Another number you might hear is handle, which Ambrose defines as the total amount bet by a player. That is the money deposited by the player in the machines. When casinos look at how a slot machine is performing, the most basic number they look at is the drop. “It is all,” he says, “about the game math.” To explain why they are so reliable for casinos, I talked to Bob Ambrose, who broke into the industry at the Tropicana Atlantic City in the early 1980s and is today a gaming consultant and casino management instructor at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Fixed jackpot: A jackpot that plays a fixed amount and doesn’t change with more play.Slot machines appeal to casinos because they are, as long as enough people play them, stable money-makers.Resets to a certain amount after someone wins. Progressive jackpot: A jackpot often connected to multiple online slots that increases as players play the game.Jackpot: A large prize is available on some slots.Wilds: Symbols that substitute for other symbols, offering a chance at bigger wins.Free Spins: Usually a type of bonus that grants players a number of free spins.Bonuses tend to offer bigger wins than the base game. Bonus: Typically a separate round of play is triggered by landing certain symbols during a normal spin.Megaways: A popular slot mechanic that offers 117,649 possible pay lines.For example, a slot with an RTP of 96% will tend to pay out $96 for every $100 you bet. RTP: The theoretical return to player percentage of a slot.Different slots offer different numbers of pay lines. Pay lines: The possible ways to win in a slot machine, based on where the symbols land on the reels and rows.

You can play at a low denomination for smaller wins (for example, $0.20 per pay line) or a higher one for bigger potential wins, e.g. Meanwhile, a high volatility slot will pay bigger wins but with less frequency. A low-volatility game tends to win more often but in smaller increments.

Volatility: The amount of risk a game carries.

Symbols: The individual images/numbers/letters that land on the reels and rows.

Rows: The horizontal positions where the symbols fall into place after the reels stop spinning.

Reels: The vertical reels that spin in a slot game.

How to win playing slots at casinos