Here we briefly explain some of the more common slot
terms that you will come across during your slots experiences.
These terms are important to understand and will come in very
useful to know.
Coin
Size . The monetary value of the coin(s) bet for each
spin.
Coins
per spin . The number of coins put in the slot machine
each spin.
Fill.
The act of the casino employee (slot attendant) refilling an
empty slot machine with coins.
Hit
Rate. The rate at which you win (hit) on a spin in
comparison to non-winning spins.
Hold.
The house profit. In other words, the amount of coins that the
slot machine “holds”, does not payout. This number
is typically about 3% to15%.
Hopper.
The area in the slot machine where the coins are stored (held).
When or if a hopper is overflowed by coins (completely full)
the excess coins fall into a bucket which is located under the
hopper. These coins make up the casinos profit.
Max
Bet. The absolute maximum number of coins that you
are able to play on a particular machine each time you spin.
Pay
Cycle. The amount of time it takes for a particular
machine to pay out. Some believe that in order to meet the programmed
payout percentage each machine goes through a cycle where after
receiving a certain number of coins, the machine must payout.
Pay
Line. The line or lines (sometimes 3, 5 or even 10)
on the slot machines screen where winning symbols must line
up in order for the player to win an amount of coins.
Progressive
Jackpot. A type of slot game where the top prize amount
grows in accordance to the amount of coins inserted by players
in a network of machines.
Reels.
The individual wheels that the symbols are printed on. The typical
slot machine has three reels but some machines may contain 2,
4 or more reels. Clearly, the higher amount of reels on a machine,
the harder it is to achieve a winning combination.
Symbols.
The picture or icons that are printed on the reels.
These symbols are the character of the slot machine and can
be any symbol the manufacturer chooses. Common symbols are 7’s
or fruit (cherries, oranges, etc.).
Take
cycle. Opposite of the pay cycle, the take cycle is
the amount of time that the slot machine takes or keeps any
inserted coins.
Tilt.
When the slot machine stops taking or paying out coins.
This happens when the machine is out of money or if a coin is
jamming the machine. A light will come on if the machine is
on tilt and an attendant will come and solve the problem. The
machine is programmed to remember any coins owed to the player
so if your machine runs out of coins, you will definitely receive
the coins owed to you.
Top
Prize. The jackpot or the max number of coins you could
possibly win on a machine. In most cases it is necessary to
insert the maximum number of coins per spin to be eligible to
win the top prize.
Winning
Combinations. The number of winning The amount of possible
winning results that are displayed on the pay table.
Wild
Symbol. A symbol that will take the face of any symbol
that is needed in order to make a winning combination. A free
symbol.