Slots Glossary
In days gone by, Slot Machines were referred to as "One Armed Bandits". That's because the machines in land based casinos had a lever that you would pull in order for the reels to spin. Today's Slots in both brick and mortar casinos and especially online have revolutionized so much that some of them even offer auto-play functionalities. Is your head starting to spin from all these different terms. Not to worry, we've broken them down very simply into those Slots terms which are used most frequently.
- Coin Size - the size of each bet. On each spin, you are able to play more than one coin.
- Hold - the percentage that the house must payout in winnings. Slot machines generally have a Payout percentage of 96% - 98%. This means that the overall hold is between 2% - 4%.
- Max Bet - The maximum number of coins that can be played per spin.
- Jackpot - Every Slot Player's fantasy. This is the largest amount of money that can be won on a single Slot machine. Some Jackpots are Progressive.
- Payline - The line that results in winning combinations. Only the designated symbols on this line will activate a payout by the machine.
- Payout Percentages - Payout percentages are different at every Casino and are the wins that the casino will pay back over a period of time. Small wins and Jackpot wins are factored into the Payout Percentage.
- Pay Table - The available winning combinations on a slot machine. It is usually featured at the top of each machine.
- Progressive Slots - This type of slot machine offers growing jackpots dependent on the amount of money that was played. It is advised that you have a larger bankroll to play the Progressive machines, because you should bet the max bet on each spin. Betting the max on the Progressive machines is the only way to activate the Progressive Jackpot.
- Random Number Generator (RNG) - The computer program that generates a sequence of numbers in milliseconds in order to determine which symbols line up on the reels. Each random number generated corresponds to a reel combination. When a machine is not in use, the RNG is still functioning. The amount of money you bet, whether you hit the Spin button or Cash Out button, whether you're winning or losing, have no impact on what combinations the RNG will spit out. Its sole purpose is to continually generate random numbers.
- Reels - The area of the Slot machine where symbols are shown. Classic Slots have 3 reels. The more reels, the less chance you have of winning. Click to view the various types of slots.
- Symbols - Symbols are the images set on the reels. Depending on the type of slot machine you are playing, the symbols will differ. Cherries and 7s are familiar symbols found on Classic Slot machine games, but many others exist on Video Slots and Bonus Slots games.
- Winning Combinations - The number of winning outcomes on the pay table.
- Wild Symbol - The Wild symbol changes to represent a like symbol to form a winning combination.
