What are Slot Casino Games?
Slot casino games are some of the most popular games worldwide, found in both online and brick and mortar based casinos. It's easy to learn how to play slots and that is part of their charm. You simply spin the reels and aim to land matching symbols. If your symbols line up according to the paytable, you win.
The first mechanical slot was the Liberty Bell, created by Charles Fey in 1895. However, slots have changed a lot since then. Now, we have online casino slot games, which are digital video slots with multiple paylines and bonus rounds. They also cover diverse themes with contemporary mechanics, such as cascading reels, Megaways, and Hold & Win.
What Are the Most Popular Types of Slot Games?
You can categorize slots in different ways, including regulars, quick hits, and progressive jackpots. I’ve explained how each type works below:
1. Regular Video Slot Games
These are the standard video slots you’ll find at most online casinos. They feature fixed or flexible slot machine paylines, classic symbols, and simple bonus features. The exact symbols, payline patterns, and extras vary depending on the provider and theme.
I’ve played hundreds of regular real money slots, and they deliver consistent payouts across the board. They come in low, medium, or high volatility, so there’s always something that matches your playing style. Wins are triggered by landing 2 to 6 matching symbols on the paylines, and regular slots often offer maximum payouts ranging from 500x up to 10,000x or more.
2. Quick Hit Slots
If you’re after the old-school mechanical slot experience, Quick Hit options are the best. Quick Hit is actually a series of slot games developed by Bally. They’re so-called due to their simple yet fast-paced gameplay.
While checking out the best Quick Hit slots, I mainly came across classic symbols like bars, sevens, and bells. Sometimes, these are combined with modern bonus rounds. That said, the highlight is the Quick Hit payout system, where landing multiple Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels can instantly award large cash prizes.
The Scatter payout system can indeed lead to substantial wins in the long run. However, I always calculated an RTP of around 94% for most Quick Hit slots. It’s lower than the 96% average for regular slots.
3. Progressive Jackpots Slots
Games in this category offer the biggest potential payouts in the slot industry. Unlike regular or Quick Hit slots with fixed maximum wins, progressive slots accumulate a percentage of every wager into an increasing prize pool. As such, the jackpot continues to grow until one player lands the winning combination. You can find out more about how progressive jackpots work and much more on our casino learning hub.
Based on my experience, the jackpot prizes can reach thousands and millions of dollars. For instance, I remember playing Ocean Spirit Mega Jackpot on BetMGM Casino with a prize pool of over $540,000.
Overall, Mega Moolah, Divine Fortune, and Age of the Gods are some of the best progressive jackpot slots online. Notably, Games Global's progressive jackpot WowPit! paid out $41.5 million to one lucky winner.