Types of Slots: Features, Symbols, and How to Play

Slot games are gambling machines with reels and symbols that can be spun to try and win cash prizes. While slot machines have been around for over a century, providing entertainment to gamblers, they have had a massive evolution from the classic fruit, bells, bars, and lucky 7s classic games. Players previously could only play physical slot machines at land-based casinos but since the launch of the internet in the 1990s, players have been able to enjoy virtual versions of slot machines on the internet.

You can enjoy many different types of slots, both online and in land-based casinos, including classic slots, video slots, progressive slots, free slots, 3D slots virtual reality slots, mobile slots, bonus multiplier slots, combination slots, and mega spin slots. These games are easily accessible in the Fruity King lobby. Choose your slot game, set your bet, and send the reels tumbling to see what you can win. No matter your preference, there is a slot game available for every player to enjoy spinning.

The different types of slots are listed below.

Classic Slots

Classic slot games have a traditional setup and a limited range of bonus features. Classic slot games are three-reel games with a single payline and have a retro feel that reminds players of a typical land-based casino. You can expect to find lots of classic symbols on the reels, including bells, bars, fruit, and red lucky 7s. Another key feature of classic slots is that they need to have limited to no bonus features, as the first classic slot games released did not have a wide range of bonus features. Simple gameplay is at the heart of classic slot games.

Video Slots

Video slots are a modern take on the classic slot game and most new slot releases fall into this category. Video slot games have exciting features like high-quality graphics, cool themes, epic soundtracks, and many bonuses. These games usually play on at least 5 reels and have multiple paylines. Video slots frequently use different payline mechanics such as Megaways and Cluster Pays mechanics. Some of the thrilling bonus features you can expect from video slots include wilds, free spins, multipliers, picking games, prize trails,  and jackpot features.

Progressive Slots

Progressive slot games are the go-to slots for those aiming to win big. Normal slot games have fixed jackpots up for grabs, but with progressive jackpot slots, the jackpot prize varies. Each time a player places a bet on the slot game, a percentage of that bet will be added to the prize pool. The progressive jackpot will continue to increase until it is won, before resetting to its minimum seed amount. Progressive jackpot prizes are shared over many slot games from a specific software developer. For example, Microgaming offers a variety of Mega Moolah slot games, and the progressive jackpot prize is shared across these slots.

Free Slots

Free slots are online slots played with no real money bet required. Free slot games include games with no big prizes up for grabs but they can still provide a lot of fun. These games are simply demo slot games of other popular slots, such as classic and video slots. This means you can enjoy spinning their reels without worrying about losing cash. Free slots also help players get good strategies in place before they start wagering with real cash.

3D Slots

3D slot games are similar to most other online slots with the sole difference in that the graphics use 3D models rather than 2D. This allows the software developers to create slots with added depth to the graphics, particularly in bonus games where 3D effects create more detailed backdrops and scenes. 3D slots also allow the development of interactive character narratives, which helps to further immerse players in 3D slots. You should know that 3D slots may need to be played on modern devices and operating systems.

Multi-Payline Slots

Multi-payline slot games are slots that have multiple paylines which differs from the classic games that normally have a single payline. Multi-payline games have at least 5 paylines but this can reach upwards of 117,649 when spinning the reels of slots such as Megaways games. These games are normally very modern, with high-quality graphics and a wide range of thrilling bonus features.

I-Slots

I-Slots, known as interactive slots, allow players to change the course of their slot gameplay through their spinning. In these games, you can look forward to mini-games that influence the storytelling and outcome of i-slots. I-slots, or interactive slots, are all about the interactive and personalised experience you will not find in other slot games like the classic and free ones.

Virtual Reality Slots

Virtual reality slots are a new form of online slot game that provides players with an immersive virtual reality experience via a headset. You will be transported to the virtual reality once the virtual reality headset is on, which could be, for example, a virtual casino. We are likely to see more innovation and development in virtual reality slot games in the future.

Mobile Slots

Mobile slot games are slot games designed to be played on portable devices such as mobile or tablets. Mobile slot games are designed by software developers using the latest HTML5 technology, so they will perfectly adapt to mobile devices with no sacrifice in the quality of the graphics or the bonus games. You won’t have to worry about any lagging or glitching when playing mobile-friendly slots as the design allows them to be played smoothly.

Straight Multiplier Slots

Straight multiplier slots are slots where players activate all possible winning combos through a single coin. The more coins that are wagered, the more you can potentially win. For example, playing 2 coins will pay double that is on offer through a single coin, while playing 3 coins will pay triple that is on offer through a single coin. Players who do not mind taking greater risks for a bigger reward will take the option of playing more than 1 coin.

Bonus Multiplier Slots

Bonus multiplier slots are similar to straight multiplier slots as all combinations are activated with a single coin. This will multiply the winnings if more coins are used. There can also be a bonus payout if the maximum number of coins is used, which is awarded on top of the jackpot amount.

Combination Slots

Combination slots are games that combine 2 or more of the above types of slots. For example, a video slot can also be a progressive jackpot slot game, making it a combination slot. Having combination slot games provides more diversity in the range of slot games available for players to spin.

Megaspin Slots

Megaspin slot games are slot games that let gamblers spin multiple reel sets simultaneously. This is triggered as part of a bonus feature where additional reel grids appear on the screen and are played side-by-side with the main reel set. 

What are the Types of Slot Machines?

The types of slot machines available to spin online include traditional slot machines, video slot machines, progressive slot machines, and multi-line slot machines.

These types of slot machines are listed below.

Traditional Slot Machines

Traditional slot machines are slots that have a retro theme and nostalgic feeling that reminds players of the classic games played at land-based casinos. Traditional slots have 3 reels, no bonus features, and a range of classic symbols, including bells, bars, red lucky 7s, and fruit symbols. The soundtrack is usually very simple with just the sound of the reels spinning.

The first traditional slot game was launched over a century ago and was named the Liberty Bell. Traditional slots were designed in 1891 but were improved upon in 1895 by Charles Fey from San Francisco. While traditional slot games are normally 3 reels, many newer releases have 5 reels. Traditional slots are often combined with progressive jackpot slots, multi-line slots, bonus games, and free spin games.

Video Slot Machines

Video slot machines are modern and mobile-friendly slots with enhanced graphics, extensive bonus features, and the chance to win big jackpot prizes. Video slot games were first launched in the late 1970s in Las Vegas and became the top slot game for players both online and in land-based casinos.

Video slot machines normally have 5 reels with multiple paylines where winning combinations are formed by landing 3 or more matching symbols across consecutive paylines. Many payline mechanics are found in video slots, including Megaways, cluster pays and scatter pays mechanics. Some of the other most common types of video slot machines you will find include video slots with progressive jackpots, video slots with multi-paylines and bonus features, video slots with 3D graphics, and modernised classic fruit machines that are now video slots using all of the traditional fruit symbols. 

Progressive Slot Machines

Progressive slot machines are slot games with interlinked jackpots that rise in value each time a player bets on the game. A percentage of that bet will be added to the progressive jackpot prize with every wager placed. The longer the progressive jackpot is not won, the more money there will be up for grabs. Once the jackpot has been won, which is normally through a jackpot feature, the jackpot will reset to its minimum seed amount. As the jackpot is contributed to over a wide variety of slot games from the same software developer, this can result in huge wins being up for grabs. These are known as networked progressive jackpot slot games as they are linked across many casinos. There are also standalone progressive jackpot slots where only slot games at that sole casino can contribute to the jackpot.

The first progressive slot game was launched in 1996 by Microgaming. Microgaming has become a pioneer in progressive jackpot slot games since then with its hugely popular Mega Moolah slot series.

Multi-Line Slots

Multi-line slots are slot games that have recently been introduced to the gambling world. Players can bet on multiple paylines with these slots rather than the simple single-line slot game. This provides more chances to take home a large jackpot prize and enjoy playing a multi-line machine rather than having to play lots of machines simultaneously to try and hit the jackpot. Multi-line slots were first introduced in the early 2000s and have only grown in popularity over the years. Some of the most common types of multi-line slot games available to spin include three-reel multi-line slots, five-reel multi-line slots, and multi-line progressive jackpot slots.

What Are the Different Types of Slot Games Based on Mechanics?

The different types of slot games based on mechanics include Megaways reels, cascading reels, cluster pays reels, and scatter pays reels.

Megaways Reels Slots

Megaways Reels slots are some of the most popular slot games developed by Big Time Gaming. Bonanza Megaways was the first slot game to be released by Big Time Gaming using the Megaways mechanic. The number of symbols on each of the reels in Megaways slot games changes with every spin. As the number of symbols increases on each reel, this can increase the number of paylines available. The maximum number of symbols in most Megaways slot games can create up to 117,649 paylines. However, this can vary between different Megaways slot games, so you should always check before you get started playing the maximum number of paylines available.

Cascading Reels Slots

Cascading Reels slots are another hugely popular slot mechanic that can result in large wins. Each time a winning combination is formed on the reels, the symbols in that winning combination will be removed from the reels to allow new symbols to drop. This can potentially result in more winning combinations being formed and larger cash prizes being awarded. This mechanic only stops when no new winning combinations have been formed.

Cluster Pays Slots

Cluster Pays slot games are becoming more common and this payline mechanic allows winning combinations to be formed by landing 5 or more matching symbols in a cluster on the grid. Players must land these matching symbols either vertically or horizontally in cluster pays slot games.

Scatter Pays Slots

The scatter pays slots mechanic is on the rise in online slot games, involving winning combinations by landing 3 or more matching symbols across any of the reels. The symbols do not have to be across consecutive reels starting from reel 1 – they can be anywhere and as long as they are matching, they will award wins.

What Are Bonus Round and Free Spin Games?

Bonus round and free spin games are slot games with additional features that can be both entertaining and help you secure bigger wins. Bonus round and free spin games are incredibly popular amongst online gamblers and are some of the most sought-after slots to spin.

Bonus rounds and free spins were first launched in slot games back in the late 1990s. During this time, the number of slots providing lots of bonus features was very slim and most slot games still offered none. However, fast forward 20+ years, and the majority of new slot releases are packed with innovative and exciting bonus rounds and free spins.

The different types of bonus rounds and free spins are listed below.

•  Bonus wheels – spin the wheel for random prizes.
• Progressive slots – each wager contributes to the progressive jackpot pool.
• Picking games – players select items to reveal prizes hidden behind them.
• Multipliers – multiply winning combinations to provide bigger wins.
• Prize trails – work your way along the prize trail for bigger and better prizes.
• Cascading reel multipliers – increase the multiplier by at least 1x for every consecutive cascading win.
• Wild symbols – replace other symbols on the reels to help form more winning combinations.
• Free spin feature – players can enjoy a set number of free spins without having to wager any of their cash. 

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