By Louisa Heath.

There are few casino games as popular or widespread as slots. They may not be as old as classic table games like blackjack or roulette but slot games have taken over a large chunk of the casino landscape in the space of the last century.

And these days slots are available to play in land-based casinos and online. Online slots offer a wide variety of options, with plenty of different varieties that cater to varying preferences in things like theming and mechanics.

Today, we’re exploring some of those varieties and details in our guide to online Slots.

The Inner Workings of Online Slots

Unlike the oldest slot machine designs, online slot games don’t have any mechanical internal mechanisms behind their screen. Instead they run on software, which is actually the case with many of the physical slot game cabinets found in land-based casinos these days.

At the core of any online slot game is something known as a random number generator (RNG). These computer algorithms are what determine the outcome of every spin, rather than the physical and mechanical forces that would gradually slow the spinning reels of old slot machines.

RNGs generate strings of thousands of numbers in the space of seconds, running even when the game is not in active use. This makes it impossible to predict which numbers the RNG will generate in the moment that a player activates the spin button, when the outcome of the spin locks in.

Each number corresponds to a symbol on the reels, allowing the software to determine which symbols will land on that particular spin.

RNGs are subject to strict regulations and testing ahead of their use, so players can be assured that they are delivering truly random and unbiased outcomes on each spin.

Key Details of Online Slot Games

So, now that we’ve looked at how online slots work let’s explore some of the details of these games. There are literally hundreds of different slot games available to choose from online, with plenty of varying designs and different mechanics. Not to mention all the various themes.

One thing that all slots have in common are the symbols and reels. These form the basic building blocks, with the reels spinning and symbols potentially lining up to create matching patterns. Different combinations of patterns line up to different potential payouts, with some symbols having other roles.

Wilds are symbols that can replace standard symbols in a combination, allowing them to still count. There are also symbols that act as multipliers, increasing the relative payout of a landed combination.

Paylines are a feature in many slot games, setting out the lines where symbols must land to count towards a combination. Some games only feature a single payline or a handful, whereas others can have hundreds of possible paylines that can be activated.

But there are some slots that have done away with the concept of paylines – cluster slots.¹⁾EDITOR NOTE: Cluster slot games work differently than typical slot machines.  In traditional slot machines you win by landing specific winning combinations.  This changes with cluster slots, which have also been referred to as cluster pays or grid slots.  Cluster slots have been around for a while but only became trending around 2016. In these games, symbols only need to land adjacent to each other on the reels to form a cluster, rather than along predetermined lines.

There’s plenty more to discuss about online slots, from varying themes to other format differences. But in terms of their inner workings and basic gameplay, slots are quite straightforward to understand.

IMAGE CREDIT: Shutterstock.com

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