There are plenty of reasons why slots are a mainstay of casinos both online and land-based. Slots are easy to learn, fast to play, and offer an exciting way to pass the time or break up a few hands of your favorite card game. Online casinos offer just as many – if not more – versions of this classic game. At Casino Guru, we’ll give you an exclusive look at the latest online slots themes, current promotions, and tips to make the most of your slots experience.
Check out the best offers currently available for online slots players in the US below. Take a few free spins, or make a deposit to play a few rounds.
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How to Play Slots Machines Online
Online slots machines are just as simple as the walk up versions. If you’ve never played or want a quick refresher course, we’ve outlined the steps for you here.
- Pick a Game: After finding the best online casino for you, take a look at the slots they offer. Most online casinos will offer a wide variety of themes and styles. If you know what you’re looking for, then start playing! If you’re not quite sure what style of slots is for you and want to explore, then read on.
- Get Familiar: Slots can be a little overwhelming for new players. They can have lots of lights, colors, and animations. Read the instructions offered for the game. There will be an easy to spot button with either an ‘i’ or a ‘?’ where you’ll be able to find the game’s instructions. When you click this info button, you’ll be able to read all the rules and paytable specific to the game.
- Place a Bet: Decide how much you want to stake for each line and how many lines you want to play. If you add these amounts up, it equals the total amount you are betting on the spin. As you’ll see in the paytable, how much you bet determines how much you can win on the spin.
- Take a Spin! Simply click the button that says ‘Spin’. The wheels will be set in motion and your game has begun! You may also want to play the ‘Autoplay’ button – we’ll walk you through this feature later on in this guide.
- Did You Win? When the wheels stop, any winning reels will be highlighted and winnings are automatically put in your account. It’s that easy.
Playing Online Slots for Free vs Slots for Real Money
No matter what, slots can be a fun way to pass the time. There are plenty of free slots options at online casinos that can be exciting. Just remember: the way to win money, is to play money. Take a look at some of our tips to boost that bankroll and make the most of your winnings:
- Sign Up & Welcome Bonuses: Take advantage of these! If you accept a welcome bonus package or a sign up bonus, slots are a great way to meet the playthrough requirement attached to the bonus. Many online casinos will count 100% of what you stake on slots towards the playthrough requirements.
- Free Spins: Online casinos can load you up with free spins. There are a number of reasons casinos offer these: for depositing money into your account, as an incentive for you to login or try a new game, as a loyalty reward, and more.
- Check Back for New Promotions: Online casinos are constantly offering new promotions for slots players. Check back here at Casino Guru to get the latest and get the most out of your game.
What’s the Difference Between Free Play Slots, Free Spins, and No-Deposit Slots?
You can think of free play slots as playing a slot machine for practice. You can play for free, but you won’t be winning any money. If you see your ‘winnings’ going up on these free play slots, it’s just tracking your hypothetical winnings had you staked money on the game. You cannot cashout winnings from a free play slot game.
Free spins are a bonus offer that you can apply to your real money slots game. You can win real money if you use a free spin bonus while you are playing a slots game with real money. Make sure you check the terms and conditions of the free spin offer. Just like other bonuses, these usually come with playthrough requirements that you must meet before you can withdraw your winnings from the bonus.
No-deposit slots, as their name implies, can be played without the player making a deposit. These games can be played for free, and can yield real money winnings, but they can and will come with quite a few terms and conditions. Just make sure you’re familiar with the terms and conditions before you get too carried away at a no-deposit slot machine.
Progressive Jackpot Slots
Progressive jackpot slots are in a league of their own. Players can win jaw-dropping sums from progressive slots. These slots are played in a network of players, with each player’s game feeding into one jackpot that increases every time a player doesn’t win it. These jackpots are not easy to win, but when they are won, they can be life changing.
Mobile Slots Online
Slots are one of the most popular games for casinos’ mobile extensions. Most casinos will offer a mobile version of many of their slots games. This allows you to tap into the excitement of slots at your convenience on your phone or tablet.
Online Slots Terminology
Slots are already a simple casino game. If you familiarize yourself with these few terms, you’ll have it mastered.
Autoplay – This function allows you to play more games in less time. Simply set your wagering parameters and the slot machine will spin consecutive rounds for you, adding up your winnings along the way. Some machines will pause when they reach a bonus round or a free spin. This is a much more hands-off way to play, since the player does not need to press the ‘spin’ button for each play.
Max Bet – This tells you the maximum amount you can stake on a game per spin. Placing the max bet will give you the biggest payout if you win. Most games will have a button that reads ‘Max Bet’ that you can click to place the highest bet allowed on the game. If you place a max bet, all paylines on the game are activated.
Min Bet – This is the minimum bet you can make on a game.
Paylines – Paylines are the markers on the machine that designate where the symbols on the reel must land to determine a win or loss. If the winning combination of symbols lands within the markers, you win!
Payout – This is the amount a player wins when the reels land with a winning combination of symbols.
Paytable – This tells you the payout for each winning combination of symbols. Players can find the paytable for each game by clicking the info button usually marked with an ‘i’ or ‘?’.
Line Bet – When you place your bets, you can choose which and how many paylines you want to activate. You simply activate a payline by placing a bet on it.
Multiplier – This is a bonus that multiplies a winner’s payout.
Scatter Symbols – This symbol usually gives a player one of the highest payouts. This symbol can also unlock bonus features.
Volatility – The risk associated with the game, descriptive of how often and how big payouts will be on the game is known as volatility or variance.
Wild Symbol – This symbol can act as a multiplier, or is sometimes used as a symbol needed to create a winning combination on the payline.
High Volatility Slots vs Low Volatility Slots
Slot volatility refers to the amount of risk associated with the game. It describes how often and how much a player might win during his or her gaming session. Slot games with high volatility will have bigger payouts, but they may be more infrequent and they will involve a higher risk for the player. Low volatility slots will be more likely to have frequent payouts, but they will be smaller payouts. If a player has a lot of time and a lot of cash to play, then he or she is a great candidate for high volatility slots. If a player has a smaller budget and is looking to spin just a few times, then he or she should look for low volatility slots.
The two easiest ways to determine the volatility of a slot game is to look at the paytable and play a few rounds for free. If the paytable outlines high prizes, it will probably be a higher volatility game since these big payouts will be won less often.
Volatility is sometimes referred to as ‘variance’.
What do RTP and Hit Frequency Mean for Online Slots?
RTP means “return to player”. It describes the percentage of money wagered by players that the slot machine will return to players as payouts. For example, if the RTP of a machine is 90% and a player wagers a total of $100 on a machine over a series of 100 bets, he or she can expect to get back about $90 in winnings.
The hit frequency of a game describes how often a player can expect a winning combination of symbols. If the hit frequency is 10%, then a player can expect to have a winning combination about 1 out of 10 plays.
These numbers don’t mean you will see these exact outcomes, but describe averages over time.
How Does Casino Guru Review Online Slots?
At Casino Guru, when we review the online slots, we pay attention to the same features you as a player will. We make sure games offer plenty of bonuses, easy access to the paytable and info button, and the ability for players to stake small bets, big bets, and inbetween bets. We also take note of casinos that offer a wide variety of themes and slots with exceptional graphics. It’s also important to us to keep players updated regarding any big progressive jackpot opportunities coming up. With so much to choose from, we want you to have the best online slots experience possible.
Conclusion
Slots are fast and fun. They can provide a quick break from your workday or clear your mind after a challenging hand of poker. With plenty of themes to choose from and a chance at huge payouts, slots provide limitless entertainment. Head over to the top no deposit bonuses currently offered to get your slots game started with a few free spins and some extra credit in your bankroll.