Mobile Slots Glossary

On our site, you can read many reviews of the latest and slightly older slot games. When writing about them, we often use expressions that may not be clear to everyone. Therefore, we have decided to present a glossary of terms used in mobile video slots.

• 243 Ways to Win – Instead of paylines, some slot games have a different system for calculating winning lines. In such cases, the symbols do not need to line up along a specific line. They just have to appear anywhere on the reels. For example, three symbols will result in a winning payline if each of them appears in any position on the first, second and third reel. Why 243 ways? There are 3 symbols on each reel. With two reels, the total number of symbol combinations is 9 (3×3). If you add a third drum, the combination will be 27 (3x3x3). So with five drums, counting 3x3x3x3x3, you get 243. A good example of a slot machine with 243 ways to win is Immortal Romance.

• 3D Video Slot – This is a slot game with top quality graphics and 3D animation. The graphics give the impression of three-dimensional depth, and animated symbols or characters appear on the playing field each time you hit a winning payline. An example of such a 3D slot is Jungle Books.

• Active Payline – Depending on the game, slot machines may have between 1 and 99 paid lines. Paylines are simply where you have to hit the same symbols to win. In slot machines, you have the ability to decide how many paylines you want to activate, paying a specific amount for each one. A prize will be awarded when the winning line is on an active payline. Inactive (unpaid) lines will not be taken into account when calculating winnings, even if you get a winning line.

• Balance – The amount of money in the player’s account.

• Bet Max – The maximum bet (in cash or coins) that a player can make in a given game, using all paylines.

• Bet Min – The minimum bet (in cash or coins) that a player can make in a given game, using all paylines.

• Big Hit or Win – If such a message appears on your screen then count yourself lucky! You have hit the correct reels and symbols which make up a large win or jackpot on a particular slot.

• Cascading/Collapsing Reels – Also called tumbling or exploding reels. Unlike the usual spinning reels, the symbols here fall from the top of the screen. Winning lines explode, and more symbols fall, replacing the ones that have disappeared and possibly creating more winning lines. If you fail to hit any payline, all symbols fall down from the playing field, making room for another portion of the symbols. Such cascading reels can be found in Gonzo’s Quest.

• Cashback – A reward a player receives from a casino. This is usually a percentage of the money that a player has spent in a particular casino. For example, if you lose $100 and the cashback is 10%, $10 will return to your account.

• Casino Software Provider – A creator of mobile casino games. The biggest providers of casino games are Net Entertainment, Microgaming, and Playtech.

• Classic slots – Classic slot games based on the first slot machines. They usually only have 3 reels and between 1-5 paylines, with no extra bonus games. An example of a classic slot available on mobile devices is Lucky7.

• Click Me – Also called the “Pick Me” feature, is a bonus game where the player has to click on different symbols to reveal rewards or coin prizes.

• Coin size – This indicates how much one coin is worth. Your coin can be worth one penny, so if the slot machine has 10 paylines, then your bet will be 10 pence. If the value of the coin is set to 2 pennies, then you spin for 20 pennies. If you play for 2 pennies per line and the value of the coin is 2 pennies, then the total bet will amount to 40 pennies a spin.

• Coins – The currency used in many slot games. One coin can have different values. When playing on a slot machine, you have to decide how many coins you want to bet on one line, thus setting the bet amount. Many machines multiply wins depending on the number of coins placed on one line.

• Credits – Another term for “coins”.

• Free spins – This is a bonus game found in many slot machines. As the name suggests, you do not have to pay for free spins. They are usually activated by hitting 3 or more special symbols called Scatters. Usually you get between 5 and 25 free spins per game. Read more about free spins in our dedicated article.

• Hit Frequency – Unfortunately, this is not information that is generally available. The frequency of winning determines how often you can expect your slot machine to award you a winning line. These are usually presented in percentages, so if the winning frequency on a given slot is 30%, it means that around 1/3 of our spins will be rewarded with a payline. The only problem is that you do not know and cannot determine what length of the game will be taken into consideration.

• House Edge – This is the amount, usually given as a percentage, that a casino is expected to earn over the lifetime of the game. Generally, the profit of the casino oscillates between 2% and 5% of the amount that the players bet on a particular slot.

• Jackpot – Slots with a jackpot contain a guaranteed maximum win that you can get for a single spin. Jackpots, also known as in-game jackpots, should not be confused with progressive jackpots.

• Line Bet – This is the amount you bet on one active pay line.

• Mobile Slots – These are casino games you can play on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets. Usually, these are slots created in HTML5 or Java, for Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry or Windows operating systems on your mobile device.

• Multiplier – This is the number by which the winning combination will be multiplied. For example, if you have won 20 coins and the active multiplier is x5, then your win will is 100 coins. A multiplier can be obtained randomly (like in Subtopia) or as a reward for hitting a particular symbol on the reels, usually a wild, which multiplies the line bet (like in Avalon).

• Payline – a line on the slot machine on which you need to hit the same symbols to win. In the case of video slots, you can usually choose the number of paylines. Classic slots usually only have one payline.

• Paytable – A table showing the amount of winnings in a game depending on the location of the symbols on paylines. The paytable can also show the jackpot amount and which actions activate bonus games.

• Penny Slots – These are games in which you can play for a minimum amount, i.e. one penny for one payline. These are games designed for beginners or low-budget players. Their purpose is primarily entertainment and long-lasting fun.

• Pick Me Feature – an option in the game also known as “Click me”. In a bonus game, the player chooses between the different symbols under which additional prizes are hidden. Typically, you will find winning amounts hidden beneath the symbols. When an empty symbol is selected, the bonus game ends.

• Progressive Jackpot – This is a jackpot whose level grows until it is hit. A progressive jackpot consists of a portion of each bet placed in a given game. Progressive jackpots in slot games can range from several thousand to several million dollars. Such a jackpot can be hit at any time.

• Progressive Slots – These slots which contain progressive jackpots. Some games may even have three different progressive jackpots, varying in their amount. A good example would be the Mega Moolah mobile slot machine.

• Random Number Generator – Slot machines are based on random results, therefore they are games of luck. The mechanics behind this luck is the random number generator.

• Reels – These are vertical columns with symbols which “spin” in the slot machine. Typically, video slots have 5 reels, while classic slots have only three.

• RTP – Return to Player Rate. This is calculated as a percentage amount that the player should be awarded by the machine in the form of winnings during its operation. For example, if the slot has a 96% RTP, then for every one £1 bet, 96 pence should return to the player in the form of winnings. Of course, on average and over a long period of time. Such a return is not constant and even, so you can sometimes win for a long time and then keep losing just as long. And our 96 pence will thus go to a different player.

• Scatters – These are the symbols that pay regardless of where they appear on the reels. They can act as wild symbols, as multipliers or trigger additional bonus features such as free spins or other special games.

• Slot type – Slot games can be divided into several types, for example, classic slots (Break Da Bank), video slots (Thunderstruck) and 3D slots (Jungle Books).

• Slots Tournament – Casinos often host slots tournaments as part of a promotion. These tournaments take place either on one particular slot machine or various slot machines from one provider. Winning a tournament may depend on the number of spins you have made during the promotion or on the highest win that you have achieved during a specified number of spins. The rules of each tournament are determined by the casino organising the tournament.

• Spin – This is the action that is triggered by pressing the start button – the reels spin and when they stop, all winning combinations or bonuses are revealed. Next, the winnings are paid.

• Symbols – Images or icons which appear on each reel. If our slot has five reels with three rows of symbols on each, then in each turn there are 15 symbols in view. In a classic 3×3 slot three you can see 9 symbols after each spin.

• Variance – This term describes the risk in slot games. A low variation in mobile slots means that winnings often occur but are relatively small. A high variance is when the machine does not pay too often, but when it does, it is a very high win. You can find high variance games in slots with a progressive jackpot. Such games are recommended for players who have a large budget and a lot of patience, which can be rewarded very generously.

• Video Slots – Typical video slots have 5 reels with animated symbols appearing on paylines. An example of such a game is Foxin’ Wins, where foxes run around the screen, changing the selected symbols into a wild symbol.

• Wild Symbol – This symbol functions similarly to a joker in a deck of cards. It replaces all other symbols on paylines and creates additional winning lines. Sometimes the wild symbol can also act as a special multiplier. On rare occasions, it can also replace scatter or bonus symbols.