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Remember when the only slots available were clunky, tiny, fruit-bell reels and Vegas, the city that grew from a vast desert, was the only place to play?
Computer technology has taken slot players down a neon, graphically rich and audibly enhanced road to the latest treat for the senses: bonus video slots.
Now we play Monopoly, listen to Elvis tunes, Make A Deal, spin that Wheel of Fortune and revel in the casinos’ ‘virtual video arcades’. Slot Players have come a long way. Don’t you just love the excitement?
Mindless casino game -- you say. Not anymore, my slot friends.
It’s no longer a matter of insert coins, pull handle, cross fingers and dream of the big jackpot. A slots education is now a pre-requisite of any casino visit.
Not only should you choose and observe the slot selections/schedules presented, but also wager management is key to your survival in a game that now produces 70% of most casinos’ revenues. If you don’t become slot-savvy and learn the correct strategies, you are missing some nice paydays.
We all know the casinos and the programmed RNG have the upper hand in the slots challenge. However, there are learned strategies that can and will improve your slots play that we will explore, thus preparing you for those jackpot quests.
I classify slot types into three major categories: basic or ‘classic’ slots -- those 3 reel wonders most of which sport a single payline, the most popular being Diamonds and Red, White & Blue 7’s.
Progressives with ever-growing jackpots, (primary & secondary), plus Bonus Video Slots--the latest gaming revolution. Sub-divided into two types: Bonus slots that transport the player to a second bonus screen/round for an additional payout and Wild Multiplier Slots or Wild X Bonus as I call them.
Wild X Bonus slots look like basic three-reelers, but in fact have more payout options and should be located for those reasons.
Further information and strategies for these three slot types are:
Basic Slots:
I strongly recommend that slot players begin their casino playing experience with basic slots--cheaper to play and an excellent starting point, for as your credits mount and your bankroll increases, you can move on to bonus or progressive slot versions.
Basic Slots, straight slots or ‘flat tops’ as they are known, have a constant top jackpot payout. All require maximum coins to hit that jackpot.
Look for these three features:
Single Payline: stay away from multiple paylines. Better to play multiple paylines on Bonus Slot versions where a second screen bonus round offers additional winnings.
Two Coin Maximum to make your bankroll last longer.
Double and Triple Jackpot Pays: on certain payline combinations, e.g., Double, Triple Diamond or Red, White & Blue 7’s
.
Look closely at payout schedules -- not all basic slots will double and quadruple all pays and not all will have double jackpot symbols.
Search out 98% or 100% ‘certified’ slots, usually dollar slots at your favorite casino. Ask the slot hosts or change people if all machines in that carousel are high-return slots or just one or two slots--the least desired player advantage.
Play ‘signature slots’ with a particular casino’s name on them. These are generally looser thus producing the desired casino PR.
Explore high traffic areas around the main cashier’s booth and change booths for the specific features mentioned above.
Always play maximum coins. Be a ‘hit and run’ winner--3-5 max spins without any return--move on. Don’t play two machines side by side: one giveth, the other taketh. After any large win, try 3 more max spins for possible repeat win.
Don’t hang onto one machine too long -- take the credits and run!
In the end, the majority of large jackpots are hit within the first 5-15 minutes of play with a small cash outlay.
Progressive Slots:
Progressives appeal to slot players searching for that ‘big hit’.
There are two levels of progressive jackpots -- primary and secondary.
Most versions require at least three coins max, sometimes more.
Primary jackpot is the top prize offered when a player hits a specific combination, i.e., three Megajackpot symbols. Primary jackpot $$ amount is displayed with the largest sign and numbers above the carousel or bank of machines. This jackpot increases with each bet made by all players participating in the network.
Secondary jackpots are displayed on smaller screens mounted below the primary jackpot signage or on the machine itself. These jackpots are hit more frequently and therefore do not always have a large sum of money on the progressive meter.
If both jackpots are high, the indication is that these machines have had a lot of play without hitting and should be ready for ‘the big hit’. Before playing any single progressive version, check out the primary and secondary jackpots then compare with other surrounding progressive jackpots. Change people and slot hosts can be very helpful with information on where the largest progressive jackpots are located.
In larger gambling venues, the locals are very aware of ‘hot progressives’, so if you notice a crowd around a certain bank of machines--it’s your cue to take a seat. After a progressive jackpot is hit, the meter automatically resets to the base jackpot amount. Megabucks resets to 7 million. If you see any progressive close to its reset dollar amount, you know its been hit recently. Save your money.
Most progressive jackpots are paid out in annual installments; however, several progressive jackpots today are paying ‘on the spot’. Examples are Party Time, Bally’s Thrillion Series, Regis Cash Club and Addams Family.
Bonus Video Slots:
Bonus slots are described as ‘branded machines’, ‘entertainment-content’, ‘brand recognition’, ‘participation games’, ‘interactive’ & ‘banking slots’.
I like the name Bonus Slots because it says it all. The main goal of these games is to play the reels to win a ‘second chance’ bonus round where the real money is.
The Australian manufacturer, Aristocrat stepped forward first with multi-line slots. Aristocrat’s special features include roaming wilds, free spin-bonus play, repeat wins plus hold and spin. Twenty payline games are their latest innovation with the release of Jumpin’ Joeys. Other popular Aristocrat games are Enchanted Forest, Cash Chameleon, Queen of the Nile and Delta Treasure.
Bonus Slots are easily identified for as you approach; you immediately see many more graphics than a basic slot or progressive--25 symbols or more filling up the screen. The buttons in front of you offer up to 20 paylines. Many versions come in penny denominations, but with maximums up to 225 coins for pennies, 45 coins for nickels, that’s $2.25/spin, folks.
The RNG (random number generator) is still very active even when the machine is idle and the number of possibilities with these graphic-rich bonus slots is staggering. The same RNG principal applies here: once you press the spin button, a final decision is made. Payouts are much more frequent, usually every 2-3 spins.
Read all information posted. I know you have heard this before but with many more payout options, this is important. Take a look at the help menu that explains game rules, winning combinations/payouts and pay lines criss-crossing the screen grid.
There is usually an attractive sprinkling of wild and scatter pay symbols that increase your winnings when appearing anywhere on the screen.
Bonus round top points should be a contributing factor in selecting bonus types/versions. Bonus secondary jackpots can produce more than 10,000 coins and primary/top jackpots 100,000+ as printed on machine. This is important as one Bonus version will pay more than others and will determine your choice and denomination that fits your wager management plan.
You should definitely play all paylines in order to activate the many wild and scatter symbol payout combinations. Best strategy: try one or two coins per line; therefore, a spin of 9 to 18 nickels is not an expensive wager. As you build your winnings, take some risk with the occasional maximum spin.
Below is a suggested list of ten versions for novices to begin the ‘bonus land’ search:
Piggy Bankin’: The bonus slot that started it all. Piggy is waiting for players from the front of these slots and will donate a credit in the piggy bank as you start play. Line up three blanks and more credits are added to the piggy bank. When ‘Break the Bank’ symbol lands on the right reel payline, cash in, take the money and run. It takes an average of 80 spins for this win to replay.
Reel ‘Em In: Symbols include fruit, bell and 3 fishies. Scatter pay symbols are a fish, worm and an insect. Bonus screen shows 5 fishing characters where your choice brings in the ‘catch’ and a bonus amount.
Sphinx: Features 3 scarab symbols and wild Tut icon. Bonus round takes you to pharaoh’s tomb where a choice of five sarcophagi with hidden bonuses await for bonus $. If the image of the sphinx is revealed, the bonus screen travels into a second chamber with group of five. Your selection brings as much as 2500 coins multiplied by bet.
Top Banana: More of the animal world with a large grin when you line up 3 hippos, gorillas or turtles. A gorilla dangles a bunch of bananas while a monkey waits on the seesaw with a tub of water on the other end. Bonus round credits add up if you stack the monkeys high enough to grab bananas. A random hidden multiplier gives extra $.
Top Dog: with a payout every 2-3 spins, dog lovers have found their game. The fire hydrant is ‘wild’ and three doghouses trigger the bonus round taking you to a familiar sight: poker-playing dogs. Pick one and its poker hand to reveal bonus credits up to 2500. Also, line up five dogcatchers for a bonus. Top scatter award is 1250 coins. Come on Fido, be good to me.
Big Times Pay: This 3-reel slot has traditional bars and 7’s plus a ‘Big Times Pay’ symbol that matches every other symbol. A winning combination plus one or two ‘Big Times Pay’ symbols rewards a spin on a fourth reel resulting in a multiplier of up to 100X the bet. The announcer makes it easy to follow along and if you land 3 ‘Big Times Pay’ symbols, your reward is, well...Big Time of 6,000 coins.
Filthy Rich: Think Pigs. Scatter pay of a barn, chickens and a horse. Bonus round presents 5 dirty pigs. Your choice gets a quick hose and a bonus amount is revealed.
Jeopardy: the third reel of this progressive 25c slots played with max. coin triggers the bonus round when Jeopardy! or Double Jeopardy! symbols appear on the payline. You play Jeopardy among 30 bonus boxes until a stop displays the bonus amount or double depending on original spin.
Primary jackpot is paid in installments. Progressive Jeopardy Nickels provide an instant win with max. coin and resets to $100,000.
Bingo: Two games in one: 5 reel with fruit, bar and wild symbols plus 3-D numbered bingo balls and bingo card. Player chooses winning configuration with straight or diagonal lines being the easiest wins. When the 3-D bingo ball lands on lit pay line, it produces a free spin with number matching a number on player’s card. Your chosen combo win gets a loud Bingo! This is a popular game and can be found at most casinos. Bingo players love this game as much as any bingo hall.
Monopoly: Once Around was the first version of this series of now eight versions. All are good plays for the novice. This one features top box set of dice. Uncle Pennybags symbol is wild and top line jackpot is 100,000 at max bet. Scatter pay is community chest. 3 dice symbols=bonus round which is trip around the board collecting bonus points wherever your ‘token’ choice lands. You can also buy houses and hotels on certain properties you choose. Watch the board above as you go round back to ‘Go’ with bonuses from 4X for Baltic Ave up to 300X for elite Park Place and Boardwalk. Start by betting one coin for each of 9 paylines, increasing as your credits grow.
I suggest any of the more than ten versions of Monopoly for fun and profit.
If you have played all the above and/or searching for a wider selection, I have rated and reviewed the following versions as popular and top picks: Easy Street, Indigo Swing, Fortune Cookie, Yahtzee, Who Dunnit?, Little Green Men, Cast for Cash and Instant Winner.
But, wait...there’s more...Wild X Multiplier Bonus Slots.
These slots hold major bonus options. Wild symbols, (usually in the name of the slot version) are scattered about, multipliers, (2x, 5x, 10x pay+) and free spins that result in additional payouts. These versions also offer frequent hits/payouts, often every second spin, unlike basic slots.
You will not find full second screen bonus rounds as with BVS; however, video graphics are still present. I shortened the category name of these slots to Wild X Bonus Slots and suggest the following types: KG Bird, Smokin’ 7’s, Elephant King, Lock ‘N Roll, Blazing 7 Times Pay, Fishin’ for Cash, Good Times, Lion Fish and Five Times/ Ten Times Pay.
Generally, the payout for wild symbols is activated by the third coin/reel. Five and nine paylines and ample pay tables are available with multiple jackpots that you have come to expect from bonus video slots.
Even though bells sound and bonus amounts light up, you should check each payout amount because a ‘big deal win’ of 30 credits is not truly a win when you bet 45 credits originally.
Similar to a return bet in video poker; these bonus amounts may not be adding to your overall win. Move on to another version if these ‘short-pays’ continue.
Wager management and discipline are required like any other casino game--be an intelligent gambler. Keep track of monies gobbled up by the bill-acceptor; it could very well be time for a new bonus version.
As you can see, bonus slots are played differently from basic slots where my usual advice of playing maximum coins and single paylines is ‘out the window’ to allow optimum strategy.
Bonus slots are ‘reel’ enjoyment and with a strategies education, the profits from these newest versions cannot be denied.
Until next we meet in the Slots Playground…
Gayle Mitchell is author of Casino Gambling Made Easier books, EBooks, booklets & Slots Trilogy. WEB:
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