Surpassing all other Slots casino games in popularity, slots have become the star attraction of both online and land-based casinos. While people gravitate to these games for many reasons, most of the time it’s because of their easy gameplay. It’s hard to design a table game that can be played as intuitively as slots because unlike most table games, you can play slots online without even knowing the rules.
However, just because they can be played without knowing the rules doesn’t mean that’s the best approach. A little knowledge can go a long way in terms of knowing how to pick the right games, and making sure that you’re eligible for jackpots once you start spinning the reels. In this online slots guide, we go over the different types of online slot games available at Bodog Casino and explain how to read their paytables like a seasoned pro. By the end, you’ll understand how jackpots and bonus rounds work, taking you from zero to slots hero in a matter of minutes.
Understanding Different Types of Slots
In order to learn how to play slots online, you need to know how these games differ. While slot game themes and storylines have no limits, their formats typically conform to either three or five reels (an exception to this rule is Space Traders with nine reels). The number of reels included in a game determines how complex the game can be because more than three reels are needed to facilitate some of the more interesting bonus features, like expanding wilds. For this reason, beginners usually get their feet wet with three-reel slots and move on to the five-reel games once they understand how things work.
Understanding Three-Reel Tables
A three-reel paytable has all of the information needed to make an informed choice. You’ll see the payouts listed for each line of winning icons based on the number of coins staked, and if the game includes a bonus feature, its rules will be written on the paytable too. For example, with 10X Wins, the paytable has each of the 10 winning combinations listed along with each payout. There are three payouts for each winning line based on the number of coins wagered, with one coin giving the lowest payout, and three coins giving the highest payout.
As you can see at the bottom of the paytable, 10X Wins includes a wild icon that doubles as a 10X multiplier. That means the 10X logo substitutes for other symbols in order to create a winning line, and increases the payout by a massive 10X multiplier.
Understanding Five-Reel Lines and Multipliers
Adding two more reels has a big impact on the slot game experience. For one, more reels mean more paylines, so understanding how they work is helpful. With the exception of scatters, most slots require matching icons to land on a specified line, starting on the leftmost reel, in order to be considered a win. You’ll see a list of these paylines illustrated on the paytable. Every so often, you’ll come across a slot game that differs from this standard rule and matching icons can simply land on consecutive reels, starting with the first reel. For an example of a slot game with no paylines, see Reign of Gnomes.
In addition to outlining the game’s paylines, the paytable has information on the payouts for all of the game’s icons, which vary in value. Unless stated otherwise in the rules, the payouts listed on the paytable are based on a one-coin wager; if you bet more than one coin per line, payouts get multiplied by the number of coins you wager. For example, if a payout is listed as 200 coins, and you bet five coins per line, the payout jumps to 1,000 coins.
As we saw with 10X Wins, multipliers can be attached to wild icons in order to boost payouts, but there are more scenarios than just that where you might see the benefit of this coveted bonus feature. Free spins mode is great because you get to attempt to win money without having to risk any of your own, and it’s even greater when the payouts triggered during the free spins session get bolstered by a multiplier, as is often the case. The size of the multiplier can vary big-time from game to game, so be sure to take them into consideration when comparing two slots.
Understanding How Online Jackpots Work
The best part of when you play slots online for money is setting yourself up to win a big progressive jackpot. These are the pots of money that are funded by incoming bets; they keep growing until someone triggers them, at which point, they reset. Of course, there’s no magic formula for winning one, but you can make sure you’re meeting the eligibility requirements should luck fall your way.
The first step to trying to win big slots jackpots online is to determine what kind of jackpot your game has. In the game rules, the jackpot will either be labelled as a random progressive jackpot, or it will be included in the paytable as a reward for landing the top line. If your game has a random progressive jackpot, there are typically no eligibility requirements.
On the other hand, the jackpot that’s offered as a reward for matching the top game icons usually does have a minimum betting requirement, which is the maximum number of coins wagered on each line possible (the max bet). To make this bet fit within your bankroll, you can usually customize the coin denominations.
Understanding Bonus Rounds
Bonus rounds are fun deviations from standard gameplay, as they take you to a second screen to complete a challenge in exchange for bonus coins. The challenge depends on the theme of the slot and can be simple and quick, or complex with multiple rounds. Some slot games, like Robin Hood and his Merry Wins, even come with both of these types of bonus rounds, which we’ll use as an example.
Robin Hood and his Merry Wins has both an On The Mark Bonus Round and a Marian’s Prize Bonus Round. The former is an archery competition that sets you up with three targets, with each target concealing a unique cash prize. Aim and shoot at the target that you like the best, and collect its prize. For a more interactive bonus round, this slot also has you try to reunite Robin Hood with Maid Marian in a five-round challenge that has you trying to locate your merry men while dodging the Sheriff of Nottingham. The further you progress in the round, the bigger your multiplier prize will be.
There are lots more engaging bonus rounds in the slots available in our online casino. If English folklore isn’t your thing, browse through the Slots section of our casino for a myriad of other themes and storylines. You can bust through a vault with dynamite, rule an Empire like the great Julius Caesar, or sip a coffee at a Parisian café–as a few examples. Whatever your style, you can be sure that there is a slot that has been designed just for you, so go out and find it.