Slot machines for beginners

How to Play Slot Machine for Beginners: Start from the Basics

8 min

We’ve created the perfect guide that covers slot machines for dummies. The best bonuses, top slots, and more are presented. Let’s look at the four steps that will help you better understand slot machines, online slot sites, and games.

Create a Casino Account

Before players can learn and use the how to play slot machine for beginner’s guide, they first have to choose an online casino. We recommend starting with slot sites since they have a good variety of games and offers.

After choosing a platform, create an account. The sign-up button is usually at the top-right screen corner or next to the log-in button.

  • Data required for registration

Hitting the sign-up button, will redirect gamblers to a form, where personal data must be given. Most casinos will have a three-step registration process. There are variations but not any significant ones since all iGaming platforms require the same info.

The personal data the players will have to submit

  • Full name
  • Address
  • Postal Code
  • Date of birth
  • Email
  • Phone number
  • Gender

Apart from those, gamblers will have to choose their account currency and agree to the casino user terms & conditions. Following the registration process completion, send the required KYC documents. So, you can fully activate your account and not encounter any delays later on.

  • Check the casino license

UK licensing institutions perform a crucial role in ensuring player protection and game fairness. Any punter that wants to understand slot machines for dummies must realise this.

Players should never forget that any real money casino from Great Britain is approved and certified by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Being the most trusted gambling regulator globally, the UKGS guarantees that proper standards are respected and applied.

How to find the UKGC license?

Any iGaming platform that’s appropriately licensed will have the UKGC logo present in the website’s footer. Clicking on the logo will redirect players to the Gambling Commission’s official website, where the operator’s account info is presented. If that is not the case, an account number should be written in the footer alongside a hyperlink directing players to the institution’s website.

Online casino scam websites will not have any information regarding licensing on their website, or they can have it with no link to the UKGS.

Claim A Casino Bonus

When you are logged-in, there should be a section titled “Promotions” or “Offers”, from which you can select the bonuses dedicated for new members.

First deposit bonuses usually have a bonus code field where gamblers can write it down when making real-cash transactions. Any offer presented on CasinoAlpha has the promo code available with casino tips for beginners.

For players that are acquittanced with the history of coupons should have no problem in accessing bonus codes and using them properly.

How-to-claim-a-casino-bonus

Best bonuses for beginners

There are two main bonuses that any slot machine for dummies gambler should know: no deposit bonus and free spins.

Let’s go through each one and see what makes them stand out.

This promotion is targeted at new players and offers bonus funds for registering an account.

The founds are usable for different games depending on the online casino, but slots are always present.

However, a downside of this kind of promotion is that it usually has high wagering requirements, which takes more playthroughs to complete compared to other types of offers.

Still, the funds do not require players to commit anything other than registering an account. This can be highly useful if you assess the platform and learn some casino tips for beginners.

This bonus offers extra rounds dedicated to slot games with no financial commitment.

The promotion has an additional upside for UK players since the spins generate value, considered bonus founds. This extra value can be usable in other online games aside from video slots. However, this solely depends on the iGaming platform.

Pick the Best Online Slot

Since there are literally thousands of titles, we know it can be hard to choose the right one if you want to learn how to play slot machine for beginners.

However, they can be broken down into a few categories. The most important one is RTP, which we will explain in more detail a little later.

Types of slots

How-to-pick-a-slot-machine

There are multiple types of online slots, each one with different quarks. That’s why any casino tips for beginners must cover this subject. Keep in mind that top online casinos UK usually include more types of reel games.

3-reels

This is the classic slot format since it’s the digital version of the physical slot machines in casinos in England.

In most cases, 3-reel games have one, three or five pay-lines where successful combinations can appear that generate value.

5-reels

Everything started with 3-reels, but like most things’ slots evolved, becoming more complex and visually interesting. Some of the most emblematic online slots in the casino industry have 5-reels.

One example would be Starburst, a popular slot featured on many platforms. The right Starburst casino can be hard to find, but our experts made a list of high quality platforms that feature this game. The more significant number of reels give opportunity for more pay-lines. They can have anywhere between 9 to 25 or even over 1000.

Progressive slots

These are online slots that boost the jackpot prize every time someone plays without having a successful combination.

The increase stems from the fact that a small portion of each bet goes to the prize sum. Doing this gives each player who comes after the chance to generate a superior value.

Mega-ways

This has some interesting aspects that make way for more complex slot play. It usually has unique symbols for each reel, making any playthrough different. However, this comes with more opportunities since the various images make way for multiple pay-lines.

During one playthrough, the game can have 70 ways to succeed, and in another, it can have more than 2000. Thus, the name mega-ways.

Slots terminology

Like any other widespread phenomenon, video slots have slang that refers to various situations and options.

Some basic ones that are mandatory if players want to learn how to play slot machine for dummies are:

Slots terminology

  • Payout – the value generated from having a successful combination
  • Payline – the possible position where a successful combination can appear
  • RNG – or Random Number Generator, which is a piece of software that ensures game randomness
  • Slots drop – implies the total amount of funds played on a game

We recommend consulting a slot machine terminology guide if players want to know everything about the slang. The total number of terms is fascinating, and there are some special ones for each type of slot.

Slots with high RTP

Game RTP Developer
Ugga Bugga 99.07% Playtech
Mega Joker 99% NetEnt
1429 Uncharted Seas 98.6% Thuderkik
Blook Suckers 98% NetEnt
Jokerizer 98% Yggdrasil

RTP or Return to Player percentage shows how much a game gives back to the slot players over a significant number of playthroughs. The opposite of RTP is house edge which shows how the casinos profit.

Play Smart Online Slots

The total available funds and the coin value are displayed in-game during any playthrough.

Gamblers have special buttons, usually marked with “+” and “-“to set the exact amount they want to wager. Apart from this, there is a Bet Max button to wager the highest allowed amount.

After setting the betted sum, hit the button titled “Spin”, “Spin Reels” or click on the handle on the few games that still have handles.

How do slots pay out?

For a slot machine to give a pay put a successful symbol combination must happen on at least one of the multiple pay lines. Usually, between 10 to 50 pay lines are present, depending on the game.

A successful symbol combination means that the same image must appear on at least one pay line for the slot to generate a pay-out.

Remember that some symbols have a higher return on the bet than others, so always consult the in-game rules before playing.

Game Providers

The iGaming industry has many game developers, ensuring a healthy diversity of titles for the dynamic online gambling scene. A game developer or sometimes called a provider is a company that specialises in creating online casino games.

Notable providers

When it comes to slot machines for dummies, one must know that some developers have more popular titles compared to others.

For example:

  • NetEnt Casinos in the UK include games like Starburst or Gonzo’s Quest, which have a lot of fame and many dedicated promotions.
  • Other sought-after platforms are Novomatic casinos which stand out for having good quality products.
  • Nektan casinos provide improved graphics and interactive navigation interfaces for mobile users.

Those are just a few, but players will eventually see that more software developers bring extra value to this dynamic industry.

Manage Your Budget Wise

Our gambling experts have a lot of casino tips for beginners. Which will help gamblers better manage their budget and not bet themselves into financial difficulties.

How-to-create-and-manage-a-budget-for-slots

  • Organise a budget

Our specialists consider that the safest way to approach gambling-related endeavours is to create a unique budget aimed solely at wagering. Some responsible gambling tools can help players stick to their financial pledges, thus lowering the risk of reckless play.

Use the deposit limits tool; it restricts the amount of real money a player can transfer in their casino account daily, weekly, and monthly.

The designed sum of your choosing can be split into smaller parts, each designated for a specific game or game type. Having a smaller sum to play with make people act more disciplined and not lose a considerable amount of money in a few minutes.

  • Wise wagering

Always start small; this applies especially to beginners. By doing this, players can better understand how a particular platform or game works and even approximate the odds.

Small bets involve a low risk that can maximise your playtime, especially when probabilities are unknown or not in your favour.

The most important rule regarding safety is never to wager more than 10% of your entire account balance on a single bet or spin. Every time you generate a value representing 20% or higher of your original allocated sum for a playthrough, make a withdrawal. In this way, you can always play with the same sum, encouraging discipline, and the long-term profits will eventually add up.

  • Use bonuses

Most if not all iGaming platforms have promotions aimed at bringing new players and maintaining the already existing user base.

From the gambler’s perspective, the bonuses provide extra playtime with little to no financial involvement on their part. Always use a bonus to test out a platform and extend your experience without any financial commitment.

Elena Buzincu
AuthorElena BuzincuSenior Author & Editor at CasinoAlpha

Elena is here to help players make their best gambling decisions. She already has a vast understanding of what gamblers are looking for and what this industry is about, but she knows there’s much more to discover. Maybe someday she will travel to Asia to learn about that unique gambling scene too.

Adina Minculescu
ReviewerAdina MinculescuSenior Author & Editor at CasinoAlpha

Adina’s analytical way of thinking is what gamblers need to understand the casino market. With her expertise in this niche combined with her studies in linguistic typology and hermeneutics, you will get the essential help to make informed financial decisions. Let her be your reliable guide!