Online slots are becoming more sophisticated as they are growing in their popularity among the players. New features, techniques, and bonuses keep showing up in the gameplay for keeping slots fresh and exciting. But it all starts with the basic layout that includes reels, pay lines, wilds and scatters – deposit and play now.
Hence, in this article, we are going to describe the basic slot mechanics based on the key aspects of the layout, i.e., reels, pay lines, wild and scatter symbols.
The Slot Mechanics
In each online slot, the first thing you will notice on the screen will be the reels that display various theme-based symbols in varying combos. Normally, you will find 3 to 5 reels on your game screen. There is a paytable for each slot that describes the pay lines available in the slot, the values of game symbols, payouts linked with each combo of symbols, and other important details that can help you decide your bets.
Once you hit the spin button, reels start spinning, symbol combos start forming, and you find out whether you landed a win. The reels can come in many shapes depending on the slot theme. Some pay in one direction while the others pay in both.
In terms of game symbols, each slot has standard symbols, wild symbols, scatter symbols, and bonus symbols. Developers usually add a mix of these in their slots. The standard symbols are always a part of the gameplay as low-paying and high-paying symbols. The special features of the game are linked with wilds and scatters.
Wild symbols have a substitution power, i.e., they can replace any standard symbols on the reels in case you need one to complete a winning combo. Scatter symbols, however, are immune to this power. They have even more special features linked to them and can appear anywhere on the reels. These special symbols don’t appear quite often on the reels, but once they are there, they unlock different bonuses and free spin opportunities.
Other Factors Affecting Slot Mechanics
Few other factors determining the probable outcome of each spin in a slot are RTP, volatility and hit frequency.
· Return to Player (RTP): This figure is mathematically determined for each slot after numerous trails of the slot game. It is the percentage that a player gets from every bet placed.
· Volatility: Slot volatility is a pre-determined figure as well; it depicts how risky a slot can be in terms of its rewards. The riskier the slot, the bigger are the wins. However, the frequency of those wins is extremely low.
· Hit Frequency: This figure shows the probability of a slot to give you winning combos.
Conclusion
Slot mechanics and factors given above are crucial to the success of any online slot. They work together to determine the overall impact of the gameplay. The way developers place them together in a slot is what makes each slot unique. There can be many variations, but it all comes down to a player’s strategy and luck to win a slot.
