Online slot games have become so popular that in the century since the invention of slots games they’ve practically inspired their own language. Learning this portion of English might seem unnecessary to an inexperienced player. (After all, online slot games are so deceptively simple they can make you believe pulling a handle or pushing a button is the only thing to them). Yet slots games do have a considerable amount of depth to them, and not knowing the most basic slots terms can leave you severely handicapped when you hit a B&M or online casino slots bank.

Realizing this, we here at Acehoyle.com have compiled the slots glossary below to give you a basic understanding of many of the terms you’re likely to come across while playing traditional and online slot games.

Online Casino Slots Glossary

Arm – A lever found on most land-based casino slot machine games that activates the machine’s reels when pulled. On computerized slot machines, arms activate the games’ software and are not connected to their mechanical parts.

Bankroll – A bankroll is the amount of money available to an individual gambler specifically set aside for the purpose of playing a game.

Bet – Money wagered on an event; in slots games the more you bet, the larger your possible payout for each combination will be. “Bet” may also refer to the act of wagering itself.

Bet Max – A button that appears on both traditional and online slot games and that allows players to automatically make the largest possible bet.

Bonus – On individual slot games, a special feature or round in which players can win additional money through betting on propositions such slot games don’t normally offer. Players usually activate bonuses when a special combination lines up on a machine’s reels; “bonus” may also refer to any number of casino compensation, or “comps,” promotions.

Cash-out – The act of removing balances from casino slot games; “to cash out” is to perform this action.

Credit – An electronically generated currency used to play casino slot games. Usually a single credit buys one line on a single spin. You may, however, bet additional credits on additional lines or bet multiple credits on a single line.

Combination – A series of symbols in casino slot games that results in a win. Usually the symbols are the same, but some symbols like bonus or wild symbols may be used in combination with non-like symbols.

Denomination – Different forms of currency accepted at a casino. This term may also refer to the value of a single credit, e.g. $.25 or $1.

Jackpot – The biggest prize offered in casino slot machine games.

Line – A payable combination of consecutive symbols on traditional and online casino slots. The first casino slot games had only one horizontal line on the middle of the game’s display, and three like symbols had to form a row behind it to constitute a winning combination. Today, both traditional casino slot machine games and online slot games typically allow players to bet on dozens of horizontal and diagonal lines.

Linked Machines – Any number of similar casino slot machine games connected to the same progressive jackpot.

Multi-line – Describes casino slot games that allow players to bet on more than one line. Basic traditional and online casino slots only have horizontal lines, but multi-line casino slot machine games allow players to bet on diagonal lines as well.

Payout Percentage – The average amount of money returned to a player on each spin. Ex: If a player bets $1 per spin on several online casino slots that all pay out 99 percent of his wager, he will incur an average loss of 1 cent per spin over time. Because jackpots are figured into these calculations, players will generally lose their bankrolls faster on progressive-jackpot machines than on those with fixed jackpots.

Pay Table – A visual representation of how much the combinations on traditional and online casino slots pay out. Both traditional and online casino slots typically have pay tables displayed on them.

Points – A unitary device used in casino promotions; typically casinos reward players who accrue enough points with free-play credits and comps.

Progressive Jackpot – A jackpot in which a percentage of each lost bet is added to a cumulative prize pool.

Random Number Generator – Software that ensures the results of every spin on computerized and online casino slots are random.

Reels – Partially visible, symbol-covered cylinders that spin behind a slot machine or slots game’s display.

Scatter Symbol – A slots symbol that pays even when it's not in a winning combination. Multiple scatters anywhere on a game screen may pay extra or initiate a bonus round.

Spin – A single round of slot play.

Symbols – The numbers, letters or objects depicted on the reels of slots games. Each symbol or combination of symbols is assigned a value and must line up with other symbols in certain combinations to constitute a win.

Wild – A slots symbol that can act as other symbols to complete a winning combination. Wilds may also act as multipliers.

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