Video Slots - Free Games & Rules
Once upon a time, land-based casinos were packed with physical slot machines with clunky mechanisms and levers. With the advent of the internet, these gambling games began to incorporate digital graphics into their gameplay and software developers began replicating and inventing games for the first online casinos. The term video slots might once have been confined to physical machines with graphics from software packages but it has now become synonymous with online slots which generally have free games and play for real money options.
What are Video Slots
As new computer technologies emerged, slot machines moved from mechanical to electronic. Software capabilities have allowed casinos to abandon bulky devices with a lever and physical reels and move to digital developments. They made it possible to realise more gameplay features:
- Increase the variability of combinations due to the greater number of symbols on the reels
- Provide a greater number of lines or to abandon them altogether and replace them with ways of forming winning combinations
- Use new bonus games that are played on an additional screen and bonus features and symbols on the main screen
- Use 3D graphics
In other respects, video slots are no different from classic slot machines. The rules and principles of the game are the same, you need to spin the reels to collect winning combinations and get a reward.
History of Video Slots Evolution
Slot machines as a kind of entertainment appeared at the end of the 19th century. Initially, these were mechanical slot machines and the reels were set in motion by pulling a lever. Game sessions on such slots did not last long because they required physical effort.
As microprocessors appeared, it became possible to make the game easier and longer. The reels were replaced with virtual counterparts which meant that the number of images on each reel could be increased. In addition, technical capabilities allowed implementing bonus features. So, modern online slot machines are the same video slots only without a physical shell.
Types of Video Slots
Abandoning physical reels allowed developers to implement different ideas when creating slot machines. They can differ in design and functionality while preserving the basic game principle of forming combinations.
Lists of slot machines on online platforms include: three reel slots, five reel slots, slot machines with six or seven reels, slots with nine reels. Also, the number of paylines differs. It ranges between 1 and 100 and there are also slots where lines are replaced with ways of forming combinations.
Among other things, slots feature bonuses. Some one-armed bandits have a classic set of additional features such as free spins, a risk game and a bonus round. Others expand the range of options with re-spins, bonus features on the main screen and progressive jackpots.
How to Play Video Slots
It's easy to play video slots. Even a beginner who has never played before can master the rules. All you need for a gaming session is to set the bet and number of paylines, choose whether to use autoplay or click the start button and collect combinations.
On most slots, combinations are formed of identical symbols arranged consecutively from the leftmost reel to the right. Some combinations of symbols activate bonus options such as replacing missing pictures in combos, triggering free spins or re-spins or activating a built-in bonus game.
Video slots are a new level of slot machines. The transition to software allowed to diversify the gameplay and create unique games with non-standard mechanics. Examples of video slots are available on our website for free. If you are looking for a little more thrill in your game play, having tried out the free play demos, you may like to find out more about online casinos and how to play for real money.
