The age-old game of slots has some basic rules that everyone can understand in five seconds (or less), each game has its out unique payout structure, bonuses, minimum bets, number of paylines and return to player rates. You need to understand the basic and unique rules of each game if you don’t want to make foolish bets or choose the wrong slot machine to play.

The basics of slot machines are as simple as this: you need to get a specific sequence of symbols on one (or more) of the game's active paylines.

Not all sequences and symbols are created equal and some are way harder to get then others. Obviously, the hardest-to-get ones are connected to the best payouts – those you find advertised at every corner of a casino.

Knowing how to play slots means that you recognize this and that you know that big slots win are the exception. Most of the times, you'll have to grind hard to put together a sequence of small and unexciting wins.

How to Select Betting Amount

A lot of players underestimate the importance of adjusting the default betting amount to a value that suits their budget.Think about when you play slots. If you have £15 to invest on your games, should you really bet £1 every time you spin the reels?

The minimum bet accepted in a game changes from one slot machine to the other. The range start from a minimum of 0.10 / 0.20 to a maximum of a lot more. Some progressive slot machines let you bet up to 100 credits / spin but, again, the fact you can does not mean that you should bet so much.

All slot games open showing a pre-set betting amount that is rarely the minimum bet. If you are not comfortable with the amount on the screen or you are just curious to know all the possible bets on your slot machine – change the bet amount.

Once you know how much you are going to bet, push the 'Spin' button and let the reels (and your luck) do some spinning. It will take only a few seconds for a new combination of symbols to appear on the screen.

But to understand if you won or not, you need to take a step back and examine the concept of paylines.

How Slot Paylines Work

Simply put, the paylines are the designated lines in the table of symbols where winning combinations will count.

Depending on the game, you can have several paylines selected. In most games, activating a payline costs you some credits.

Remember the last time you looked at the screen thinking the slot machine was rigged because you didn’t get paid for that winning combinations? It wasn't the machine – it was the paylines.

If you didn’t activate the one the combination landed on, there was nothing you could do to reverse the mistake.

Depending on the slot you play, the paylines begin left to right. Some games have them starting from right to left and some other have even diagonal paylines…but those are more 'advanced' games that we find unsuitable for beginners learning how to play slots.

An easy way to read the board and understand what paylines are featured is to is click on one and see the path that becomes 'active' on the screen. Do this, and you will understand why and how you are winning or losing on a slot machine.

Bonus Symbols: What They Are and How Do They Work

Fruits and gems used to dominate the slot game industry and defined the genre of fruit slots. But, are they still the most recognizable symbols of all the most popular slot machines?

Out of all the symbols you find on slot machines, the bonus symbols are the ones you want to keep your eye out . In general, we could say that there are roughly four categories of bonus symbols, each connected to very different features.

Free Spins Bonus Rounds

If you are playing video slots and you manage to unlock a bonus-round, it is usually a free spins bonus-round. What this means is that you can enjoy this mini game and win bonus cash without making any real money bets.