Why A Slot Machine’s Help Screen Is Important? We’ll tell you exactly just that in this guide. The other day we were chatting about the popularity of online slot machines.
One of the topics that came up was that many players don’t read the screen pages of a slot game. To be honest it’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make.
Moreover, online casinos and slot studios “don’t want you” to read the info on their help screens.
A US player by the name of Joan from Arizona contacted us recently. She wants to know what’s the big deal regarding the Help Screens in slot machines.
I play slots online for fun when I have the time at Wild Casino. I read a gambling column recently some slot machine guru said that you must read the paytable before you play.
Is this true? Well, Joan believe it or not this is exactly what we were talking about.
The Help Screen or the Paytable of an online slot contains all the information about the game. Therefore, knowledge is power, right? And, ignorance is bliss.
If you don’t know where to find the Paytable of a slot, click on the letter “i” or “?”. When you press it a new screen pops up showcasing the various symbols, bonus rounds, RTP, jackpot, and hit rate.
The Help Screen tells you about the mechanic or the inner parts of a game. If it’s a Megaways slot with 6 reels or a simply fruity classic with 10 paylines.
There are oodles of hints and tips ‘hidden’ in plain sight. The sad part is that most players know about it but they still ignore reading the paytable.
The Help Screen also tells you the manufacturer of the online slot. If it’s a NetEnt, Yggdrasil, or a RealTime Gaming slot game.
The more popular online casino software providers disclose as much information about their games as possible.
Regulatory agencies such as the British Gambling Commission and Curacao compel them to do so.
Every real money slot machine has its own bonus rules and ways to trigger them. The manufacturer of the online slot notifies players that 3 or more scatters trigger a bonus round.
The bonus round we’re talking about is none other than the Free Spins feature.
We love slot games with free spins because 90% of all the slots we’ve played hide their jackpots here. So, it just makes sense that you should stick around to initiate the bonus round.
Even if it’s just once. Unfortunately, the Help Screen does not tell American gamblers how many spins they require to trigger a bonus round.
Whether it’s for the Respins or Free Spins features. The Paytable also tells you if it is a high, medium, or low variance slot.
Many slot games depending on the software provider include an array of bonus rounds.
Respins features are popular and players can trigger them on any random spin in the base game. Expanding Wilds are cool too.
When they pitch they expand to cover an entire reel for the big wins. Slot machines come with Walking wilds as well. The wilds either move from left to right or vice versa across the reels.
Bonus Wheels are popular too. Players can win extra free spins, cash prizes, or multipliers on the Bonus Wheel.
Can you see why the Help Screen of a slot is so important? See it as your GPS as you navigate your way around a slot machine.
The Paytable also tells you about the theme and the symbols that appear on the reels. If the theme or storyline of a game is about superheroes.
The symbols on the reels will reflect it. In other words, if the main protagonist of the slot is Cleopatra.
The premium symbols will be Cleopatra, Horus, Bastet, and Anubis. The minor or the low-value symbols are usually the card symbols from 9 to Ace.
Moreover, the Help Screen tells you the payout of 5-of-a-kind Thor symbols. So, when five Thor symbols pop onto the reels they 100x your stake.
Other important symbols you’ll find within the help screen are Wilds and Scatters. The wild symbol substitutes symbols adjacent to it when it completes a winning combo.
The scatters of course are responsible for activating the Free Spins round. Some slot machines provide scatter pay as well.
Coin Denomination & Jackpot
The Paytable tells you the coin betting range of the game. A typical betting range is $0.20 to $100 with the exception of IGT which goes up to $3,000 per spin.
The online casino software specifically targets high-roller casino VIPs. The coin denomination helps you to prepare your bankroll.
When you play the slots online with real money for the first time. We suggest you play it at the lowest coin denomination. Set the Auto Play feature to 25 spins.
Note, this is what we do. You’re more than welcome to decrease or increase the number of spins. The reason why we select 25 spins. It gives us a ‘quick overview of what we can expect from the slot payouts wise.
Once we’re happy with what we see we’ll increase our average stake to $5 per spin. If you have a small bankroll stick to lower denomination slots like Betsoft’s Sleighin’ It.
RTP & Hit Frequency Slot’s Machine Help Screen is Important?
The RTP and the hit rate of a slot machine normally go hand in hand. When you open the paytable of a slot machine for the first time.
You’ll see that the game’s RTP. It can be 94% or 97.5%. The RTP is an indication of how tight or loose the slot is.
The higher the RTP the more potential the slot has. However, this is not always the case but it’s an indication at least.
Although the payback rate of slots to play online is important. We prefer the Hit Rate because it tells you exactly how volatile the game is.
For example, a high variance slot can have a hit frequency of more than 30%.
Therefore, the game will offer a payout on every 3rd spin. It applies to play in the base game; the pays are relatively small with the odd big win of 50x.
If you want something more substantial you must trigger a bonus round. According to regulatory agencies, online casino software studios must disclose the “best strategies” for the slot in the Help Screen.
Buy Option
The newest addition to slot games is the Buy Option. Instead of waiting for 3 scatters to pitch players can now trigger the Free Spins immediately.
Thanks to the Buy Feature. This little luxury also comes with a steep price tag. In some slots, the Buy Option costs 50x, 75x up to 100x the stake.
The Buy Option is a great feature for high rollers as it cuts out the base game. However, it can be risky! Some jurisdictions like the British Gambling Commission don’t allow it.
Better still, the Buy Option increases the RTP and throws in a few special features to sweeten the pot.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you can see now why a slot machine’s help screen is important. Whether you play slots for fun or for real money, always check the paytable.
The more you know about the slot the better your chances are of winning more money.
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Online Slots Help Screen
