We’re not sure about you, but one of our favorite things about slot machines are all the different types and variations you can play.
You can find progressive slots. Traditional slots. Video slots about pirates or unicorns. There are thousands of different slot combinations you can play.
The real trick, though …is finding a good slots casino.
A casino is only as good as the software that powers them. If the casino works with a crappy company, then guess what, their slot variations will be crappy too.
So you only want to join casinos powered by great software companies – the best-of-the-best.
The following casinos meet those standards. They get their slot variations from industry giants like Microgaming, Playtech, BetSoft and Real Time Gaming. Companies that make EXCITING slot games.
Check them out. We think you’ll like them as much as we do.
We want to take a couple of minutes to show you all the different types of slot machines you can find online –OR– offline. That’s right – you play these slot variations in your nearby brick and mortar casino too.
Let’s get started.
Traditional Slots – Also known as classic slots or one-armed bandits. These are usually 3-reeled slots that use fruit, bars and diamonds for symbols. Many classic slots nowadays even have wilds and bonus rounds.
Video Slots – These look like video games. Most have cut scenes, animations and bonus rounds – elements that make video slots more fun to play. These have more reels too – between five and nine.
3D Slots – These are just like video slots, except all the graphics and animations are in 3D. No glasses needed!
Progressive Slots – Progressive slots are machines that have jackpots you can win when you bet the min required to play for it –AND- you hit the winning combination. The jackpots are built from a portion of your bet. The more people that play for the jackpot, the faster and bigger it grows.
Fixed Jackpot – These slots have jackpots you can win, too. The difference is these jackpots do not continue growing. They have limits to how big they can get.
Penny Slots – These are machines you can play for as little as one-cent per line per spin. All the penny slot machines I’ve seen have multiple lines you can bet on – some as many as 60. Most machines nowadays are penny slots – even the cool ones like Jurassic Park and The Dark Knight.
Dollar Slots – You bet a min of $1 per spin. These usually have fewer lines than penny slots, which means fewer chances of hitting any kind of payout, but the tradeoff is the payout percentages are much higher – between five and ten percent.
High Limit Slots – These are the same as the slot variations mentioned above, but with the difference that you can bet much higher – anywhere from $100 to $10,000 – or more – per spin.
Mobile Slots – Slot games you can play from your phone.
3-Reel Slots – Machines with 3 reels.
5-Reel Slots – These machines have 5 reels which give you more combos and paylines to hit and win. All the 5-reel slot machines I’ve seen have been video slots.
Slots with Features – This is a sweeping term that refers to slot machines with different in-game options. Some have bonus rounds, others have multipliers or wilds, and others will have everything.
Paylines – These are machines that offer more ways to win than just the line going directly through the middle of each reel. Some machines have up to 243 different winning combinations. The only catch is you have to place a wager on every line you want to play.
Fruit Machines – These are more or less popular in the UK. These are like classic slot machines except they often have more features and opportunities for player interaction. You can choose from options like holding and nudging reels or features like cash ladders, hi/lo gamble or bonus trails.
Pokies – A term used in Australia for slot machine.
Now lets look at the different slot themes you’ll find online.
The types of slots you’ll find is just the beginning. Each slot machine will have a different theme too.
When combined with the different slot types you now have hundreds – EVEN THOUSANDS – of different slot machines to choose from – multiplied by the number of software providers.
Here are some of the most common slot themes.
You’ll find MOST themes at any casino you join. The EXCEPTION to this is themes like movies or celebrities – these often have to be licensed first before a slot can be created.
As such, only a few slot software companies have the rights to create these machines. And since some software companies refuse to work with US-friendly casinos, Americans won’t have all the options UK slots players do.
For example, UK (and any other non-US player) will get to join casinos powered by software companies like Microgaming, IGT and Playtech. That means they can play licensed slot games like:
The only way Americans can play these games is by taking a trip to their local casino. And that’s really the only downside to the topic of online slot variations.
