Explaining Slot Machine Features: Terms, Paylines, Symbols

What are Slot Machines and How Do They Work?

Slot machines, also known as slots, are casino games where you place bets to set the reels in motion. The goal is to hope that the symbols on the reels form a winning combination.

You can adjust your bet and often choose the paylines. Unlike Blackjack, real-money slots don’t require decisions from you. Every player has the same chances of winning.

Originally, slot machines worked with rotating reels. However, over time, the game format has changed significantly. Today, there are even game areas, like those in the Reactoonz series, that are structured in clusters, where groups of identical symbols are formed.

Winning combinations disappear, making room for new game symbols. In short, today’s slot games are extremely versatile and diverse.

Playing Slots: Structure and Operation

Before we delve into the various features of slot machines, let’s first look at the basic structure of the best online slots. Although each slot machine has a unique design, many share common elements.

Elements of Online Slots

Dead or Alive 2 by NetEnt

• Paytable: The paytable provides an overview of possible winning combinations and their corresponding payouts. Bonus features are often explained here, and information about the payout percentage (RTP) is usually provided.
• Bet: Your current bet is displayed here and deducted from your balance once you press the play or start button (other names may apply). You can adjust your bet as desired. There are buttons available for this, such as “Level” and “Coin Value.” A reduced bet is also possible by deactivating paylines, if this option is available.
• Autoplay: Instead of spinning each round individually, you can use the autoplay function. In this mode, the reels spin automatically until your balance is used up. You can also set a stop-limit to end autoplay when specific losses or wins are reached.
• Balance: Your current balance is usually displayed in euros. Each bet made is immediately deducted, and wins are instantly added to your balance.
• Play/Start: Clicking this button sets the reels in motion. The name may vary. Be sure to set your bet before pressing this button.
• Reels: This is where the actual gameplay takes place. After you place a bet, the reels start spinning. The reels stop automatically. You have no control over how the reels spin. Most slot machines use five reels.
• Paylines: In many slots, the number of paylines is displayed here, while in others, this can be found in the paytable. Often, you can adjust the number of paylines to suit your preferences (this is usually done using +/- in the “Level” section). However, there are also slots where this is not possible. Some slot games without reels have no paylines (for example, Reactoonz or Jammin’ Jars).

Explaining Slot Symbols

No slot machine is without symbols that appear on the reels. These symbols form winning combinations or trigger bonus features. The type of symbols varies depending on the game, but many common elements are shared, similar to the game structure.

If you’re looking to try out different slots with a variety of symbols, you can easily access your account by using the Slotozen login. Once logged in, you’ll be able to explore a range of exciting slot options and discover the unique symbols that each game has to offer.

Slot Symbol | Description

• Standard Symbols: These symbols are essential in every slot. They do not trigger bonus features but form winning combinations. Playing card symbols (Ace, King, Queen, etc.) are commonly used, as are gems and fruits. Other standard symbols align with the theme of the slot. For example, in Egypt-themed games, you’ll find mythical creatures, pharaohs, and mummies.
• Wilds: Wild symbols can be found in almost every slot. Wilds can replace most other symbols (except Scatters). Sometimes, winning combinations with Wild symbols have a higher payout rate. For example, in Immortal Romance, you get double the payout when Wilds are part of the winning combination. Wilds are typically recognizable by the word “Wild” written on them. Sometimes, they resemble standard symbols – in the jackpot slot Mega Moolah, for example, the Lion is the Wild symbol.
• Scatters: This symbol usually triggers the free spins feature of the slot. Typically, you need to land three or more Scatters during a spin to trigger free spins, which are free turns that don’t require additional betting. It typically doesn’t matter if the Scatters are on a payline – free spins are triggered regardless.
• Bonus Symbols: If the slot has additional bonus features (besides free spins), bonus symbols often exist. Unlike Scatters, bonus symbols must typically land on a payline. This is the case with Mega Fortune, for example, where bonus symbols lead to a prize wheel where instant wins and jackpots can be earned.
• Multipliers: Multipliers apply to all wins. Often, multipliers are a bonus feature of the slot. In Bonanza, the multiplier increases by 1x with each free spin, while in Fire Joker, a multiplier is awarded with each full-screen win.
• Stacked: “Stacked” symbols appear in stacks on the reels. This often happens with Wild or Bonus symbols. In the Push Gaming slot Razor Shark, algae symbols appear as stacked symbols. Twin Spin always works with stacked reels during each spin, meaning at least two reels spin in sync.
• Sticky: Symbols are “sticky” if they stay in place after a spin. Sticky Wilds are especially common in free spins. In Jack and the Beanstalk, for example, Wilds not only stick but also move leftward or expand to cover the entire reel when they appear (“expanding”). The Dog House Megaways goes a step further, using Sticky Wilds along with multipliers in the free spins.

Slot Features and Winning Opportunities

Forming winning combinations with identical symbols along a payline is not the only way to succeed in online slots. Provided the slot offers additional ways to win, success can come from other features.

Especially with new releases, creativity is abundant. Below, we’ll present all the winning opportunities we’ve noticed in the online world, including some tips for playing slot machines!

Slot Feature | Description

• 1024 Ways to Win: In 1024 Ways to Win slots, like Buffalo Blitz II, Tomb of Akhenaten, or Cash Noire, fixed paylines are replaced with ways to win. The difference is that symbols only need to follow each other. Whether they form a pretty payline is irrelevant. 1024 Ways to Win games consist of 5 reels and 4 rows.
• Megaways: The result of taking slots with 243 and 1,024 ways to win to the next level. In Megaways slots, up to 117,649 different ways to win can be created on each spin! The number of paylines varies, and symbols often appear stacked. Prominent examples of Megaways slots include Bonanza and White Rabbit. Even classic games are re-released as Megaways versions, like Gonzo’s Quest Megaways by Red Tiger.
• Cluster Pays: In Cluster Pays slots, the goal is to form groups of identical symbols. These groups don’t need to start from the left; winning combinations can also form on reels three to five. Cluster Pays games often break with slot traditions. The Hive uses a grid layout similar to a honeycomb, and Jammin’ Jars has a structure reminiscent of Bejeweled games.
• (Random) Jackpots: On jackpot slots, you can win regular payouts – or, with a lot of luck, a jackpot. Often, more than one jackpot is available. In the jackpot machine Vegas Night Life, for example, three jackpots are up for grabs. The mini and midi jackpots pay 10x or 30x your bet. However, the progressive jackpot, which grows continuously with every bet placed, is the most interesting.
• Expanding Reels: In games with expandable reels, the layout is sometimes blocked. In Valley of the Gods 2, every winning combination clears part of the game field. Cherry Pop takes this even further, as winning combinations add new rows to the game field. Starting with five reels and three rows, the best outcome can result in nine rows.
• Re-Spins: A re-spin occurs when the reels spin once (or several times) more during a game. In the NetEnt slot Starburst, you just need to land a Wild symbol, which then spreads across the entire reel and triggers a re-spin. In The Wild Chase, the symbols that are part of a winning combination lock in place, and the reels spin again, as long as new symbols lock in place after the spin.
• Retrigger: A retrigger refers to free spins that can be triggered multiple times – even during free spins. This is a key feature in Fire Joker, where landing three bonus symbols unlocks a new round of spins.