If you register with any minimum deposit online casino you get spins for a single dollar where they can be used playing slot machines games which contribute the biggest pie of the games offered. In land-based casinos, expect a similar trend. Though comparably younger to games like Blackjack, how did slots become so popular? The answer could be the adaptivesymbols that creative developers adopt across generations for Slot Machine Symbols.
Slot symbols are inalienable characteristics of slot machines. They make up the gameplay across the layout of the reels. Mostly, you will see fruit symbols that are identifiable with classic slots. In other games, you will find diverse symbols that help exemplify the game’s theme.
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History of Slot Symbols
Slot games and have a rich history. In 1895, Charles Fet scaled new gambling horizons by introducing the first of its kind slot machine. Liberty Bell was the name of this game. The game had different symbols, but a fissured liberty bell was the highest paying no wonder the game’s game. Since classic and modern slot machines, developers have borrowed a leaf from the original symbol-based approach.
In the 1900s, a few years after Charles Fey’s slot machine, Bell fruit gum company was offering ingenious slot machines. The winning symbols were awarded chewing gum prizes as laws prohibited real money gambling within the US. From the days of by-gone centuries, a lot has changed. More states are looking forward to market liberalization.
As progressive strides earmark the global gaming journey, slot machine symbols have also evolved. Nowadays, symbols are limitless. You can not predict the symbols a developer is likely to incorporate in their next online slots. Even so, today, slot machine symbols may be described within the context of their payout potentials. Across games, you will find three symbol categories; Low-paying symbols, medium level, and high-paying symbols. Within these clusters, there are specific symbols, as you will learn later in this article.
Commonly Found Slot Symbols
In almost all slot machines, you will find certain symbols. These common symbols derive their names from the features they activate. For example, most modern video slots feature wild, scatter symbols, and bonus symbols. With the virtual-based casino slot, developers have become more creative. They now create games on popular TV shows, movies, music, sports, and books. The background diversity helps them to excite players with befitting themes. To effectively propagate themes, developers further use relatable symbols, which we describe below.
Bonus Symbols
Bonus symbols, as the name suggests, trigger various bonuses. Three bonus symbols lining up on an active pay line will likely reward a bonus game in numerous games. New players might confuse a bonus symbol with scatter symbols. In most cases, both trigger a unique feature should you find at least three of them on a winning bet line. However, they are different. You will win some payout per the symbol’s payout potential in the paytable whenever you land at least three scatter symbols. On the other hand, Bonus symbols do not have guarantee a payout. Instead, they trigger great bonus rounds that ultimately win you bigger payouts.
Wild Symbols
Experienced players sometimes refer to wild symbols as the joker symbols. Wild symbols in a slot machine replace all the base game symbols to help you land a winning combination with ease. It is important to note that a wild symbol replaces the other symbols except the scatter. Wilds have sub-categories depending on their inherent features. For example
- Multiplier wild symbol. A multiplier wild improves your payout by awarding a specific multiplier to the winning pattern it constitutes.
- The Expanding wild symbols. Whenever an expanding wild falls on a slot machine reel, it expands to occupy the rest of the reel.
- Sticky Wild. Sticky symbols are mainly associated with a sticky bonus round. During this feature, wilds remain in a stationary position in subsequent spins. If you are lucky to get sticky wilds during a free spins round, be ready for an exciting avalanche of free spins. More wilds fall on the stationary ones resulting in more bonus spins.
- Stacked wilds. Stacked symbols appear on reels on top of each other. They can cover two reel positions or the entire reel while crossing the adjacent paylines.
- Cascading wilds/reels. Cascading reels with wilds are innovative features designers are incorporating into slot machines. When they appear, they cause other winning symbols to explode, allowing them to fall in their place. As they fall, they create more winning chances.
- Shifting wilds. These wilds function similarly to sticky ones. They stay in the same reels during subsequent spins. Afterwards, they slowly migrate towards the adjacent reels in the following spins until they disappear entirely from the screen.
Scatter Symbols
Scatter symbols are among the high-paying online slot machine symbols. Contrary to other symbols which must line up in a specific combo and direction, the appearance of scatter symbols on the reels triggers excellent bonus games. They can activate a round of mini-games or bonus spins. While their lining up is not crucial to triggering bonus rounds, the appearance of at least three matching symbols anywhere on reels begins a free spins round in most cases.
Themed Slot Symbols
Themed slot symbols denote the game icons that marry the diverse casino game themes. As you might be aware, slot game developers base their games on different cultures, tales, TV programs, or famed novels. To let players easily relate to the game, they use symbolic allusions. These symbolic allusions breed themed slot symbols. For instance, in the Big Red game, the gameplay alludes to the Australian Kangaroo, which is the game’s wild symbol. Ultimately, the game resonates well with Aussie gamers. The 40 burning hot slot by EGT is a fruity-themed game. Its symbols like oranges, berries, and grapes help exemplify this theme while carrying immense winning potential should they align as per the paytable specifications.
Conclusion
Symbols constitute part of the slot game mechanics. The random number generator uses proprietary algorithms to display the inherent symbol value of winning payouts. While the first slot machines had simplistic symbols, modern slots have more diverse symbols. Most developers design symbols that enhance the game’s attractiveness while effortlessly relatable to the target gambling audience.
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