Every single month there are new, entertaining slot machines, or slot games, as many players also call them. These are games which, with all their new, more and more advanced features, provide even better gaming experiences.
Although slot games are constantly evolving, they are still – more or less – based on symbols, and this makes it easy for you to learn the new games, as long as you know the different forms in which the symbols appear.
Therefore, here we will introduce you to the symbols that you will typically experience on the slot machines in the casino at Mr Green, and go a little deeper into their various properties. In addition to the regular winning ‘standard symbols’, there are also Wild symbols, which can replace the regular symbols, and scatter symbols – often simply called scatters – which can trigger extra spins.
In addition, you will certainly come across the so-called bonus symbols, which take you further into exciting bonus rounds, where the biggest wins usually await.
The standard symbols
The common symbols that you see on all slot machines give a win when a given number lands on a payline. In today’s slot games, symbols with the lowest value are most often represented by the icons of the playing cards; Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J), Tens (10) and Nines (9). It can also be the suits hearts, diamonds, claws and spades.
In older slot games and slot machines with a retro design, on the other hand, the symbols with the lowest value will most often be the classic fruit symbols such as cherries, oranges, melons, lemons and grapes.
In the older slot games, you can recognize the symbols that give a significantly higher win with icons such as 7s, bells, diamonds and (gold) bars. These icons have completely changed their appearance in the newer games, and vary greatly from game to game. The newer slot machines usually have a theme, which is reflected in the design of the symbols.
In this way, a game with a theme that takes place under the surface of the sea, for example, will have symbols representing colorful fish, treasure chests, shipwrecks and the like. In such a slot game, the playing card symbols will also often be designed so that they fit beautifully into the game’s theme.
It is a characteristic of the standard symbols that they have no other function than to give you a win when there are enough of them in a row, along a payline. In some slot games, two matching symbols will be enough for you to win, and sometimes three or more are needed.
Payline wins are usually only valid from left to right on the reels. There are exceptions, however, and it is, for example, possible to win from right to left on the Starburst slot machine, where wins are given on paylines in both directions.
You will find that in some slot games there are no paylines at all, or for that matter any reels. Here, there is a profit after other systems, when the symbols form special groups.
Wild symbols
In addition to the regular symbols, Wilds are the most frequently occurring symbols you see in the slot games. This does not necessarily mean that a Wild symbol will appear the next time you play, but it is highly likely if you choose a newer slot game.
Wild symbols can substitute for other symbols when it lands on a payline. For example, if you have a symbol with the playing card icon Ace (A) on the first and third reels, a Wild symbol on reel number two will become another Ace. Now you will have three Aces on the payline, and if they lie next to each other on the payline, you will thus receive a payout as a win. Wild symbols usually only replace standard symbols, but in some cases also other symbols.
As the slot games have become more advanced and exciting, several different types of wild symbols have been added, such as wandering Wilds, expanding Wilds and multiplying Wilds.
When a wandering Wild appears on the reels, it moves one position for each spin. It will move left, right, up or down, depending on the game, and eventually disappear again.
Expanding Wilds expand to cover the entire reel they appear on, while Multiplying Wilds multiply the winnings of the payline they land on. A typical multiplier will be a tripling of the winnings if the multiplying Wild is part of the winning combination on the payline – this is noted in the slot game’s payout scheme as x3.
On some slot machines, Wilds can be combined, so a Wild, for example, is both walking and multiplying. Wilds can also have other properties, and this is most often seen in the special features such as bonus rounds or rounds with extra spins.
Scatter symbols
It is the Scatter symbol that you will probably like the most and look forward to seeing appear in the slot games the most. Like the standard symbols, it usually throws a win; in fact, the payoff for one or more Scatter symbols will often be really good.
It may not be the symbol you look at the most, but on the other hand a symbol with several good properties: The Scatter symbols can give a win without being on a payline, so if a few appear, there is a good win.
In addition to good wins, the Scatter symbols will also trigger a special feature, usually a round with extra spins, or special bonuses. There must usually be three or more Scatters for the bonus round to start, and if there are more, the winnings will typically be higher, or even more spins can be triggered without extra bet.
For example, three Scatters could trigger 10 extra spins with a multiplier of 3x, where four Scatter symbols would give 15 extra spins with a multiplier of 4x. On some slot machines the Scatters will trigger other exciting features, but most often it will be another special symbol; The bonus symbol.
The bonus symbol
Like Scatters, the Bonus symbols are also worth waiting for, as they trigger a kind of bonus game where really good wins often await. In the slightly older games, and in games made in a retro style, you don’t see symbols that often – if at all.
In newer slot games, Bonus symbols appear quite often, and as the games have evolved, the bonus rounds have become increasingly entertaining and captivating. In fact, they are like a kind of game within the game, where in design, animations and a completely different gaming experience, they build on the theme of the slot game.
The Bonus symbol, in contrast to Scatters, usually does not win in itself, and more Bonus symbols rarely land than those needed to trigger the bonus game. An exception is, for example, Mercy of the Gods, where three or more Bonus symbols trigger a bonus game in the form of a real Jackpot.
In some slot games, the Bonus symbol must land in a row, from left to right, on an active payline to trigger a bonus. On other slot machines, they can land pretty much anywhere. In some games, they only land on certain reels, such as the first, third, and fifth.
Get to know the symbols
When trying a new game, it is always recommended to look at the symbols. You can usually click on an icon marked with an ‘i’, or on a question mark in the game area, to read about the symbols’ respective functions and winnings.
Once you know the symbols, you won’t be disappointed or confused that they might not exactly trigger a special feature, even if they land in the exact same place as they did on the previous slot you tried.
In any case, it becomes even more fun and also more exciting to know which symbols give the biggest wins and how extra spins and the bonus rounds are triggered. That way, you always know when something exciting is about to happen, and that’s exactly what gives the game excitement and the best entertainment.
Since most slot machines have the same type of symbols that we have described here, it is straightforward to know what exciting features are lurking in each game. Therefore, it is always a good idea to look at the payment schedule, which gives you information about the symbols and the rules of the game. Then you know when there may be good profits on your way!