Video Slots Explained: How They Work, Types, RTP and Key Terms

Video slots are the main attraction at most online casinos. Unlike baccarat or blackjack, they have no rules or strategy to learn: the game plays out once you press the spin button, so beginners can play them without difficulty.

What You Will Learn

• The return to player (RTP) of video slots is generally around 94–97%, and an RTP above 96% is on the high side.
• Video slots fall into very different categories, from games with gentle swings to high-volatility games with maximum wins of over 100,000x.

This article takes about 19 minutes to read.

What Is a Video Slot?

A video slot is a slot game played at an online casino, with reels that spin on the screen. Most people know how a slot works: you place a bet to start the game, the reels spin and stop on a set of symbols, and you are paid according to the symbols that line up. Casino slots, however, come in a great many varieties.

Many recent games put a strong emphasis on graphics and sound, and some pay several thousand times the bet, which has made video slots popular with many players.

Some casino games, such as baccarat and blackjack, are hard to enjoy unless you know the rules and basic strategy. A video slot plays out automatically once you start it, so beginners can play without any problems.

Video Slots Are Verified by Independent Third Parties

Unlike live dealer baccarat and blackjack, where you can see a real dealer deal the cards, video slots generate their results by software, so some players may worry that the games could be rigged.

Online casinos hold licenses issued by national and regional regulators, and as part of the licensing requirements, every video slot uses a random number generator (RNG).

With this system, game results are generated randomly without human involvement, and independent third parties regularly test the numbers for bias. Because a legitimate license requires third-party testing, the system makes the results difficult to manipulate.

How Video Slots Differ from Land-Based Slot Machines

The game most similar to a video slot is the slot machine found in land-based casinos. The table below summarizes the main differences between the two.

Video slots are available around the clock, and bets range from about $0.10 up to several hundred dollars, so they also suit players who want to play for larger amounts.

Autoplay is also available, so the game keeps spinning automatically without you having to pull a lever or press a button each time. Some land-based machines let players stop the reels themselves, which adds an element of skill. Video slots have no such element, which makes them easier for beginners to get started with.

Be careful when comparing RTP figures between the two. The payback percentage of a land-based machine depends on how the machine is configured and on local rules, so the conditions behind the number differ from those behind the RTP of a video slot.

What both have in common is that they are designed so that players lose money over the long run, and no single number can tell you which one is the better deal.

Types of Video Slots and Their Features

The term “video slot” covers a wide range of games. Game providers now release large numbers of video slots, and some casinos offer several thousand titles.

Standard Video Slots

In a standard video slot, the reels stop on a set of symbols, and you win when matching symbols line up from left to right. Reel layouts vary, but the most common arrangement is five symbols across and three down.

Some recent games, however, use 3×3 reels like those of traditional slot machines, and in others the number of symbols shown on each reel changes with every spin (these are known as Megaways slots).

Compared with grid slots and Megaways slots, standard video slots often have simpler rules, so they are a good place for beginners to start.

Jackpot Slots

Jackpot slots are video slots with a progressive jackpot. A progressive jackpot is a prize pool funded by all the players of the game.

Each time you play a jackpot slot, part of your bet is added to the progressive jackpot. At some point, one lucky player wins the entire accumulated amount. The timing is completely random, and any player can win it.

On some games, the progressive jackpot can grow to several million dollars. Other games have jackpots limited to players at a single casino. With fewer players contributing, these jackpots are won more often, but the prizes are correspondingly smaller.

The RTP of a progressive slot is a theoretical figure that includes the jackpot contributions. Unless you hit the jackpot, the return from regular wins alone is lower than the stated RTP.

3×3 Slots

There is no strict definition of this category, but it generally refers to slots played on 3×3 reels.

Many of these games imitate the bonus-round style of some land-based machines. In Hawaiian Dream, for example, if the butterfly at the top of the screen lights up during an 8-spin bonus round, 8 more spins are added, extending the bonus round.

They also add bonus features that a physical machine could not offer, while keeping a style of play that players familiar with these land-based machines will recognize.

Grid Slots

Put simply, a grid slot is a game without reels. As the name suggests, the symbols are arranged in a grid, usually a square one (for example, 5 symbols by 5).

In a standard video slot, matching symbols must line up from the leftmost reel. In a grid slot, wins depend on how many matching symbols are adjacent to one another.

Match-style puzzle games work in a similar way: when enough pieces of the same color connect, they disappear and new pieces drop in from above.

In the same way, when a certain number of matching symbols connect, they disappear, you receive a payout, and new symbols drop in from above. This puzzle-like mechanic is called a cascade.

Classic Slots

Classic slots are video slots, mostly with three reels, that are simple in how they work and how they are played.

Modern video slots trigger bonus rounds such as free spins when certain conditions are met and add excitement with polished graphics and sound. Classic slots have none of these extras.

Many classic slots have just one feature, and even that is not a bonus round but a function that increases payouts during regular play.

Because they are so simple, classic slots are very easy to understand, and you can learn the rules right away. Despite their simple look, some of them also offer high max wins.

Key Video Slot Terms

A few of these terms are also used for land-based slot machines, but most are specific to video slots. If you are new to video slots, we recommend reading through them once before you play.

Symbols

Symbols are the images on the reels that determine your payouts. When you spin, the symbols are drawn at random, and in most games you win when matching symbols line up from left to right.

In many games, three matching symbols starting from the left produce a win. Even with the same number of matching symbols, however, the payout depends on which symbol it is.

Reels

A reel is one vertical column of a slot. A layout with five symbols across from left to right is called a 5-reel slot. Traditional slot machines often have three reels, while most video slots have five or six.

Paylines

On a reel slot, a payline is a pattern across the reels on which matching symbols produce a win. Even if matching symbols line up from left to right, there is no win unless they land on a payline.

Some games, however, pay whenever matching symbols appear on adjacent reels from left to right, and these are called ways slots. A ways slot in which the number of symbols on each reel changes from spin to spin is called a Megaways slot.

Payouts

On a reel slot, a payout occurs when a certain number of matching symbols line up from left to right. On a grid slot, it occurs when a certain number of matching symbols are adjacent to one another. The size of the payout depends on the symbol and on how many match, and the exact multipliers are listed in the game’s pay table.

Coin Value

The coin value is the amount of money each coin represents. The bet per spin is calculated as coin value × line bet × number of lines. A worked example is given later in this article.

Bonus Rounds

A bonus round is a special game that is triggered when certain conditions are met.

Bonus rounds fall into two broad types. The first is free spins, which let you play a set number of spins at no cost. High-paying symbols tend to appear more often, or wins carry multipliers, so in most cases free spins pay better than spins in the base game.

The second type is the bonus game, in which you win prizes directly based on the choices you make.

Many games are designed so that most of the payouts come during bonus rounds. It helps to think of the base game as the process of working toward a bonus round.

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Scatter Symbols (Bonus Symbols)

In many games, the scatter is the symbol that triggers the bonus round. In a typical video slot, landing three or more scatter symbols starts the bonus round.

In most games, three or more scatters anywhere on the screen will trigger it, but in some games they must land on a payline.

Multipliers

A multiplier is a factor by which a win is multiplied. For example, if you win $50 while a 10x multiplier is active, you receive $50 × 10 = $500.

Multipliers are most often awarded during free spins, and in some grid slots the multiplier increases with each consecutive cascade.

Bonus Buy

Many video slots released in recent years include a bonus buy feature. With it, you can pay anywhere from a few dozen to several thousand times your bet per spin to go straight into the bonus round.

For example, in a game where the bonus round costs 100x the bet per spin, you pay $100 to enter the bonus round when your bet is $1.

The feature is useful when you want to skip the base game and try the bonus round, but buying it does not significantly raise the RTP (in some games the RTP differs slightly from the base game). Keep in mind that buying the bonus is not a better deal.

RTP and Volatility

Return to player (RTP) is the percentage of the money wagered that a game pays back to players on average. The typical range is around 94–97%, and it is a theoretical figure that applies over tens of thousands to millions of spins.

Volatility (variance) is a separate measure from RTP that describes how widely your results swing. High volatility simply means that wins come less often but are larger when they do; it does not mean a higher RTP or better odds for the player.

Game Providers (Software Companies)

Game providers are the companies that develop and release slots. Dozens of providers now supply video slots to online casinos, and several hundred new slots are released each year.

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Points to Keep in Mind When Playing Video Slots

Most games today do not let you choose the number of lines, but if you play an older game, reading this section first will help you avoid confusion.

Coin Size and Bet per Spin

Some games label the coin value as “coin size.” The name differs, but it means the same thing, and the bet per spin is calculated as coin value × line bet × number of lines.

The line bet is the number of coins wagered on each active line. In the slot shown above, with a coin value of $0.01, the bet per spin is $0.01 × 4 (line bet) × 10 lines = $0.40.

How Payouts Are Calculated

Payouts are worked out the same way. The pay table lists five Ks in a row, as shown above, at 150x. This multiplier applies to each coin of the line bet, so the actual payout is 150 × 4 coins (line bet) × $0.01 (coin value) = $6. Only one line has won, so the number of lines is not part of the calculation here.

A spin can also produce wins on more than one line, in which case the payouts are added together. Every video slot calculates payouts automatically, so you never need to do the math yourself; treat this as background knowledge.

Coin Display and Credit Display

Many video slots let you choose in the settings whether amounts are shown in coins (credits) or in cash. In general, we recommend the cash display, which makes it easier to see how your balance is changing.

Max Bet: A Common Beginner Mistake

Beginners are often surprised by how much a max bet actually wagers.

Many video slots have a max bet button that, with a single press, sets the maximum number of lines and the maximum line bet for the coin value currently selected. In some games, however, the bet shown on screen before you press the button does not match the amount actually wagered once max bet is applied.

As a result, pressing max bet can lead you to play a spin for more than you intended. To prevent this, set the coin value to its lowest level before pressing max bet, then raise the coin value gradually until the bet matches the amount you want.

Raising your bet does not change the RTP. Betting the maximum gives you no advantage, except on some progressive slots where a max bet is required to qualify for the jackpot.

How to Play Video Slots

Video slots are very easy to play. Choose a game you like and start it, then watch the spins as you wait for a bonus round such as free spins.

Three Steps to Play a Video Slot

1. Choose a game to play
2. Set your bet
3. Tap “Spin” to start the game

STEP1

Choose a Game to Play

Pick a game from a slot selection page on the casino’s site, such as “New Games,” or search for the title you want and tap it. For this example, we chose Book of Dead, a video slot from Play’n GO.

STEP2

Set Your Bet

The game screen opens automatically. Open the bet settings from the menu. Most recent games let you change the bet amount directly, but some older games, such as Book of Dead, let you adjust the coin value and the number of lines separately.

In this game, the bet per spin is set by coin value (the amount per coin) × line bet (the number of coins bet on each line) × number of lines. As a rule, choose the coin value and line bet to suit your bankroll, and keep the number of lines at the maximum.

STEP3

Tap “Spin” to Start the Game

Return to the main screen and tap Spin to start the game. The game then plays out automatically. If matching symbols line up, you receive a payout and the spin ends. If a bonus round is triggered, play continues until the bonus round is complete.

Three Criteria for Choosing a Video Slot

Whichever slot you choose, the result of each spin is independent and cannot be predicted. Your choice of game does, however, change how quickly you tend to lose money and how widely your results swing.

Choose a Game with a High RTP

The higher the RTP, the smaller your losses over the long run. As a rough guide, an RTP of 96% or higher is on the high side, an RTP of around 95% is standard, and an RTP below 95% tends to mean larger losses. Check the RTP in the game’s information screen before you play. A high RTP does not, however, guarantee results in the short term.

Keep Your Bet per Spin Low on High-Volatility Slots

High-volatility slots are designed so that long stretches without a win are offset by larger individual payouts. This does not raise the RTP; it only means that your results swing more widely. Set a lower bet per spin so that your bankroll lasts for the whole session.

Use Low-Volatility Slots to Meet Bonus Wagering Requirements

When you are working through the wagering requirements of a casino bonus, a low-volatility slot makes it easier than a high-volatility one to meet the requirements while keeping some of your balance.

Popular Video Slots That Are Easy for Beginners

The games featured here are all offered at many online casinos, so they are a good place for beginners to start.

The RTP and max win of each game on this page may vary by casino and game version. Check the game’s information screen before you play.

Hawaiian Dream

Note: Hawaiian Dream Gold, another game in the series, has an RTP of 96.25%, which differs from the original.

Hawaiian Dream is a video slot that is widely offered at the online casinos we have checked. It uses a 3×3 reel layout similar to a classic three-reel machine, so players who are used to land-based machines with bonus rounds that can be extended will find it familiar.

Lining up the RESPIN symbol triggers a respin, and four respins award free spins. Lining up blue 7s awards free spins with a 65% continuation rate (the chance that the free spins carry on into another round), while red 7s award free spins with an 80% continuation rate.

During free spins, high-paying symbols line up more often. Lining up gold 7s also triggers Ultimate Rush, in which every spin pays.

The game plays much like a classic three-reel machine, and its published max win is 1,400x.

Moon Princess

Moon Princess is a video slot that ranks among the most popular games at many online casinos. It uses a grid slot layout: when symbols match, they disappear, so wins can cascade one after another. If the princesses’ powers clear every symbol from the grid, free spins are guaranteed.

During free spins, the princesses’ features, such as adding wild symbols or turning symbols into other symbols, trigger more often, so higher payouts are more likely than in the base game.

When the princess symbols line up, the number of free spins and the multiplier increase. The published max win is 5,000x.

Jammin’ Jars

Jammin’ Jars is a video slot built around its jam jar symbols, which drive the bigger wins. It is an 8×8 grid slot: five or more matching fruit symbols award a payout, after which those symbols disappear and new ones drop in from above.

Jam jar symbols can appear in the base game. The jam jar is a wild with a multiplier, and each time a jar is part of a win, its multiplier increases by 1x. In the base game the multiplier resets with every spin, but three or more jam jars trigger free spins.

During free spins, the jam jar multipliers do not reset, so they keep building as the cascades continue. When several jam jars with multipliers are part of the same win, their multipliers are multiplied together, which can push the payout much higher. The published max win is 20,000x.

High-Volatility Slots with Large Max Wins

In recent years, high-volatility slots with large max wins have become more common, and games capped above 10,000x are no longer unusual. This section looks at two typical examples. As explained in “Three Criteria for Choosing a Video Slot,” both are designed with long stretches without a win, so decide on your bet size and loss limit before you play.

Money Train 3

Money Train 3 is the third game in the Money Train series, which is offered at many online casinos. Its volatility is higher than that of earlier games in the series, and the max win has been raised to 100,000x the bet.

The Money Train 3 bonus round starts with three respins. Each time at least one new symbol lands, the counter resets to three.

Along with regular cash prize symbols, special symbols can appear, such as the Sniper, which doubles payouts, and the Collector, which adds all cash prizes to its own value.

When a Persistent symbol appears, the special symbols take effect on every spin.

Mental

Mental is a flagship game from Nolimit City, a provider known for slots whose results swing widely, and it is defined by its intense free spins. The game contains graphic and disturbing imagery, so keep this in mind before you play.

In Mental Spins, the game’s top-tier bonus round, character symbols carry multipliers from 5x up to 100x. These multipliers keep growing until the free spins end, so payouts tend to increase in the later spins. Combined with a large number of wilds, they can push payouts much higher.

Reaching Mental Spins from the base game is difficult, but you can enter them directly by paying 1,000x your bet per spin. The published max win is 66,666x.

Low-Volatility Slots

Low-volatility slots suit players who find the swings of high-volatility slots too hard to take. They rarely produce very large payouts, but they pay out relatively steadily, which makes them a good choice for longer sessions.

GEMiX

GEMiX is a video slot that has stayed consistently popular for many years. It is a 7×7 grid slot, and five or more matching symbols adjacent to each other award a payout.

When 20 or more symbols are cleared at once, a feature is triggered and symbols explode or turn into other symbols. When 40 or more symbols are cleared, the payout is tripled. Results swing relatively little from spin to spin, so the game is well suited to longer sessions.

The published max win is 6,025x.

Esqueleto Explosivo

Esqueleto Explosivo is a video slot whose name means “explosive skeleton” in Spanish. Its published max win is 700x, which makes it a much milder game than most others.

When three or more matching symbols land on a payline, the skulls explode and new skull symbols drop in from above. The payout multiplier doubles with each win, from 2x to 4x to 8x and so on, and reaches 32x after five consecutive cascades. Its volatility is quite low, which makes it a very easy game to play.

Try Video Slots in Free Play First

If you are interested in video slots but want to try them before betting real money, free play is a good option. Many online casinos offer a free play mode alongside real-money play, in which you bet play-money credits instead of real money.

Any credits you win cannot be converted into money, but no matter how much you lose, there is no real loss. This makes free play well suited to beginners and to players who want to learn the rules of a slot and how it plays.

Summary: Your Choice of Slot Only Affects the Rate of Loss and the Size of the Swings

Video slots are the most popular games at many online casinos, and some online casinos offer thousands of different video slots.

Once you press the spin button, the game runs automatically, which makes video slots easier to play than table games. Some games also offer payouts of several thousand times the bet on a single spin, so they appeal to everyone from beginners to high rollers. These high multipliers are theoretical maximums, however, and are almost never reached.

Video slots range from easygoing low-volatility games to games paying over 100,000x, so start by reading the game information to see where a slot falls in that range.

Whichever game you choose, the result of each spin is independent and cannot be predicted. Your choice of slot only affects how quickly losses build up and how widely your results swing, so check the RTP and volatility before deciding which slot to play.