How to Play Slots Guide

• Having a basic understanding of how slots work is important when learning how to play slot machines online.
• Modern slots have bonus features like Free spins, Multipliers, Sticky Wilds, Expanding Symbols, Stacked Reels, and Mystery symbols.
• Most online slots pay when you line up three or more identical symbols on a payline.
• The most popular genres are video slots, classic 3-reel slots, and jackpot slots.
• Jackpot slots and progressive jackpot slots can award multiple jackpot prizes but you have a low chance of winning the top prize.
• Knowing how to manage your bankroll is integral when learning how to play casino slots.

From Charles Fey’s Liberty Bell in the 19th century, to the sophisticated video slots you play online today, slot machines have come a long way. But still in modern slots, you’ll find similar symbols on the reels like diamonds, spades, hearts, horse shoes, and Liberty Bells. Unlike the early machines, online video slots come with multiple symbols and paylines, giving you more ways to win.

Slot mechanics have also evolved over the years, giving rise to games with unique payout structures. An example is the Megaways mechanic in Gonzo's Quest Megaways slot, which you can play here at Betfair Casino. Moreover, our modern slots here at Betfair are created with different themes, number of reels, paylines, and bonus features. Some have jackpots, while others have cluster and cascade features, and free spins.

 To make it easy, we have created a how to play slots guide, where we highlighted each slot type, and explained how to play them.  

Learn the basics before you explore the games in our lobby, let’s get started!

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When learning how to play slots online, it’s important that you first understand the mechanics on how these machines work. The first thing you see when you open a slot game is the grid with a set of spinning reels and various symbols on them. The bet, spin, information, sound, and settings buttons are placed just below, or on the side of the reels.

The objective of how to play slots is to line up matching symbols on paylines. The number of paylines or win lines differs from one type of slot to the other. The payout for each win depends on your stake and symbol combination.

Here are some more common slot terms you need to familiarise yourself with before we get down to the nitty-gritty of how to play slot machines online.

• RNG: RNG stands for Random Number Generator and is used to create random patterns during gameplay.
• RTP: The Return-to-Player factor (RTP) is expressed as a percentage. The figure indicates the theoretical payout rate of a slot.
• Paytable: This is a list or table showing the payout information for each symbol combination.
• Wild Symbols: Wilds help to form winning combinations by acting as substitutes for other symbols on the paylines.
• Scatter Symbol: Also known as bonus symbols, scatters are icons that unlock bonus features in a game.
• Bonus Features: These are random features awarded during the gameplay to boost your winnings. They include free spins, extra wilds, wild reels, expanding symbols, symbol collection, avalanche, locked or sticky symbols, and re-spins.
• Auto spin: Also known as Autoplay, the auto spin button is used to set a fixed number of automatic rounds. Unfortunately, this feature is not available to UK players due to regulatory restrictions.
• Volatility: The volatility or variance of a slot indicates how often a machine pays out during the gameplay. Games with low volatility award small payouts frequently, whilst high volatility games pay larger amounts, but less often.

Most of the slots you find in online casinos are video slots. Generally, these games tell you a story using a film-like intro, cinematic animations, and thematic graphics. Some of the common themes found in video slots include Greek mythology, Vikings, TV shows, fantasy, and music. Usually, video slots come with 5 reels, but you’ll also find some titles with 6 reels like Eye of Horus Megaways.

The first thing you should do when playing video slots is to check the menu with the paytable for information about symbols, game rules, bonus features, and payouts. Next step is to set your paylines and your bet stake, and click on the spin button to start the game.

Whilst playing, you need three or more symbols on a payline to form a winning combination. You can also expect to trigger bonus features like free spins, multipliers, sticky wilds, and expanding symbols while playing a video slot.

Video Slots key features:

• RTP: 93%-96%
• Variance: Low to very high
• Reels: 5 to 6
• Paylines: 10 to 117,649
• Symbols: Themed symbols, wild, scatter, bonus symbols
• Bonus feature: Free spins, multipliers, stacked symbols, sticky wilds

Also known as classic slots, 3-reel slots are simple machines with three spinning reels, three rows, and one to five paylines. These games draw their inspiration from the famous Liberty Bell slot machine invented by Charles Fey.

3-reel slots are generally much easier to play when you compare them to other slot machines. Games in this category have 10 or fewer symbols. The common symbols in classic slots include bells, bar, sevens, stars, cherries, and plums. You may also find Some 3-reel slots Wild and Scatters symbols. Just as the video slot, Wilds help you to form wins by acting as substitutes for other symbols. On the other hand, Scatters are the icons that you use to unlock features like free spins or jackpots.

When you’re playing classic slots, you have to align a set of three similar symbols on a payline to trigger a payout. It’s also important to note that most 3-reel slots don’t come with bonus features. Popular classic slots that you can play here at Betfair are Fire Joker with an RTP of 94.23% by Play’n GO, and 7s Deluxe slot by Blueprint Gaming.

Key features of classic casino slots:

• RTP: Above 94%
• Variance: Medium
• Reels: 3
• Paylines: 1 to 5
• Symbols: Bells, stars, bar, hot 7s, diamonds, X, gems, horseshoe
• Bonus feature: Free spins, multipliers, expanding symbols

As the name suggests, fruit slots are games that use symbols with fruits to form wins. Some examples of common fruit slot symbols include cherries, lemons, watermelons, oranges, mangoes, plums, and berries.

All the slots in our lobby have this information, and you can access it by simply clicking on the (i) icon next to the game title. The next step is to check the paytable information and game rules to find out how the game works. After this, you can select a coin size to place your bet then proceed to play.

Usually, you’ll find that fruit slots use different numbers of paylines and payout structures. For example, the 9-paylines Berry Berry Bonanza slot pays when you align three matching symbols on a payline from any direction. You can read our reviews of these games to learn more about how to play slots with fruit symbols.

Here are some of the features to look out for when playing fruit slots at Betfair:

• RTP: 93%-96%
• Variance: Low to high
• Reels: 3 to 6
• Paylines: 20 to 117,649
• Symbols: Cherries, plums, lemons, mangoes, sweets, watermelon, berries
• Bonus feature: Free spins, multipliers, wild reels, expanding symbols

5-reel slots are machines with five spinning reels on the grid, hence the name. Traditionally, 5-reel slots came with three rows of symbols, but nowadays you have games with four and even five rows.

The best practice when you’re playing video slots with five reels is to start by studying the paytable. This is where you find a list of payouts for the different symbol combinations and information about how to trigger bonus features. Generally, 5-reel slots have more than 10 paylines, and you form wins by aligning three, four, or five matching icons on these lines.

You can practice how to play slots with 5-reels by playing Wolf Gold, a 5-reel, 3-row, and 25 payline slot by Pragmatic Play. The title has a favourable RTP of 96.01%, and multiple bonus features including free spins, expanding symbols, money respins, and a progressive jackpot.

Key features of 5-reels slots:

• RTP: 92% - 96%
• Variance: Low to very high
• Reels: 5
• Paylines: 10 to 1024
• Symbols: Themed symbols, playing card suits, royal cards, wild, scatter, bonus symbols
• Bonus feature: Free spins, multipliers, giant symbols, cascading wins, wild nudges

Invented by Big Time Gaming, the Megaways engine is an innovative game mechanic capable of giving you a different number of symbols per row on every spin. The number of maximum paylines also varies from one spin to the other.

When playing a Megaways slot, you only require matching symbols on three or more consecutive reels to form a winning combination. The icons can appear anywhere on the grid as long as the arrangement starts from the leftmost reel.

Moreover, a cascading feature is triggered when you win. The feature removes winning symbols from the screen to pave the way for new ones. The sequence goes on until there’s no more winningg symbols on the screen. You can visit our Megaways lobby and try Fishin' Frenzy Megaways and Big Cat Rescue Megaways to see how this fascinating mechanic works.

Below are some key features of Megaways slots:

• RTP: 93%-96%
• Variance: Low to medium
• Reels: 6 to 8
• Paylines: 64 to 117,649
• Symbols: Themed symbols, wild, scatter
• Bonus feature: free spins, avalanche, multipliers, respins, sticky wilds

Jackpot slots are very similar to other slots we’ve discussed in this how to play slots guide. The only difference is you stand a chance to win a fixed jackpot while playing. Usually, most games express the jackpot as a multiplier of the total bet, for example, 1000x. You’ll also find some games that state the jackpot amount explicitly, for example, £50,000.

The first thing you need to do when playing a jackpot slot is to set your bet. Most games in this category have 20 to 50 paylines, and you must stake at least one coin on each line. During the gameplay, normal payouts are awarded when you land combinations of three, four, or five identical symbols on a payline. You can also trigger the jackpot using a combination of special bonus symbols.

To help you kick off your jackpot slots playing adventure, we recommend that you start by exploring some titles in our lobby. You can try Mustang Gold by Pragmatic Play, which features free spins and a four tier-jackpot - Mini, Minor, Major, and Grand jackpots.

Here are the features to look out for when choosing jackpot slots:

• RTP: 90 to 95%
• Variance: Medium to high
• Reels: 5
• Paylines: 20 to 50
• Symbols: Themed symbols, wild, scatter, jackpot symbols
• Bonus feature: Free spins, multipliers, jackpot, bonus game, sticky wilds

Progressive jackpot slots are a type of jackpot games that pay mega-sized jackpot amounts when you trigger the feature. A good example is the Mega Fortune progressive jackpot slot by NetEnt, which paid a record-breaking €17,860,868 to a player in 2013. Unlike fixed jackpot slots which reward you with a pre-set amount, the value of a progressive jackpot increases with every non-winning spin. The prize pool continues to grow until a lucky player scoops it.

To trigger a progressive jackpot, you need to get a combination of special jackpot symbols. In Age Of The Gods, for example, you’re required to pick gold coins until you reveal three matching jackpot icons. After hitting the jackpot, it resets to the seed value, and the prize pool starts to increase again.

Generally, Progresive jackpot slots have high volatility, so you need to ensure that you have a budget in mind before playing. Games in this category also tend to have lower RTP and no more than 50 paylines.

Key features of Megaways slots:

• RTP: 88 to 93%
• Variance: high
• Reels: 5
• Paylines: 20 to 50
• Symbols: Themed symbols, wild, scatter, jackpot symbols
• Bonus feature: Free spins, hold & win, respins, multipliers, jackpot, symbol collection

Our how to play online slots guide would be incomplete without practical tips to help you get started. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to play slots at Betfair Casino.

• Sign up for a player account at Betfair.
• Go to the cashier and select a payment method to top up your account. Don’t forget to claim your welcome offer.
• Select a slot from our lobby and launch it on your PC or mobile browser
• Hit the bet, stake, or coin button to place your bet.
• Click or tap the spin button to set the reels in motion. You can also use the space or enter key when playing on your desktop or laptop.

Now that you’ve learnt how to play slot machines online, it’s time for us to give you some tips and strategies on how to manage your bankroll. The most important strategy is to ensure that you have a budget before you start playing. Slot machines are games of chance so this should be an amount that you can afford to lose.

Next, divide the bankroll into small-sized stakes. If your budget is £50 and you intend to play 100 spins, the best practice is to split this amount into 100 50p stakes. You can also use our promotional offers to enjoy your favourite slots without breaking the bank.

Moreover, try to pick games with high RTP, low to medium volatility, and features that enhance your potential payouts like free spins bonuses. Examples of slots with free spins rounds include Da Vinci Diamonds by IGT and Irish Luck by Playtech.

Lastly, we have a set of safer gambling tools that you can use to keep yourself in check. Always use them to calculate your ideal budget or to set deposit limits, loss limits, and session timers.

• You don’t have to be a seasoned player to learn how to play slots online.
• Video slots are the most common genre of slots and also the most played.
• Classic slots are simple and straightforward, which makes them suitable for new players.
• Slots with high RTP and low volatility pay often, although the wins are considerably smaller.
• The risk associated with a slot game increases with the volatility.
• Never gamble an amount you can’t afford to lose.

At Betfair Casino, we’re committed to helping you get the most out of your gaming experience. This is why we go all out to ensure that you have all the resources and information you need to enrich your playtime.

For more slot playing tips and strategies, we recommend that you read our beginners guide to slot machines. The article explains key gameplay features and everything else you need to know about how to play slots for beginners.

We’ve also compiled strategy articles to help you play other casino games you’ll find on our platform. These include a roulette playing guide for beginners, how to play baccarat and strategy, the basics of playing blackjack online, and craps playing strategies.

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