The ABC of Slots – become a term expert in no time

Playing slots is one of your passions? You love the thrill that comes with spinning the reels? But every so often you come across terms you don’t know and that puzzle you? In that case, our slot terminology is just the thing for you!

Because here we explain the most important specialist terms about online slot machines and their features and supply you with all relevant information you need for a successful gaming session.

The slot alphabet – index

The ABC of Slots – become a term expert in no time

• Auto-play

• Bonus features

• Classic slot

• Doubles

• Features

• Free Games

• Gamble function

• Hit frequency

• Icons

• Jackpot

• Paytable

• Reels

• RNG

• RTP

• Scatter

• Spin button

• Stacked symbols

• Stake

• Tumbling Reels

• Wild

• Win line

• Win Ways™

Auto-play

Auto-play mode is the first term in our slot terminology. It enables you to lean back and relax while playing and follow the action without stress. Once auto-play is activated, the slot is played all by itself, the spins start and stop without you having to do anything – until you deactivate it.

Bonus features

Many slots have certain extra functions that can lead to additional winnings, Free Games or other positive effects. During Bonus rounds the payout is usually much higher than in normal spins.

Classic slot

When you play a classic slot, you enjoy all the features that make up an online slot machine: reels, win lines, clear gameplay and, most importantly of all, great chances of winning. A typical theme for classic slots is fruits.

Doubles

A word that shouldn’t be missing in our slot glossary is ‘doubles’. When one and the same symbol appears twice at the same time, the respective win is doubled.

Features

Features are entertaining additional functions or extra games that can ensure suspense and greater winning potential. The most common and popular feature is the Free Game feature. Features are either triggered at random or need certain requirements to be activated.

Free Spins

Although Free Spins is a term you are most likely familiar with, we would like to explain them in our slot terminology. Many slots have the option to activate additional rounds for which no stake has to be paid. Such extra rounds are called Free Spins and enable you to enjoy more chances of winning free of charge. Usually, they are triggered by a certain number of a special symbol.

Gamble function

The gamble function allows you to multiply a win. For this, the colour of a concealed playing card (red or black) has to be guessed. If you guess correctly, the win is usually doubled. Should you get it wrong, you lose your entire win. This is continued until you decide to either keep your winnings or you bet on the wrong colour.

Hit frequency

The hit frequency is a slot term that defines how often a slot machine will have a winning result. A hit frequency of ten percent means, for example, that one in ten spins results in a winning combination.

Icons

To complete our slot machine terminology, it is essential to explain the icons. Icons is an alternative expression for the symbols of a slot.

Jackpot

It is important to distinguish between a static and a progressive jackpot. A static jackpot is fixed from the outset, while a progressive jackpot is dependent on the number of participants and their stakes: the more players who pay in, the higher the jackpot amount.

Paytable

Another entry in our slot glossary is the paytable. It refers to the payout table that you can access in the in-game description of an online slot machine. It lists all symbol combinations and their winnings.

Reels

A fixed characteristic of any online slot are the reels. At least three of them spin vertically across the field. They are turned with each spin and can show profitable symbol combinations.

RNG

The random number generator is a popular tool mainly used in slot machines to generate random numbers with every spin. It ensures that each spin offers the same chances to win. This system guarantees a fair spin result.

RTP

The abbreviation RTP is part of our slot machine terminology because it is indispensable for online slots. It stands for ‘return to player’ and refers to the stake that is paid back to you over a specific time period. Slots with a high RTP value usually have a higher payout ratio than slots with a low RTP.

Scatter

The scatter is one of the special symbols that can really stir up a slot – in a positive sense, of course. Its key function is to contribute to winning combinations even when it doesn’t land on a win line. Moreover, it usually triggers a feature when a certain number of it appears, which can create additional chances of winning.

Spin button

The “Spin” or “Start” button is probably the most important one in an online slot, because it triggers individual spins. When you click on it, the reels start to spin.

Stacked symbols

When symbols are stacked, it means that they expand and cover all positions of a particular reel. This helps to increase the probability that other symbols match to achieve a win.

Stake

The stake is the amount that you play with in an online slot. With the corresponding button you can select the amount of your stake per round. Alternatively, you can stake the highest possible amount with the button “Max. Stake” or “MaxBet”.

Tumbling reels

These are also called cascading reels or avalanche function. As soon as a line win has been achieved, the symbols involved disappear (or explode) and new symbols fall onto the reels from above. As a consequence, empty positions are refilled and new combinations are created that might, with a little luck, achieve more wins.

Wild

The conclusion of our slot glossary is the wild, a special symbol in online slot machines. It can substitute for other symbols (with the exception of the scatter) and contribute to winning combinations.

Win line

Every online slot has a certain number of lines that run criss-cross across a reel field. A specified number of symbols must land on these lines during a round to score a win. In some slot machines, the number of win lines can be chosen; in other games, their number is fixed.

Win Ways™

Win Ways™ slots are based on a very special mechanism, because they can be played with up to 117,649 win lines. This is possible because the individual reels in each spin contain different numbers of symbols. The exact number of win lines is only calculated at the end of each round. For this purpose, the number of symbols of individual reels is multiplied with each other.

You see, at second glance, understanding slots is not rocket science – provided you know the slang. Thanks to our slot terminology, you are well on the way to becoming a true expert when in comes to reels, win lines and the like, and it might now be a little easier for you to win one or another prize. Have a great time with numerous ingenious online slots on StarVegas!