Online Slots Games Online slots games offer the same sounds and bright graphics as their land-based counterparts, but you aren’t surrounded by all the crowds and smoke. Available at almost all online casinos, slots are quick, fun and you can play for hours without spending a lot of money.

While they’re known as slot machines in the United States, the British refer to them as fruit machines, and the Australians call them poker machines. Most games have three or more reels, and these reels are set into motion by inserting money and either pulling a lever or pushing a button.

Each reel has a number of symbols, and these can range from fruit to comic book characters. When the reels stop spinning, a number of these symbols will be visible on the front of the machine. Players win money based on the patterns formed by these symbols (for example, three cherries in a row).

Slot machines are easily the most popular games in any casino. In fact, 70 percent of a casino’s income comes from slots.

History of Slot Machines

Before the days of online slots games, there were a pair of Brooklyn men named Sittman and Pitt. In 1891, they developed a machine which would eventually evolve into the modern slot machine. Their device contained five drums which held 50 poker cards, and players hoped for a good poker hand in order to win beer, cigarettes and other minor prizes.

A few years earlier, in 1887, a San Francisco man named Charles Fey had also created a machine with three spinning reels and symbols of hearts, spades, diamonds, horseshoes and a liberty bell. Known as the Liberty Bell, it was extremely popular and helped further the demand for this new game of chance.

The history of slot machines was further advanced in 1964, when Bally unveiled the first electromechanical slot known as the Money Honey. It was the first to have an automatic payout, and the bottomless hopper eliminated the need for constant attention from an attendant.

In 1996, Reel ‘Em In offered the first second-screen bonus round of a video slot machine. It was developed by WMS Industries.

As the Internet has continued to grow, online slots have reached new heights in popularity. Thousands of free slot machine games exist, and numerous sites offer them exclusively.

Slot Machine Classes

There are two classes of slot machines - Class II and Class III. Class II slots are connected to a central computer, and players are competing against each other for the same prize. In many ways, these machines are similar to scratch-off lottery tickets in that each machine has an equal chance to win.

Class III slots offer players an opportunity to compete against the house. Each game is independent, and Class III games are often known as “Vegas-style Slots.” It should be noted that all online slots games fall into the category of Class III games.

Progressive Jackpot Slots Online

Perhaps the most popular feature of modern slots is the progressive jackpot. Available on both slot and video poker machines, the progressive jackpot rises each time the game is played. When the jackpot is finally hit, the winning player gets all the money which has been accumulating. Often, a large number of machines in the same casino (or across the country) will be linked together to quickly increase the progressive jackpot. This style of game is also available on the Internet, and online progressive jackpots have been known to pay out millions of dollars on just one spin.

Slot Machine Tips

When you first start playing online slots games, you may be overwhelmed by all the choices available. Before you dive right in, here are a few important slot machine tips to keep in mind.

Start Small

The longer you have money, then the longer you can continue to play. For this reason, one good tip is to initially play with low denominations. If you “get hot,” you can always increase your bet, but beware of getting greedy.

Find Your Perfect Machine

If you’re looking to play for a few hours on a limited budget, you might want to stay away from the progressive which costs $5 per spin. Basically, make sure that the machine you select meets your gaming needs. Online progressives are perfect if you’re looking for a big jackpot, while penny and nickel slot machines will allow you to play longer.

Set a Limit

Before you play, decide how much money you’re willing to lose. Stick with that number. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing this month’s rent money or becoming a problem gambler.

Always Play Max Coins

The big jackpots require maximum coins to win, so why would you play anything else?

Shop Around

Most online slot games offer free downloads of their software, and a good tip is to sample each one until you find a favorite. Cryptologic slots differ from Microgaming slots, and Playtech slots differ from Net Entertainment slots.

Online Slots Tournaments

If you get tired of just competing against a slot machine, you can also test your skills against other players in an online slots tournament. In most cases, these tournaments run for a certain length of time, and the player who accumulates the most points in that time is declared the winner (receiving a prize in the process).

Online slots tournaments are available at some of the following online casinos:

All Jackpots Casino Slots Tournaments - Their biggest tournament takes place every weekend (The Weekender) and offers a $20,000 prize pool. Players can choose from sit-and-go style tournaments where everyone plays at their leisure, or scheduled tournaments where all players are online competing at the same time.
RiverBelle Slots Tournament - Specializing in free slot machine tournaments (known as “freerolls), the RiverBelle Casino also offers free software downloads. Games like Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck can be played as part of their tournament format.
FreeSlot.com Tournaments - Each week, this online casino offers a free slots tournament where over $300 is up for grabs. You don’t have to download anything, and their software is totally HTML-based for player convenience.
Roxy Palace Online Slot Machine Tournament - Two tournaments are held weekly, and over $30,000 in prizes are paid out. There are 98 slots to choose from (including the Wheel of Fortune slot machine), and they even offer a 100% signup bonus with your first deposit.

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