Slots FAQ
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Slot Glossary"Bonus Round"The bonus round occurs when matching symbols or "scatters" (see below) trigger a feature, such as the chance for a player to pick 1 or more objects to reveal a prize, or perhaps where a certain number of "free spins" (see below) are awarded. "Crypto" Not really a slots term, but short for casino software provider "Cryptologic" who own the brand Wagerlogic and provide the platform for several very good online casinos (Intercasino, Littlewoods, William Hill etc) "Free Spins" The popular "free spins" feature is common to many slots and is a "bonus round" (see above) triggered usually by a combination of symbols appearing. In the free spins, the player does not bet but receives the cumulative award of the free spins at the end of the feature. The free spins are usually accompanied by a multiplier of the original stake (typically x2 or x3) meaning all wins are doubled, trebled or better during the free spins. "Hail Mary" (Forum slang) A "Hail Mary" spin is usually a spin where the player upped the bet substantially for one or maybe two spins. You'll sometimes see this comment alongside a screenshot of a tub-thumping win! "Kicker" (Forum slang) Most slots have a "wild" symbol which substitutes in for other symbols. Often, the presence of a wild symbol in a winning combination will double or treble the win. This is sometimes referred to on the message boards as a win "with kicker". "Max. Coins" More relevant to Video poker, but still applicable to some slots, the payouts pay more if you are "betting max" or "max coins". On some slots you select the denomination to play at (ie: 5 cents per payline) and then the number of 5cent coins per line. IE: On a 9 line slot, betting at 5c a line, you may choose to play 5 coins per line. This means you are betting 25cents on each of the 9 paylines, a total of $2.25 per spin. Some 3 reel slots award higher payouts if you play "max coins". Check the paytables. "MG" MG stands for "Microgaming", a software provider whose software lies at the heart of many a reputable online casino and who (arguably) make the best slots. "Paytable" Every slot has a table showing the payouts for each combination of symbols. This is often referred to as the "paytable". "Progressives" Short for "progressive jackpot slots" where an ever-increasing jackpot is available to some lucky bastard. "Real Series" Software provider Real-time Gaming (RTG), who supply the underlying software for a fair few casinos (not all reputable!), introduced a series of 5 reel, 20-payline slots with free spin bonuses called the "Real Series" which have been well received, are popular and add a lot of variation. "Retriggers" During a free spin bonus (see above), a "retrigger" is when the original symbols triggering the free spins fall into view again, thus causing the free spins to "retrigger". When this happens on a slot that allows retriggers (not all do), at the end of the first set of free spins, they start over a second time. And a third or fourth if you're lucky! "Scatters" A "scatter" is a symbol which can qualify for a win when it appears anywhere in view across the 15 positions visible on certain online slots. Normally, 2 or more scatters "in view" will produce a win. Often you will find 3 or more scatters in view triggers the slot's "bonus round" (see above). "Variance" Sums up the risk factor or "volatility" of a slot. A "high" variance slot means you will get prolonged periods with few wins and occasional very big wins. The large payouts will account for a good percentage of the expected payout (usually around 95% with online slots). "Low" variance slots tend to give more wins on a more regular basis but with fewer large wins. Thus a player is likely to last longer on his/her initial deposit. Some high risk players will also play low variance slots with much bigger wagers. | |||||||||