Slots is an all-encompassing word. The deeper you go the more variations you’ll find among the many slot machines you can play at Top Dog. Read on to find out just how many types of slots you can look forward to playing when you’re feeling lucky.
Different types of slots and slot variants
How many of these variations have you tried… and which ones appeal the most?
Classic slots
You might think of two types of slots when classic slots come to mind:
- Three-reel slots
- Fruit machines
Fruit machines are likely to have these features:
- Lots of fruit icons on the reels
- They often have bells and bar symbols as well
- They may or may not have a wild symbol
- No scatter will be in play
Meanwhile, three-reel slots have plenty of similarities:
- Usually only one payline, but sometimes up to five
- The paytable appears on the same page as the reel set
- The smallest prize may be triggered with just one icon on the line
- They can be played from a penny per spin on the line
Video slots
Start playing video slots and you’re going to get more reels in play – usually five of them, occasionally six or more. You’ll also get the chance to play over more lines. Lots of games also feature other elements, such as:
- Storylines
- Bonus features
- Free spins
Multiline slots
As the name suggests, multiline slots are those that offer more than one payline. You might also find some of these games offer ‘ways to win’. Here are some variations you might encounter:
- 20 lines
- 30 lines
- 50 lines
- 243 ways to win
- 720 ways to win
These games are also more likely to include special symbols during play. They often fall into these categories:
- Wild symbols – expanding, regular, shifting, frozen, and more
- Scatter symbols – pay out for the right number no matter where they fall
- Bonus symbols – find three to trigger the relevant bonus feature (there can be more than one bonus icon in a game)
- Free spins symbols – three or more will usually unlock some free games
3D slots
These are among the most popular slots around. 3D imagery makes everything stand out – ideal when a game is focusing on a dramatic theme. You can look for 3D slots on lots of varied themes:
- Ancient Egypt
- The Aztecs
- Mythical creatures and gods
- Irish good luck (ideal when you’re playing a slot game!)
Jackpot slots and progressive slots
Are these everyone’s favourites? We think they might be. There are some differences between them:
- Jackpot slots may have a fixed jackpot
- Progressive slots have jackpots that grow with each contributing bet
Both types may have more than one jackpot available. If this is the case, they will be labelled to reflect their size, such as:
- Mini
- Minor
- Major
- Mega
Slots with bonus features
Bonuses are the best bits of slot games – at least, we think so. Bonuses come in many forms, but they can take you away from the basic reels of the game. Here are a few possible bonuses you might come across:
- On-reels bonuses
- Click-me bonuses
- Picking games
- Second screen bonuses in other locations relevant to the theme of the game
Flat top slots
This is a lesser-known type of slot, but you will almost certainly have encountered one. A flat-top slot is also referred to as a straight slot because it is as basic as you can get. Here’s what you should expect from one of these games:
- Three reels
- One payline
- No progressive jackpot
- No special symbols
Our favourite top slots to try
Rainbow Riches
Is this one of the most popular slots around? It spawned a collection of sequels, but this is the original one. There are lots of perks to look out for if you play this game:
- Five reels
- 20 paylines
- A gold coin is used as the wild icon
- Three scatters appear, each triggering a separate bonus feature
- Three leprechauns trigger the Road to Riches bonus
- Three wishing wells trigger the Wishing Well bonus
- Three pots of gold unlock the Pots of Gold bonus
Starburst
Simple yet very effective, the Starburst game is popular for good reason. Sparkling gems could bring you some rich wins with these features:
- Five reels
- 10 paylines
- Expanding Starburst wild icon appears on middle three reels
- Fewer symbols than normal, making it easier to find winning combinations
- Every wild that appears will trigger a respin
Stampede
Face the mighty elephants in this high-quality game with a safari theme. You’ll enjoy many superb features in this one:
- Five reels
- 1,024 ways to win
- A wild icon substituting all except the scatter
- The wild carries either a 2x or a 3x multiplier if you reach the free spins feature
- Three, four, or five scatters trigger the free spins
- Eight, 12, or 20 free spins are given respective to scatter quantity
Find your favourite online slots today
There are plenty of other slot games to be found at Top Dog Slots. Now you know how many variations there are, which ones will you get started with?