Slots are unequivocally the most played casino game in the world — and as online slots continue to gain more popularity, now has never been a better time to learn more about this interesting game.

3-Reel Slot

Action

When playing slots, the term “action” refers to the accumulated bets wagered on a slot game over a specific period of time. Slot action can include a single wager on a spin or the total amount bet over many hours depending on the context.

Active Payline

An active payline in slots describes a specific sequence of placements on the reel window on which a player has wagered. Most slots have multiple paylines that a slot player can choose to activate or not in a given round, and if winning symbols are found in an activated payline, the slot will pay out to the player.

Annuity Winner

Full jackpot payouts may be subject to high taxes, so some jackpot winners may choose to get paid in yearly “annuity” installments. This is the opposite of an instant winner.

Automatic (Auto) Play

An option to spin the reels a certain number of times in succession automatically, without having to press a button or pull a lever every time.

Bankroll

The amount of money that a player has to gamble with.

Bet

The amount of money that a player wagers on a spin. You can bet just one unit or credit per spin, or you can bet as much as you want up to the bet max allowed on that slot.

Bet Max

The max is the largest amount of credits that a player can wager per spin. The slot machine or online slot will usually have a “bet max” (also called a “max bet”) button that you can press to easily let you bet this amount. This gives you the best odds of winning the biggest payouts, as the highest stated prize amounts are calculated for the bet max. Note that the payout chart is almost always based on this max wager amount.

Bet Min

On the opposite end, the “bet min” refers to the lowest amount of credits that a player can wager per spin.

Big Hit

Players use this slang term to refer to a big jackpot.

Bonus Feature

Also known as a bonus game, this component offers free spins, additional wilds, scatter symbols, bonus rounds, or other extras that enhance overall gameplay and give the player more opportunities to win. These features can be triggered randomly or from a specific combination of symbols on the reels.

Bonus Multiplier/Bonus Modifier

A symbol or series of symbols that multiply the payout by a particular amount. It’s common to see 2x and 3x multipliers, but slots can offer any multiplier amount (some offer 10x).

Branded Slots

When you see a slot machine themed after a popular TV show or movie franchise, that’s a branded slot. Examples include Wheel of Fortune, Battlestar Galactica, Lord of the Rings, and Baywatch slots.

Candle

The light on top of a slot machine in a physical casino. It lights up to call over an employee if the machine has a problem, and it also lights up when you hit the jackpot.

Carousel

A group or bank of slot machines that are gathered together on the casino floor, usually in an oval or circular formation. Many times, different slot carousels are grouped by their denomination of betting units: One carousel may be dedicated to penny slots, and another would be for dollar spins, etc. Circus Circus in Las Vegas takes the term literally by placing their penny slots on a two-story spinning carousel with a snack bar on the top level.

Certified Slots

When a slot machine is certified, that means it is guaranteed to have a payout between 98% and 100%. Sometimes also called “certified loose slots,” the casino will visibly advertise these on the floor so that players can easily find them.

Classic Slot

A retro-style slot machine that’s based on the old-school 3-reel slot machine. Classic slots often feature the famous BAR, bell, fruit, and 7 symbols, which all come from the earliest slot machines. The bell comes from the first-ever slot machine, The Liberty Bell. Other early machines would dispense fruit-flavored gum as prizes, and the fruit on the reels depicted the flavor of the gum. The BAR symbol came from an early logo for the Bell-Fruit Gum Company that provided those classic prizes.

Coin In/Coin Out

“Coin in” refers to the number of credits played in a slot, and “coin out” refers to the number of credits the player has won/have been paid out.

Cold Slots

Refers to slots that haven’t paid out in a while or generally don’t pay out very often.

Credits

This is your bankroll after you’ve inserted or deposited money into the slot. The slot will typically have a credit indicator near the bottom of the screen.

Demo Mode

Think of this as a “practice mode,” in which you can play an online slot for free to test it out. You can’t win any real money in this mode.

Fixed Jackpot

A jackpot that pays out the same fixed amount every time. This is the opposite of a Progressive Jackpot or Progressive Slot.

Fixed Value Slots

These slot machines take only one denomination of coin per bet. Players don’t choose any extra paylines, either. This type of slot offers a straightforward, simple experience.

Free Play

This is the same as Demo Mode, where you can play a slot machine without wagering — or winning — any actual money.

Free Spins

Players can win free spins from hitting a specific combination or from a bonus feature. These give players the chance to play extra rounds for free.

Fruit Machine

A British nickname for slots. The term came from the first slot machines, which had fruit symbols on their reels.

Gamble

This feature gives you the chance to double your previous winnings on a successive spin.

Games Per Hour

On average, players can get in about 500 games or spins per hour on a standard, coin-operated slot machine. This number can vary, of course, depending on the style of slot.

Hit

To “hit” is to get a winning combination on an active payline. In other words, it’s a winning spin.

Hit Frequency

The regularity with which a slot stops on a winning combination, often expressed as a percentage. If a machine has a hit frequency of 10%, then that slot will stop on a winning combination 10% of the time. The higher the hit frequency, though, the lower your potential jackpot. Slots with lower hit frequencies will have higher jackpot amounts. Slots with a low hit frequency are often called tight slots because the wins can be so far apart.

Hot Slots

The opposite of cold slots. These slots appear to pay out at a higher than average rate. Plenty of players jump from one slot to another to try to find a hot slot.

Icons

Also known as symbols, these are the images on slot reels that create combinations across the paylines.

Instant Winner

As opposed to an annuity winner, an instant winner gets their full jackpot payout at once.

Jackpot

This is the top monetary amount that a particular slot can pay out. Oftentimes, you can only hit the jackpot by making a max bet.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

Slots need to be completely random in their results to exist as a truly luck-based form of entertainment. All slot machines now, from physical ones to online formats, use technology known as a random number generator to randomly determine the sequence of a slot’s spin. This software makes sure that the machine is fair, eliminating the chance of a casino bilking players and keeping players from determining any winning patterns.

Reels

The rotating barrels that contain the game’s symbols and, once spun, show the final combination of a spin. Reels on slot machines now are almost all digitized, with slots featuring three, four, five, or even more reels on a screen. The more reels that a slot has, the more challenging it is for a player to hit the jackpot.

Return to Player (RTP)

The percentage of money that comes back to the player while on a particular slot. These numbers are almost always less than 100% to allow the casino to make money. If a slot’s stated RTP is 95%, then that means that for every $100 you spend on average on that slot, you can expect to get back $95.

Scatter

A special symbol that awards the player with a special payout or activates unique bonuses. A scatter doesn’t have to be part of a winning combination to activate.

Select Lines

A button that lets players choose which paylines they want to bet on for a round. The more paylines a player selects, the more likely they are to hit a winning combination.

Signature Slots

An exclusive brand of slots designed by and for a specific casino.

Skill-Based Bonus Rounds

A bonus mini-game that often resembles a video game and uses some skill to win. These could include tasks like target shooting, blasting asteroids on your screen, or solving logic puzzles.

Slot Club

Also known as a player’s club. This is a VIP member program to loyal players to earn comps or other rewards from the casino. They are often tiered programs that offer additional perks as you move up the ladder. So, the more you play, the more rewards you can get.

Slots Tournament

A tournament within a casino where a group of players pay an entry fee, play for a set period of time, and vie for a specific prize at a pool of slots. These can be offline or online events.

Stacked Wilds

Multiple wilds that are positioned on top of each other on only one reel.

Symbols

Also called icons, these are the images on the slot machine that determine whether you win or not. They can include cherries, 7s, money bags, bells, or even images of movie or game characters based on that slot’s theme.

Three-Liner

A slot with three reels (another name for a 3-reel slot). Players have to line up three identical symbols to win.

Ticket

At live casinos, it’s very rare to see slots churn out actual coins into a bucket anymore. Instead, the machine will print out a ticket that the player can take to the cashier when they’re ready to collect their winnings.

Tight Slot

A slot machine that pays out less frequently than a loose slot. See Hit Frequency.

Tilt

Just like with pinball machines, this is an error notification alerting the staff that there’s a malfunction on a slot machine. This is also a failsafe that detects if a slot is being tampered with.

Total Bet

The amount of credits played on a slot for the current spin.

Two-Liner

A slot with only two paylines. A player has to match three symbols in order to win. But if the winning combination has six symbols, the payout is doubled.

Variance

Refers to the game’s consistency and risk level. A low slot variance has smaller yet more frequent payouts, while a high slot variance means larger but less frequent wins. Also called volatility.

Video Slots

Slots that don’t contain mechanical reels. These are the most common slots you’ll see in live casinos because they’re easier to operate and maintain. All of the elements are shown on an electronic display, just like a video game.

Virtual Reel

Instead of a physical reel, modern video slots use a computer screen to display virtual reels. Because they’re digitally designed, virtual reels can show a lot of design creativity, like glowing or animated symbols.

Volatility

The amount of risk inherent in a slot. This measures how easy or difficult it is to hit the jackpot on a particular slot. It’s basically the same as variance, wherein high volatility means less frequent payouts but bigger potential wins.

Wager Management

The method that a player has to use to manage their bankroll effectively. If you divide your bankroll into smaller amounts and decide how many rounds you want to commit to playing, you’ll be able to stop before you find yourself losing too much money. With a plan in place, you may even be able to cash out with a tidy profit.

Wilds

These symbols can be substituted for any non-scatter or non-bonus symbol on a payline. They help you complete a winning combination more easily. Some wilds offer multiplier bonuses, so check the paytable for details.

Win

When the reels stop and create a particular combination of symbols on an active payline. You get paid according to what’s on that slot’s paytable.

Zig-Zag

A payline that isn’t horizontal or vertical on multi-line slots. Instead, the line goes in a zig-zag formation.

Playing slots should be fun, but if you feel like you’re struggling to control your gambling — it could be time to seek additional help. Fortunately, you have resources available to help manage gambling addiction. Consider looking into New Jersey Casino Gambling Self-Exclusion Program if you are an NJ online casino player.