Casino players have all sorts of ways to choose top slots. Some head straight to the most popular slots they’ve heard of. Others play whatever is recommended to them in a casino lobby. While these can all result in you finding something decent to play, there are no guarantees. After all, even the best independent UK online casinos will push their choice of slots in the lobby.
Fortunately, there are ways to discover if recommended or popular games are all they’re cracked up to be. I will show you seven top ways to choose online slots to play for yourself.
What Do I Need to Know About Slots?
Don’t rely on anyone else’s advice on what to play – you won’t find any “recommended slots” here on this page. Instead, I’m going to share with you my expertise in how to find the best slots and get the most out of your slot gaming experience. So, what should you look for to play top slots? Here’s the checklist of criteria I used and that has proven reliable for me over the years:
#1: Count the Number of Symbols
This first tip is simple enough to grasp. There are only “so many” spots on the reels of any given slot. You typically need a combo of three or more identical symbols to land a win. The more different symbols there are in a game, the greater the probability that you’ll end up with one (or more) interfering and stopping you from landing a combo. The fewer symbols in a slot, the more likely you will land winning combinations. It’s that simple.
#2: Explore Paytable Prizes
If you’re betting £1 a spin, and the top prize is £1,000 a spin, is that fair? Ultimately, whether a jackpot or any prize is fair is down to you. You must decide if there is real value to be had in a win. Find out by opening a game and setting your bet. Don’t hit spin yet, though. Check the paytable first and see what the maximum you can win with that stake is. Compare it to the same value bets in other games to learn if it’s as good as it seems or if there are more generous slots out there.
#3: Slot RTPs Explained
Explained simply, RTP is the opposite of house edge. The house edge is the amount of each bet the casino keeps as pure profit, and this is commonly used in table games at casinos, poker sites, and other venues. In the slot world, RTP is the amount of each bet the casino puts back into a theoretical pot for every player to win. The higher, the better. You want to play slots with RTPs of 96% or higher. We certainly wouldn’t go lower than 94%. Some games can even support RTP rates of 98%. You can find the RTP rate on a game’s pay table or in slot reviews. Remember, the higher the RTP rate, the fairer the game.
#4: Look for a Clone Slot
If you love almost everything about a slot, but there are just one or two things which are rubbing you the wrong way, some features you wish weren’t there or were better, don’t panic. You don’t have to settle for that game. In the online casino world, there are always duplicates, clones, imitators, and rip-offs of other titles. The two dozen clones of the Play ‘n Go-developed Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead slot are the most famous examples, alongside Starburst. Moreover, this explorer game itself was a clone of Novomatic’s Book of Ra. If you browse around, you’re almost certainly going to find a clone slot which is almost identical to the one you like (but from another provider) and with the features you don’t like altered. These cloned games could be the answer you’re looking for.
#5: Choosing Slots by Volatility
You can also choose to play all manner of slot games based on their volatility. Slot volatility determines how payouts work. For instance, low-variance games pay regularly, but with small-value wins. This makes them suitable for low-rolling players. However, highly volatile slots pay rather sizeable wins but much less infrequently, making them appealing to high rollers. Sadly, unless it says on the paytable, the only way to gauge the volatility of a slot is to read a review or visit the website of a trusted game developer, such as NetEnt.
#6: Fab Features
You can, of course, always choose your online slots based on their features. Many people are content to play a game based on its theme, free spin rounds, goodies, wilds, or whatever else. For some, slot gaming is more about having fun than winning money, and that’s okay. If features are the most important aspect for you, you can always choose games based on that.
#7: Play Online Slots for Free
Even if the stars look as though they are aligning on a slot that you wish to play, don’t be shy in test-driving. All slots (with very few exceptions) can be played for free. Head over to any of the top international online casinos for UK players that support free-play demos. You’ll then be able to play the game without risking your own money. You won’t win anything, but you can certainly learn everything there is to know about your chosen slot long before you splash the cash.
Final Notes: A Few Other Things to Consider When Choosing Slots
You should jot down some side notes if you’re on the hunt for top slot games. It is always good to pay attention to the following:
- RNG-Certified/Provably Fair: If you’re unsure whether your casino can be trusted to offer fair games, look for game certifications. Any game that has been RNG-certified or Provably Fair is far more likely to be genuine and offer fair pay rates.
- How Is the Jackpot Triggered?: Pay attention to how the progressive is triggered, if there is one. Landing jackpot symbols on any line is much easier than landing them on a specific line. Find out how the jackpot is triggered to gauge how it compares with its counterparts.
- A Wealth of Buy-a-Bonus Options: Including such a feature sounds good, but it’s ruinously expensive and may mean that the software provider has cut down the number of in-game triggered bonuses.
- Bizarre Wagering Ranges on 25 Lines or Less: We’d exercise caution before playing any game with a fixed stake that doesn’t add up over 25 lines or less. For instance, if the stake can’t be divided evenly between the number of lines. Unless there is a good reason for it, why pay extra for nothing?
- More Lines Equals Easier Wins?: Having over 100,000 ways to win should make it easier to land a prize than playing with just 25 lines, right? Not necessarily, these games are usually highly volatile, meaning that wins will be big in size but few and far between.
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