The best video slots

Online slots are exactly like physical slot games found on casinos and game halls, but they work completely online. Most modern online slots work on any device, so you can play on your PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone.

The concept is the same, whether you are spinning the reels in Las Vegas or online from your home. You select a game, determine your bet size and press spin. If you land enough same symbols, you win (the number of symbols needed and their placement depends on the game, but usually you need at least three in a row from left to right). Every outcome is completely random, as slots use a random number generator. This means that no outcome can be determined in advance.

Paylines are lines drawn across the reels of a slot. Imagine a slot with three reels with three symbols in each. It already has three paylines going straight from left to right, on the first row, middle row and bottom row. Then there can be diagonal paylines going from top-left to bottom-right, and bottom-left to top-right, and so on. The more reels and more symbols, the more possible paylines there can be. You can usually see all the paylines used in game from the game rules.

A wild symbol (or a wild card in card games) is a symbol that can be replaced by any other symbol. This means that you can imagine any other game symbol in the place of the wild. For the player’s favour, the slots always pay the highest possible win when it comes to wilds, so the wild automatically turns into a symbol that provides the best win.

Scatters are symbols in a game that are often tied to launching either free spins or a bonus minigame. You do not have to land scatters in a row from left to right, as they often bring wins no matter where they land on the reels. You often need 3, 4 or 5 scatters to obtain free spins or move to the bonus round, depending on the game. Scatters also pay out in coins, so their sole purpose is not just to trigger game features.

Slots are very much a game of chance and involve little to no strategy. If you crave more wins, you should select a game with a high return-to-player or RTP percent and low variance. If you want to win big sums of money, select a game with high variance, but expect less wins and longer losing streaks. The only way you can really influence how likely and how much you are able to win on slots is by your choice of game.