online casinos.
Video Slots
At the turn of the new millennium and onwards, game developers upped the pace with which they developed slots games. This also coincided with the preoccupation with incorporating and integrating innovative features in slots games. It is at this juncture that game developers started to shift away from the practice of using a standard template when designing slots. Rather, they started to try out all sorts of engaging themes to try and entice different types of casino players. This strategy proved to be a masterstroke as video slots soon became the mainstay in every casino.
Nowadays, video slots are characterized by 5-reel and 6-reel slots. They generally come with a high number of paylines starting from 10 onwards. Some games even incorporate unique math models which make use of winning ways and megaways which can reach thousands. When designing video slots, game makers tend to move with the times hence these games come with sleek, exquisite and glossy graphics. They also incorporate a variety of bonus features.
Progressive Slots
Among the bonus features that video slots come with (and in part traditional slots designed later on) are jackpots. Initially, the incorporated jackpots were fixed. This, therefore, meant when players satisfied the requirements for triggering the jackpots, they would win the associated prize. However, driven by the desire to come up with more engaging and appealing bonus features, software developers now integrate progressive jackpots.
Progressive jackpots unlike fixed jackpots don’t offer a guaranteed fixed prize. Rather, players who win the jackpot will scoop a random prize. When playing progressive slots, for each wager that players place, a portion is channelled towards the progressive jackpot. This means with each spin, the potential jackpot prize to be won increases. The more it increases, the greater the chances to win it.
In recent times, some innovative game developers devised the pooled progressive jackpots mechanic. What this means is that select games from the same game maker will run the same progressive jackpot. The contributions of players playing at least 5 games will be channelled towards one progressive jackpot. This, in essence, guarantees a super high monetary reward for the lucky player who wins the jackpot prize.
Other Categorization of Slots
While there are three main types of slots that is, traditional (classic), video slots and progressive slots, players ought to note that slot machines may also be classified by other means. These are explored below.
- By Number of Reels: Some players when searching for slot machines to play may simply make use of the incorporated number of reels. On this front, slots may be classified as classic 3-reelers, modern video slots 5-reeler, 6-reeler or 7-reeler.
- By Denomination: Different slot machines are playable using different denominations. Some accept coins and hence can be termed as penny slots while others require cash wagers.
- By Wagering Limits: Slots can also be classified by the range of bet options they support. Some games accept extremely low wagers and hence can be referred to as low-roller slots. Other games lie on the opposite end of the spectrum accepting big wagers and, as such, are referred to as high-roller slots. There are also others which accept a wide range of betting options ranging from low to high.
- Ability to Purchase Bonus Features: Generally, the incorporated bonus features in any slot machine activate when players line up the required symbols on the reels. However, nowadays, some slots enable players to gain immediate access to the bonus rounds by paying a purchase fee. Such slots are referred to as bonus buy slots.
- By region pokies: In some parts of the world, especially in Australia, slots are referred to as pokies.
Round Up
Slot machines are a huge favourite in every casino establishment. Thanks to this, they are often found in abundance. While this is definitely a good thing, it makes the player’s task of searching for the best slot to play a rather cumbersome exercise. To make matters easier for players, they can search for their favourite slots games by type as demonstrated in this article.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What are the three main types of slot games?
The three main types of slot games are traditional (classic), modern video slots and progressive slots.
Q2. What other criteria can be used to classify slots?
Slot machines can be classified by the denominations accepted for wagers, permissible wagering limits, incorporated number of reels, and the ability to purchase bonus features.
Q3. Are all slot machines the same?
While the overall objective when playing slots is almost the same that is, to line up identical symbols next to each other on the reels, there are some distinct features which differentiate slots games.