Slots Glossary

If you are new to slots then you find that there is a lot of jargon used by online casinos you may find confusing. This is a list of some of the most used terms that should help you considerably.

Bankroll

This refers to the amount of money a player takes into a session of slots. The bankroll should depend on the amount that the gambler is prepared and able to lose.

Bonus

This refers to anything extra that the slots offer you - usually in terms of free spins and bonus rounds.

Coin Sizes
This is what is used as credit in the slot machines. These denominations vary across machines.

Download games
This is a package of slots that you download from the online casino to your computer.

Flash games
These are games that you play directly off the online casino's website.

Fruit

These are the classic symbols that appear on many classic slots reels. The cherry is generally the most sought-after of these combinations.

Max Bet
This refers to the maximum amount of coins that you are allowed to wager on a specific machine. This depends on how many reels and how many pay lines there are. Many machines only pay out jackpots to max bets.

Multi-lines
This refers to machines that have two payout lines or more.

One Armed Bandit
Even though this name was given to slots way in the past, this name still stands as a nickname for these machines.

Pay Table
This is a table that shows which combinations pay out what amount of money. These vary between machines and it is important for online gamblers to find the best payouts mixed with a high payout percentage.

Pay lines
These lines criss-cross the screen and indicate where the symbols need to land in order for a win to be paid out.

Payout Percentage
This is the amount in percentage terms that the slots machine pays out as winnings. This is in essence the house edge. If a machine has a 98% payout it means that for every $10 wagered the machine will pay out $9,80.

Progressive Jackpot
This is a jackpot that takes a percentage of each bet to grow. This jackpot can work off a single machine, a series of machines or even across various online casinos. As soon as someone wins the progressive jackpot it starts again from a predetermined point.

Reels
This is where the symbols are held. As these spin and come to rest, it shows a symbol combination.

Video Slots
This is basically a slot machine, but it uses a video screen and not reels. The graphics tend to be better on these machines.

Wild Symbols
These are the symbols on the reels that act as jokers. These symbols allow players to make up winning combinations without hitting complete sequences.