Choosing an online slot is like selecting a sports game to watch on TV. You want it to be entertaining and action-packed. And if you’re a punter, you want a game you can easily bet on and win money.
Fortunately, finding an exciting slot is easy. Choosing an action-packed, feature-rich game isn’t hard, either. The hardest part is finding a machine with all the qualities you like. You know, a game that hooks you into the action but also lets you win sometimes.
Truth be told, the right slot exists. But you must dig deep to find it. Here are some tips to help you out.
Choose a Theme/Narrative
Online slots come in all shapes and forms. Some have three reels; others have five or seven. Some feature jackpots. Others don’t. Beyond the betting mechanics, these games also present storylines designed to grip you into the game.
Today’s video slots feature a variety of themes:
- Movies/TV shows
- Sports
- Video Games
- Ancient Egypt
- Greek/Norse Mythology
- Politics
If you’re a TV fan, you’ll fit seamlessly into the world of Game of Thrones, Narcos, The Big Bang Theory and Family Guy slots. In contrasts, a sports fan will be more interested in football, basketball, hockey and horse racing-themed games.
Of course, you can also settle for classic slots. They feature nothing fancy: melons, grapes, oranges, lemons, bells bars, Joker and royal cards. Sadly, classic slots don’t pay out well and aren’t always the most entertaining games.
Favour High-RTP Slots
In the casino space, the best games are mostly those that payout often. We mean games programmed to be friendly to players. They have Return to Player (RTP) rates of 95% to 99% and accept both small and huge bets.
For the uninitiated, Return to Player means the average percentage a game pays to winners over time. The higher the RTP, the more money its pays to gamblers. For that reason, the best games are those with the highest RTP.
In all fairness, slots with an RTP of below 95% aren’t necessarily bad. Mega Moolah jackpot is an example. Its RTP is 88% yet thousands of people play the game every year. That’s because it features something irresistible: a progressive jackpot that pays out millions of pounds.
In many cases, though, your best chances of winning lies at high-RTP slots. Fortunately, casinos are jam-packed with high-paying games. In fact, most slots created in the past two years have RTPs of above 95%.
Choose a Reliable Casino
Casinos play an important role in helping you find the right game. What’s more, they influence your gaming experience and how fast you receive your profits. CasinoHipster.com can help you discover your ideal online casino by comparing the best gaming sites out there.
And speaking of which, compare casinos based on the experiences they provide. Precisely, select a mobile-responsive website with games that don’t crash. Ensure it’s a genuine operator with fair games and fast payouts for winners.
Of course, you also want to assess a casino’s reputation. It might have a beautiful website and a decent variety of slot machines. But what do people say about the company?
Because if everyone says the site’s service delivery is terrible, you should avoid it. Instead, you want a casino with a great online reputation, from customer help and web maintenance to game fairness and payout speed.
Decide on Game Variance/Volatility
This might sound contradictory but not all high-RTP slots payout often. Their RTP ensures they will pay out a lot of gambled money over time. But they don’t have to payout consistently. And that’s where variance comes into play.
A game’s variance describes its frequency of paying out. It also gives a hint of the generosity of games. Low volatile slots payout often but in small amounts. Examples include Mega Joker, 1429 Uncharted Seas, Tomb Raider and Thunderstruck II.
Medium variance payout decent rates but at a moderate frequency. Most slots fall into this category: Gonzo’s Quest, Jumanji, Immortal Romance and Cleopatra.
The last category is reserved for high volatility slots. These are games that payout incredibly well. But it takes a lot of patience to win. An example is Megaways slots. They have thousands of ways to win. And they payout up to 100,000x your bet. But as mentioned, you don’t win regularly.
Check in-Game Features
Some people say in-game features make a slot more exciting. Others think they’re an unnecessary addition. Who’s right? Take a look at classic slots. They have almost no free spins, wilds, scatters and multipliers. And still, they payout lowly.
In other words, in-game features are a welcome gesture. They might not always increase your chances of winning, but they provide some benefit. Free spins, for example, extend your playtime. And in doing so, the boost your winning potential.
On the flip side, multi-players help magnify your profits. Another feature—jackpots—also increase your profits. In fact, a good casino jackpot could change your life. And isn’t that what we all want?
Read Online Reviews
Online casinos can be mysterious. They could have all the features we’ve mentioned above. And still, some people will complain about the games. Sometimes these complaints are valid, so pay attention to reviews.
For example, a slot could have a high RTP rate but an extremely high variance. Or it could feature in-game features but they seldom show up. Reading reviews help you discover games that are not only good on paper but also great among players.
That said, read reviews from both the experts and players. Review sites give you detailed game descriptions. In doing so, they tell you all you need to know about a machine. However, it’s through reading player accounts that you find games everyone enjoys to play.
Your Turn
There you have it—how to find the right slot. It doesn’t have to be the most popular slot out there. Instead, it should fulfil most of the features we’ve mentioned above. And it should be on a reliable gaming website.