How Do Online Casino Slots Work

They give you the feeling of having lost out narrowly and therefore the need to correct that the next time around.
The Psychology of Winning
The great thing about slots is that there are thousands of games to play, and even more ways to win.
Slot Machines - A Complete Guide to Playing Slots
- Eventually the machine will take all your money.The Technology Behind Online Slots and How They All Work Slot machines are programmed to randomly pay out only a certain percentage while taking the rest. Every online slot game uses a random number generator to create random sequences every millisecond of the day. No. No tricks. Every time a player clicks spin, the RNG produces.
How do Online Slots Work?
New Players Guide: What to Expect from Online Slot Games
Online slots have become big business in recent years, with many players heading to online casinos simply because of the slots. These offer some of the most exciting and entertaining games at any site, along with the biggest payouts (see my Biggest Jackpots guide for a flavor of what to expect!). Each and every slot you find online will have its own theme and features, but many share the same basic framework. In this article I describe every aspect of a slot in detail, starting with a look at the random number generator which controls the game, followed by a look at exactly how you’ll win, finishing with a look at the most popular extras and features you’ll find online.
The Random Number Generator
Every online slot is controlled by a random number generator (RNG), which will be fully tested to ensure that it is indeed random. Whichever type of slot you are playing, this RNG will decide which symbols appear on each and every reel, this being the reason you see a different set of symbols appear on each spin. Alongside slots, the RNG will control all other casino games – it will for example decide where the ball lands on a virtual roulette table or which cards are dealt at virtual blackjack.
What many new players miss is that each spin is the result of newly randomized numbers. While our brains see things in sequences (for example a 'hot' or 'cold' run), the reality is that the last spin has absolutely no influence on the next one. There are bonus games and features where things are progressive - the huge role of randomness is easy to miss though!
How to Win at Online Slots
Most of your wins will come along during the base game when hitting consecutive symbols from left to right. A look at the pay table of a slot will tell you exactly how many of each symbol you’ll need and how much you’ll win when you land them. The majority of games offer the opportunity of playing more than one pay line (some games offer up to ), so to win you’ll need to hit these symbols in a row on one of the pay lines. On a standard 5 reel slot, you’ll see from the pay table that the biggest prizes come your way when hitting 5 in a row, with the smallest prizes usually coming your way for hitting just 2 or 3 in a row. Some slots will offer an ‘all pays’ system, where you’ll win by landing symbols on consecutive reels regardless of where they appear on each reel.
Over time, the casinos have an edge, varying from just 2% and up. The appeal of slots games is that you can enjoy big windfalls in the short term. As you get more into the topic you will learn that some slots have higher 'variance' than others. There are games which pay out smaller sums frequently (low variance) and others which pay out less often, but give big prizes when they do (higher variance).
Online Slots Extras
Wilds: You’ll find ‘wilds’ at the majority of online slots. These are symbols that will substitute for any other symbol, enabling a number of additional wins. For example, four red sevens and a wild on a pay line, will enable a 5 in a row win. Some wilds will be stacked, meaning that they can encompass a whole reel, while some wilds will also have a multiplier attached, meaning any wins using the wild will be multiplied by the appropriate amount.
Scatters: Scatter symbols are those which will generally payout based on how many appear on the reels, regardless of the position. For example, you might find a scatter symbol which pays out when landing 3 or more, so if it should appear on reels 2, 4 and 5, you’ll gain a win. The most popular use of a scatter at online slots is to activate a bonus feature, such as a free spins round. You might find that the more scatters you land to activate the feature will lead to a better feature, or a larger prize. Many online slots will actually slow down having landed two scatters, adding suspense to the spin, as the other reels finally come to a stop.
Free Spins: You’ll probably realize from the name that you won’t be paying for these spins, but you’ll usually find that these spins offer something extra to a standard spin. This might be the fact that there is a multiplier attached to each win, or you might also find additional wilds on the reels, or the chance to activate unique features.
Gamble Features: Some slots will offer a gamble option after any winning spin. This might give you the chance of doubling your win amount or even more. These will usually be based upon the turn of a playing card or the toss of a coin, although these can vary from slot to slot.
Progressive Jackpots: Many players will head straight for the progressive Jackpot slots, where you’ll find the biggest prizes online. These Jackpots are formed by a small percentage of each stake being assigned to the Jackpot pool, which is why you’ll see these Jackpot payout amounts ticking relentlessly upwards. Some jackpots are standalone at individual slots, while others are pooled across a range of slots, online casinos or a combination of both.
Other Bonus Features
The range of other bonus features available can vary greatly. They might involve a pick-em round, a wheel of fortune style game or even a game map where you move from feature to feature. The range of features will vary from game to game – some slots might offer a simple base game with nothing else, while others might offer a whole host of different features. Of course, with so many games out there, the choice of game is yours!
Now you have the basics down - check out these articles covering different types of slot:
- RealTime Gaming Jackpot Slots (The best loved US friendly slots)
- Millionaire Genie Slot Review (Unique jackpot slots game at )
- IGT Jackpot Slots (includes some famous brand names!)
- WMS Bier Haus Slot
Online slots aren’t exactly the most generous casino games when it comes to payout frequency. They pay rather inconsistently will take your bankroll on a volatile ride.
As a result, you may wonder how often online slots pay out. After all, you don’t want to be left in the dark regarding your odds of winning.
The matter of slots payouts, however, is somewhat complicated. It contains different definitions for what exactly “paying out” means and also involves other factors.
Nevertheless, you should come away with a clearer understanding of exactly how often online slots pay out after reading this guide.
Two Main Definitions of “Paying Out”
When gamblers want to know how often an online slot pays, they’re commonly looking for one of two things:
- Hit rate
- Odds of winning the jackpot
The following info explains more on these concepts and how they both correlate to when a slot pays out.
Hit Rate
Hit rate (a.k.a. hit frequency) refers to how often you’ll win at least one prize on a spin. If a slot features 22% win frequency, for example, then it’ll deliver one or more payouts on 22% of the spins.
Some online developers list hit rate in the info section. In this case, you can just visit the info area and find out the win frequency.
Assuming this figure isn’t listed, though, then you’ll just have to guess based on the average slot. After all, the developer is the only party that has this info.
The average online slot features somewhere between 20% and 25% hit frequency. These percentages translates to winning either 1 in 5 or 1 in 4 times.
Of course, many mobile slots vary from these figures. Some games offer just a 15% hit rate or lower. Meanwhile, other slots have win frequency worth 30% or higher.
Generally speaking, though, you’ll be looking at somewhere between 20% and 25% hit frequency. You can rely on these percentages as a rough guideline when the proper information isn’t available.
Jackpot Odds
The jackpot odds indicate your chances of hitting a game’s top prize. For example, you may face 1 in million odds of winning a game’s biggest payout.
Jackpot odds can be all over the place. One game may deliver its top payout on 1 out of every 10 million spins, while another might only offer its jackpot on 1 out of every 10 billion spins.
As with hit rate, some developers list your odds of winning the jackpot in the info screen. This figure lets you know your exact chances of hitting the biggest payout.
If no figure is given, then you’ll have a tough time guessing on the jackpot odds. Again, these numbers are all over the place when looking across the industry.
Which Concept Best Indicates When Slots Pay Out?
Only you know what you, as an individual, are thinking of when it comes to slots paying out. Personally, though, I think of hit rate when it comes to how often online slot machines pay.
Sure, it’s also nice to know how long you’ll theoretically wait for a jackpot to come around. The odds on slots jackpots are so long, though, that I don’t really think much about them in the short run.
Instead, I’m thinking about how often they deliver any payout. Hit frequency best answers this thought. It shows how often you can expect to get something back from your bets. If you’re playing a slot with 35% win frequency, for example, you’ll be winning more frequently compared to the average slot.
The Volatility Factor
Many slots players mistake hit rate as a great judge of volatility. However, high/low hit frequency doesn’t necessarily indicate high/low volatility.
The latter is a measure of how much money you can expect to win in the short run. It goes beyond just considering the percentage of times that you’ll win on each spin.
Here’s an example to explain this concept:
- You’re playing a slot with 33% hit frequency, which is pretty high.
- You’re betting $1 on each spin.
- Most of your payouts/hits are only in the $ to $ range.
- These low payouts indicate high volatility.
Simply put, volatile slots see you win less short-term money on average. A high-volatility game with % RTP is less likely to live up to its payback in the immediate future. Instead, it’ll put you through more ups and downs.
Meanwhile, a low-volatility game with the same RTP will pay with more consistently. You won’t hit the % mark exactly, but you can expect something more along these lines with less volatility.
The RTP Factor
Return to player (RTP) Is one of the most important concepts in online slots. It determines how much a game pays out over the long run.
Therefore, you could consider RTP as another way to express how often slot machines pay. After all, payback directly indicates how much money you can expect to win from a game.
However, no online slot pays right around its RTP on a consistent basis—even the low-volatility ones. Payout percentages might take hundreds of thousands of spins to reach their mark.
That said, you should consider RTP as a long-term figure for expressing how often slots pay out. RTP isn’t a great method, though, for determining what you’ll win in a single session or series of sessions.
How Does Everything Correlate?
As you can see, the subject on how frequently mobile slot machines pay is complicated. I’ll recap all of the different elements here to clear everything up.
Hit Rate Indicates How Often You’ll Win
Depending upon how you view it, hit frequency is the best way to determine the rate at which slots pay. It indicates how frequently you can expect to earn a payout per spin.
Common win rates for online slots range between 20% and 25%. These rates are rather low in comparison to the gaming world.
For instance:
The baccarat banker bet wins at a % rate (minus 5% commission on wins). As another example, even-money wagers in European roulette win % of the time.
Nevertheless, slots hit rates are good for comparison against each other. Any win rate above 25% indicates a slot that pays with an above-average frequency.
RTP Shows Long Term Winnings
RTP is definitely worth checking out before you choose a slot. After all, it shows how well a game pays in the long run.
Payback, however, isn’t as valuable with regard to short-term winnings. It’s a figure that can take countless spins before realizing its value.
Of course, you’ll win more slots money over time by consistently choosing games with high RTP. If you always play slots with over 96% payback, for example, then you can eventually look forward to above-average payback.
Volatility Impacts Short Term Winnings
Volatility is a nice concept to use in conjunction with hit rate. If you’re playing a low-volatility game with a high hit rate, for example, you can look forward to more consistent payouts.
In contrast, when you’re playing a high-volatility slot with low hit frequency, you’re not going to win as often. Such games won’t pay anywhere near their RTP in the immediate future.
Some slots developers provide volatility ratings on their games. For instance, they might rate the volatility at anywhere between or between In such cases, you just need to visit the info screen and check out the rating.
Conclusion
Hit frequency is the first aspect you should consider regarding how often mobile slots pay. It shows what percentage of spins you’ll win with on average.
You should also consider volatility in conjunction with hit rate. High or low volatility will impact the size of your wins.
RTP provides a nice long-term indication of your slots winnings. However, it’s not as helpful when you want to know how much you’ll win now.
If you’re wanting to know the chances of hitting a jackpot, then you should also check the jackpot odds. This way, you’ll have an idea of how likely you are to win big with a particular game.
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Of course, players all over the world who might be playing the same slot will be contributing, too, so the jackpot rises fast.
When a lucky player triggers the jackpot win, perhaps by a random mechanic or through some sort of special bonus feature, they scoop the The joker free online reddit, and the progressive jackpot returns to zero and starts totting up again.
But one thing you must keep in mind: because the slot takes a portion of each bet and puts it towards the jackpot, there is less to be won during normal gameplay.
No studies are needed to prove the obvious psychological fact that everyone loves winning.