 |  | Wednesday, 27 February 2008 |
Internet Casino Slots
Slots are without doubt the easiest casino game you can play. All you need to do is place a bet and hit the spin button...the machine does the rest. Its reels will spin, each one coming to a rest at a random point, and depending on which symbols are displayed across the pay-lines, you win or lose. And playing slots online is no harder than traditional slots. But it doesn't hurt to know the ins and outs of online slots gambling and all the game terminology.
The Online Slot Machine
Slots come in many forms and offer a myriad of different themes but essentially they are all pretty much the same. There are a number of elements that are present for all slots, and these are illustrated in the slot machine below.
All slot machines will have reels - either 3, 5, or 7. The machine pictured above has 3. The reels are what spin when the bet/spin button is hit.
All slot machines will have pay-lines. The machine pictured above has 5 pay-lines but this will also vary from one machine to the next. 1, 3, 5 and 9 pay-lines are most common but you can find up to 21 pay-lines on some machines.
All slot machines will have a pay-table. The pay-table will either be on the game consol, as it is on the above machine, or available on a consol activated second screen. The pay-table tells you what combination of symbols is required along the pay-lines to win coins, and how many coins you'll win. For example, in the above game, 3 dollar symbols on pay-line 5 (diagonal bottom left to top right) will earn you 6,000 coins.
All slot machines will have a bet or spin button. As the name suggests, hit this button and the reels will spin and you're in the game.
Most online slot machines will have a coin select. Coin choices might be $0.25, $0.50, $1 and $5 for example. You will need to choose what coin you are playing with (or check where the machine is set!) before you hit the bet button.
That's pretty much it. But there are many variations on the above elements that we'll look at in more detail below and also a couple of special features that you should know about...
Reels & Pay-lines
The most common game you'll find, both online and at traditional casinos, is the 3 reel, single pay-line machine. But game developers are getting more and more adventurous with slots games. The number of reels and pay-lines is not an indicator of the likely return that a machine will pay.
Coins
Most online slots will let you choose the value of the coins that you can bet with.` Although there are many exceptions, typical coin value ranges offered are:
Microgaming slots: $0.25, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin.
Boss Media slots: $0.25, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin.
Playtech slots: $0.05, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin.
Wagerlogic slots: $0.01, $0.10, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin.
Odds On slots: 0.50, $1, $5 and $10 per coin.
Slot machines will also allow you to play more than one coin per spin. Singe pay-line machines will allow you to play 2, 3, 4 or 5 coins per spin, while multiple line machines will let you play one coin for every line. So for each spin, your possible bet amount can be very small, or quite large. Here are a couple of examples:
You have a choice of $0.25, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin, on 3 reel, single line, 3 coin machine. In this case, you can bet one $0.25 coin for a total bet of $0.25 per spin, or three $5 coins for a total bet of $15 per spin.
You have a choice of $0.01, $0.10, $0.50, $1 and $5 per coin, on a 5 reel, 9 line machine. In this case, you can bet one $0.01 coin on one line for a total bet of $0.01 per spin, or one $5 coin for every line for a total bet $45 per spin.
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| 
 | Swiss Casino
VS.
Casino Red Vegas
| | Swiss Casino | Casino Red Vegas |
Rank:
10 |
Rank:
10 |
Bonus:
$400 |
Bonus:
$ |
Jackpots:
Yes
|
Jackpots:
Yes
|
Payout:
96.5%
|
Payout:
%
|
Games:
61 |
Games:
|
VIP Support:
No
|
VIP Support:
No
|
Multi
player:
Yes
|
Multi
player:
Yes
|
Full-Screen:
Yes
|
Full-Screen:
Yes
|
Flash:
No
|
Flash:
Yes
|
Java:
No
|
Java:
Yes
|
Download:
Yes
|
Download:
Yes
|
Sound:
Yes
|
Sound:
No
|
CD:
No
|
CD:
No
| Software:
Playtech | Software:
Playtech |
Live Help:
Yes
|
Live Help:
Yes
|
Phone:
Yes
|
Phone:
No
|
|
| Payout Percentages | |
Casino: |
Payout: | | Swiss Casino | 96.5%
| | Casino Red Vegas | %
|
|
| Free Bonuses | |
Casino: |
Bonus: | | Swiss Casino |
$400 | | Casino Red Vegas |
$ |
|
|
