There are hundreds of slot games on the market, with more arriving each day. Making sense of the different symbols in each one can be overwhelming. We help readers understand slot game symbols in the article below.
Play one slot game, and you may find fishes, boats, and anglers on the reels. Turn to another and you may find imagery from Norse mythology. Slot games have come a long way since fruit and Lucky 7 symbols, which can make them hard to understand. Behind the graphics, however, most slot games have a basic mechanic, and their symbols generally serve the same function. We help you understand them in the text below.
The Basic Symbols
Slot machines have a classic iconography attached to them. This consists of fruits like lemons and cherries, along with bar symbols and Lucky 7s. Originally, many of these symbols were from times when cash prizes were banned. Thus, machines paid out in flavoured candies and other prizes. Other symbols, such as the bell, pay homage to the first slot machine known as the Liberty Bell.
Today the landscape is very different, and slot symbols found at modern operators like Instaspin Casino are a real mixed bag. At their core, slots have a set of basic symbols. These are divided into low- and high-paying. On traditional slot machines, low-paying ones would have been cherries and single bars. You matched them and won a cash prize. Today, the low-paying symbols are dictated by the title you are playing. There will be documentation online from the developer or even at your online casino to tell you which ones they are.
After this are the mid-range symbols. They pay out a larger amount, but not by much. This then goes to the high-paying symbols. These are seen less frequently on the reels, as opposed to low-paying ones, which come out regularly. Once again, this will change depending on the casino title you are playing.
Wilds and Scatters
The next important symbols are wilds and scatters. Each serves a different purpose in the game. However, not all slot titles will have them. Some may have variations, and some may not have them at all.
Wild symbols act as a blank and become any symbol on the board to help you get a payout. For example, if you needed to match three cherries and had a cherry, wild, then cherry, it would become a cherry just for the purpose of winning. There are also variations on wild symbols in some titles. For example, expanding wilds will creep across the grid to cover more spaces. This can increase the potential for a win. Another alternative is the sticky wild, which will lock in place. As reels spin around them, they stay, increasing win potentials even further.
Scatter symbols function differently for each game. However, they tend to unlock something. This can be when you line them up, or even if one just appears on the reels. Generally, they lead you to a bonus round or a host of free spins. In many ways, they are more valuable than any other symbol, as bonus rounds are usually where the big cash prizes lie.
Multipliers and Bonuses
Multipliers can take many different forms, and they may just appear in bonus rounds. Their function is to increase your payout by the designated amount. Hit multiple multipliers, and naturally, you will soon find a volatile win stacked up.
Another type of symbol is a bonus round symbol, although access to bonus rounds can also be done just through landing scatters. Their basic function is to grant you access to bonus rounds. This is where the most money tends to be won, and bonus rounds themselves take lots of different forms. They can be a simple free spin round with a few multipliers thrown in for good measure. However, others can be hugely complex and work like their own video games. For example, there are fishing-themed slots where you have to cast out for cash fish.
Crucially, this is where the largest jackpots can be won. This may be a set amount, or it may enter you into a progressive jackpot. This is where a small amount is put into the pot from each wager made. Progressive jackpots can be on standalone games, casino operators, or even linked across developers. This soon mounts up, and people have been made millionaires by scooping a progressive slot jackpot.
The reels are also worth mentioning when playing slot games. Not all games have fixed reels and use mechanics that add them to the game. In some cases, you may find cascading reels where symbols vanish and more fall from above.
When you play any slot game, get the most by checking the documentation. Work out the low- and high-paying symbols, along with how the bonus rounds work. This sets you up, and though a win is not guaranteed, you will be in with a better chance to scoop a prize when the chance comes around.