Contrary to popular belief, slot games are the main source of profit for both land-based and online casinos. They appeal to a broad audience and the sheer simplicity of these games makes them hard to resist, not to mention that they can be played by both highrollers and amateurs.

The nice diversity of games and the fact that the latest titles are released first over the Internet, explains why their popularity online is constantly on the rise. You don't need money, experience with casino games or a lot of patience to learn the rules, because slots are the easiest to understand.

The first and most important choice is the actual slot machine that you will be playing and there are a couple of popular criteria to help players at making this decision. To start with, they need to decide between traditional 3 reel slot games and their modern counterparts featuring 5 reels.

Another decision that players need to make from the very beginning has to do with the number of pay lines, because it is generally accepted that betting the max is the right thing to do. In order to keep spending in check, it is important to choose a slot machine that has a five coin limit and a coin size ranges from one cent to up to one dollar.

Basically, players can wager as little as five cents per spin or as much as five dollars if they choose to bet the maximum acceptable amount. The reason for why betting the max is recommended is that all slot games that have a progressive jackpot attached would only trigger the maximum payout if the player bets five coins.

Initially, players select the bet size and this varies depending on how many active pay lines the game offers, with the easiest way to play is by selecting max bet. The next step is even more straightforward, as players press the spin button and patiently wait to see what symbols appear on the pay lines.

There is no research to undertake and all it takes is for the players to check out the payout tables, to learn exactly how much each winning combination pays.

There are many differences between slot games and even within the same casino, the payout tables can differ a lot so it is important to stay informed.

Most of the popular online slots have a 97% win rate, which is slightly better than what conventional casinos offer. While the rules of these slot games are essentially the same, wild and scatter symbols spice things up by triggering free spins or by improving the chance to hit winning combinations.

Wild symbols have the ability to replace any other signs on the reels, except for the scatter, which makes it easier to keep one of the combinations featured by the payout table. When scatter symbols are unveiled, players can expect free spins and during these bonus rounds the payouts are usually doubled, tripled or increased even further.