Slot machines come in many shapes, sizes and varieties – from the classic reel slots to the new themed video slots. The basic concepts behind playing slots remain the same whether you are using video slots or reel machines. However, there are important differences between the two that prove avoiding video reels is the best way to go. Every type of slot, whether video or reel, has something different to offer. Before getting started, browse through this handy guide to the difference between reel and video slots and why it’s best to avoid video reels.
Slot machines have come a long way since their invention and, these days, video slots are very popular as there are so many different variations to choose from. The invention of video slot machines had an understandably big impact on the entire casino industry, as they not only changed how slots were played, but eventually made playing slots online possible.
Video reel slots have evolved. The variations of live and online video slot machines have everything from animated symbols to the hi-res videos that introduce a storyline to the slot’s theme, to bonus games. These factors have helped make video slots some of the most popular games played in online casinos. Due to the exciting themes and dynamic graphics, you’ll never confuse video slots for their reel-based counterparts.
Betting
Most slot players will tell you that in order to get the largest payout possible, you need to always wager maximum coins and this is because placing the maximum bet is, usually, the only way to be eligible to win the jackpot. However, unlike reel-spinning machines, which always have a smaller maximum number of bets to place, video slots with multiple paylines can have max bets that go into the hundreds.
It’s important to remember that the payback incentive to bet the maximum amount of coins when playing video slots is not that great. In fact, the payback percentage for most video slots is the same, regardless of how many coins you wager. Many video slots accept lower denominations of coins than reel-spinning machines.
Variations
There are many variations of video slots, and the difference generally revolves around the paylines they allow. However, what they’ll have in common are the use of random number generators and the presence of virtual reels that emulate those found in reel slot machines.
Three- and five-reel slot machines are most common, and the number of rows of symbols that are visible when the reels stop spinning will vary between machines. Depending on the game, these rows may represent extra paylines or show you how narrowly you missed a payout. Video slots offer innumerable paylines for their players, not just the traditional horizontal line. Video slot machines may also offer paylines in the form of a V, upside-down V, zig zags or even scatter pays. Video slots can have dozens of paylines, and it may be in your best interest to bet on them all.
If a video slot machine has a progressive jackpot, this means that the value of the jackpot increases a small amount after each game. When playing on a video slot machine with a progressive jackpot, you have an incentive to bet the maximum amount of coins. This is because most video slots require you to bet maximum coins to be eligible for the jackpot.
When choosing between video slots and reel slots, there are many things to consider but, most importantly, reel slots always come out ahead. The steps required to play video slots and reel slots are, at the end of the day, the same. The random number generator then does the rest of the work. In both video slots and reel slots, the use of the generator means that the outcome of each game is completely random and, therefore, completely independent of previous results. In other words, whether you did well or poorly on a previous spin or, more importantly, the fact that a machine has not paid in some time, has no impact on your next spin and whether or not you will win.
The maximum bet for reel slots and video slots can vary. While on a reel machine the maximum number of bets may be limited, this is not the case with video slot machines. Also, reel slot machines do not offer bonus events or scatter pays, while video slots do. Now, this may appear to give video slots a distinct advantage; however, this is not the case. More options do not mean better payouts they mean an even higher house edge.
Reel slots machines give you the better house edge as they usually have three or five reels. Although it’s widely believed that three-reel slots have better odds than five-reel slots, they are generally weighted so this is not the case. In fact, the odds of winning when playing three-reel slots and five-reel slots are essentially the same and always better than the video option.
