Slot Machine Terminology - Slots Terms
Bank machines are groups of slots lined up together. Many of the newest bank slot machines have community-type games where all the players on the bank get to play the bonus round when it's hit.
Bonus is a special game feature that is activated when certain symbols appear in a winning combination. Bonuses usually vary depending on the machine. Sometimes the bonus round is a session of bonus spins. The number of bonus spins is determined by the number of winning symbols used to trigger the feature. Many times however, the bonus feature is a mix of a game (where you spin a wheel or choose from boxes) and a bonus spins feature with a multiplier.
Carousel refers to a group of slot machines placed in a circle.
Credit meter is a visual display of the amount of credits or cash left to play. On video slot machines this is usually a simulated LED display.
Casino bonuses are offered by online casino sites as an incentive for new players to sign up. Different types of bonuses include no deposit bonuses where players get given money to try out the casino and deposit match bonuses where the casinos gives a certain percentage of your deposit as bonus money to play with. Online casino bonuses are a great way to get extra cash to play online video slots.
Hand pay refers to a payout made by a slot attendant or cage, rather than the slot machine. A hand pay occurs when the amount of the payout exceeds the maximum amount that was preset by the slot machine's operator. Usually, the maximum amount is set at the level where the operator must begin to deduct taxes. A hand pay could also be necessary as a result of a short pay.
Hit rate or hit frequency describes how often a winning combination shows up on a machine. On video slots, the more lines you play the higher your hit rate will be.
Multiplier symbols usually appear during bonus games and spin features on video slot machines. They multiply each win by a certain number. For example, spins with a 3x multiplier gives you triple the winnings on every winning combination during your spins.
Pay-cycle is a theoretical expression for the number of spins needed for the machine to cycle through all possible winning and losing combinations. Since payouts are randomized, the machine will not actually hit all possible combinations in the short-run.
Pay-line is a straight or zig-zagged line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is determined. while video slot machines may have as many as one hundred. The more pay-lines on a machine, the more coins it will take to play, but it will also increase your chance of hitting a winning combination.
Payout percentage and payback percentage are terms used to describe the amount of money a slot machine will return to its players in the long-run. Casinos are required to maintain a certain overall payback percentage, but individual slots may be set anywhere from 80 to 98 percent.
Pay tables tell you what symbols you need to line up and how much you win if they do. On video slots, the pay table is usually multiple screens that describes any bonus features or bonus spin features, scatters, multipliers, and wild symbols.
Reels are what spins on the slot machine. Traditional slot machines generally have 3-reels, while newer video slot machines have 5-reels.
RNG or Random Number Generator is a computer chip inside a slot machine that constantly generates thousands of numbers every second. RNGs are programmed to stop when the SPIN button is pressed or the slot machine arm is pulled. Each number in the RNG corresponds to a certain stop on the reels. So, as soon as a player spins the reels the outcome is already determined.
Scatter symbols allow you to win regardless of where they appear on the reels.