Videoslots have gone through many changes since they were first introduced in the 1960s and 1970s and even then they were based on a concept from the late 1800s. Videoslots or slot machines that they’re also called are fairly simple to play, but even so there are many variations to both payouts and themes that can change the experience for both newcomers and veterans. Videoslots also have interactive bonus games that sometimes give you the chance to apply some skill to your winnings, the better you get at the bonus game, the more you win.
Videoslots is currently the number one casino game with dozens of new videoslot games being released every month from several developers (such as Net Entertainment and Cryptologic).
How do I play Videoslots?
Playing videoslots is simple, after you’ve found an online casino to your liking all you need to do is log on, open up the videoslots and play. While it doesn’t take more than a few seconds to grasp the essentials of a videoslot, it still helps to know more about how everything works and what everything means. The better grasp you have on what you’re doing, the less money you will lose in the long run.
The goal on a videoslot is to get a symbol combination to receive a payout, the payout table always contains all the information on what kind of payouts you can expect. Slot machines used to be limited to the amount of physical lines that existed on the slot machine, usually up to 5.
Bet Line
With videoslots however, those restrictions are gone and instead we have something called a bet line, an artificial line going from the first reel to the last reel but not limited to the same row. Since each bet line is a possible symbol combination that means each bet line is a payout, some videoslots have up to 50 bet lines. How much you win and how much it costs to spin the reels is decided by coin value.
Coin Value
The coin value decides both how much each spin will cost you and how much you will win, so it is always true that the more you bet – the more you will win. You have to place at least one coin per bet line, keep an eye on the total bet and don’t forget you’re paying for all bet lines. It’s quite easy to accidentally spin the reel with a much higher than intended bet and lose the entire bankroll in one go.
Bet Level
The easiest way to explain what a bet level is would be to say that each level adds another coin to every bet line. Although this isn’t always true in practice it still gives you an idea on how your bet and your winnings will increase.
Symbols
Payouts are handled by multiplying the bet of the winning bet line (where the symbol combination is present), this is true for everything in a videoslot even if it’s concealed in a bonus game. Symbols list their payouts, usually they start paying with 3 symbols and then the highest payout is with 5 symbols.
Scatter Symbols
Unlike regular symbols that need to be in a row on the same bet line, scatter-symbols don’t even need to be on the same row to count, only the total amount of scatter-symbols matter. Scatter-symbols usually award free spins or access to a bonus game, but quite often also award a payout that multiplies your total bet (not just a bet line).
Wild Symbols
Just like in a game of poker, the wild-symbol fills the function of a wild-card and can replace any regular symbol in a videoslot. They don’t replace scatter or bonus symbols however, but can sometimes activate a Wild Reel feature where an entire reel becomes wild.
Play Bonus Games in Videoslots
One of the most fun part of videoslots are bonus games, whether they’re just free spins or highly interactive skill based bonus games suiting either reflexes or knowledge. Free spins is exactly what it sounds like, a feature where you get to spin the reels for free and still win money. Whenever you win access to free spins they will be played with your current bet, but the payouts are sometimes multiplied during free spins which means more winnings at the cost of nothing.
Aside from free spins there’s sometimes bonus games that are simply based on picking a symbol or object and collecting what’s hiding behind it. Other times it becomes a lot more interactive and there’s even a videoslot where you can play the actual monopoly board game as a bonus game inside the videoslot (with a few modifications for your benefit). Bonus games are a very important part of a videoslot, they provide uniqueness and sometimes originality to a videoslot to make it stand out and not make the entire thing a monotone “press spin” experience.