A Guide To Playing Online Slots
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Resources To Accompany This Article
* All links to slots in this article pop up in a new window The Main Differences Between Slot GamesTwo things to understand before we start talking more specifically about the online slots featured here at Slot Junkies. Firstly, it should be noted that most online casinos use similar software from one of 4 or 5 top casino software providers. Secondly, the often misunderstood concept of slots variance plays a very important role in which online slots you should play. There are several casino software platforms, but the good (for good, read "safe") ones generally run on "Microgaming", "Playtech" or "Wagerworks" (IGT) with a handful of good ones also on "Realtime Gaming" (RTG). There are other software platforms, but the above have the best array of slots for players who like excitement - as I write. This means that you will find the same slots at different casinos on a frequent basis. I have also put up a selection of Microgaming's free slot games that you can play right now without the need to sign up and which can accompany this article.Leaving the boring 3-reel slots aside - press, click, spin, press, click, spin, yawn - the more entertaining 5-reel "bonus" slots (often referred to as "video slots") are far more popular. These generally get classified into two categories "Free Spin" slots and "Bonus" slots. The former have bonus rounds, triggered when certain symbols appear, that award the player with X free spins where each spin is multiplied by anything from 1x the bet to 25x the bet, depending on which slot you play. The "normal" bonus slot games instead have a "pick 'em" style bonus where the player has to select from a number of symbols to reveal prizes. Some slots combine the two. Some Online Slots BasicsOnline slots are generally identical to what you find in land-based but with one major difference: the expected returns of online slots are almost always higher and tend to average out at around 95%. The lowest I've seen is 92%, the highest 98%. Personally, I love the entertainment factor found in free spin slots. While some are obviously better than others, the beauty of a free spins bonus is that, in theory, you could win anything. Imagine getting the top award during the free spins with a 3x, 6x or even a 25x multiplier! Nice. Not that it happens much of course! With the Pick 'Em style bonuses, there is always a set limit on what you can win, and I find this less exciting, especially when you are on a losing streak and need to win big to catch up!In general, online slots have around a 3% - 8% house edge, although progressive jackpot slots may go a little lower in light of the fact that the jackpot counts towards the percentage and in some cases, this can be well over a million (pounds, dollars, euros etc). Most casinos don't publish the expected returns or house edges of each slot (Wagerworks slots being the exception with returns in the 94-96% range), although you can get a rough idea from the Monthly Audited Payout reports that the casinos publish on their websites. In general, these tend to be between 93% and 97%, which gives us a clue. Whichever way, there is no doubt that online slots offer a much better expected return than land-based casino slots. Slots are of course, games of chance, so don't expect to win in the long term. You can of course try and adopt a slots strategy but at the end of the day, it can't help you win more. It's pure luck and the trick is to know when to stop! Now of course that doesn't mean that you won't get lucky from time to tim, but the odds are always against you. I've had plenty of winning sessions, and plenty of losing ones, but slots are my "thing" and I primarily play online slots for entertainment. "Variance" is a key in any slot - the higher the variance, the harder it is to win regularly, but the odd big win you do get will be much bigger than on a low variance slot. High variance slots are generally for the high-rollers and the opposite is true. It's very common for players to claim slots are rigged after a bad session, but more often than not (I trust the casino software providers listed above) it's because they played a slot with a higher variance and higher bet than their bankroll could stomach while chasing the big hit. Which Slots Are Best?I'm taking a view that you are pretty new to this so I'd start of by suggesting playing the most popular slot in the history of online casinos, Thunderstruck which, along with it's newer cousin Thunderstruck II is available at all casinos using Microgaming software (Microgaming casinos list). The Thunderstruck slot is medium variance and can be streaky, but has a free spins bonus offering 15 spins at 3x when you see three "Rams" in view. Being such a popular slot, it has invariably been copied and cloned so you will also find several slots like Thunderstruck on Microgaming and even in other casino softwares. I have set up a dedicated microsite dealing with both of these games so if you want more information on them check out my Thunderstruck slots site. There are also freeplay games demos of both slots there that you can play for fun.If you live in the USA your options are more limited. You might like to check out the RTG Real Series Slots available at RTG casinos who accept USA players, while if you are outside the USA, then Playtech's excellent Marvel Slots are a great starting point. Now that IGT have bought Wagerworks too of course, you will find a whole slew of IGT slot games available in Wagerworks casinos. Check out the IGT slot games website for a load more info. Without over-complicating the issue, the few slots I mention above are a great starting point for the newbie to learn how they work. One final note: I wouldn't play Chartwell's slots...they suck in comparison to those from Microgaming, RTG and Cryptologic. Playtech slots are ok, in particular the Desert Treasure slot, but Playtech casinos are generally lacking in slots choice IMO when it comes to entertainment. Easily the best options are at Microgaming casinos and RTG casinos, so try there first. Slot VideosAs you may have read elsewhere on the site, I have recently been putting together a series of slots videos which I am hosting on Youtube. These are designed to show the slot games in action and where possible the feature or bonus rounds. So many contain the free spins features and they will gradually start to appear across the Slotjunkies site during the Winter 2009/10. You can get access to the quicklists of the videos on the slot videos page, organised by software provider.Try The Free Spins Slots At The Following Casinos» All Players (incl. USA): 32Red Casino, Jackpot City, Ladbrokes Casino, Red Flush Casino, Vegas Palms | |||||||||