These days you see new entertaining slots released every single day. They come with advanced features and rounds to make it more exciting and engaging. These video machines, be it in the brick and mortar casino or on online gambling sites, have evolved a lot. But, one thing that is more or less the same over several decades is the symbols used. The icons are the same and have the same names and features. It all started with fruit machines, and you came across symbols like cherries, lemons, oranges, grapes, etc. Even the modern-day fruit themed online machines do have these fruit as the main icons. The high paying images in these types of slots were the single, double, or triple bars and the red or the lucky 7.
If you are wondering as to how many icons are there in a slot machine reel, then read on. The classic machine is the 3-reel game. This is the simplest machine to play, and it comes with few icons on a reel. However, the more complex game is, the more icons you find there.
Types of Slot Machine Symbols
The symbols have come a long way since the slot machine was invented by Charles Fey way back in 1895. The first icons used in the casino machines were the playing card images. They include 10, J, Q, K, and Ace. These card icons are frequently used in many of the new online titles as the low paying or the base symbols even now. After some time, the bell and horseshoe images came into prominence along with the playing card suits. Now, there are four common types, and they are standard, wilds, scatters, and bonus icons.
- Standard Reel Icon. These are the classic and traditional symbols you come across in many of the fruit-themed titles. Most of them are fruit images or playing card suits. The high valued card suits act as low paying icons in these machines. All the titles do come with these symbols, and they offer a low payout. You enjoy a win when three or more of the identical icons land on the active payline during a spin. For example, if you are playing rainbow riches online, an Irish themed title, you find “10” to “A” images as the low paying symbols. These days the icons based on the theme are the high paying symbols. They might be used as wilds or scatters to help in boosting the wins and increasing payouts. These icons do not have any special function to play. They just offer a payout based on the number of times they appear in a row consecutively. The prize you win is based on the game’s paytable.
- Wilds. This is a very popular icon seen in many of the slot games. These days you will find it difficult to come across a title without the wild. They are similar to the joker you use in the pack of cards. The wilds can take the place of any other icon on the reels to create a new winning combination or to boost the win. If you have two identical symbols on reels 1 and 2 and wild on the 3rd, then this formation will count as a win. There is an exception to this feature. The wild cannot take the place of the scatter or the bonus icons, and hence these symbols cannot be substituted. The modern-day titles have added more twists and features to the wild. Some of the new types of wilds seen in online titles are Stacked, Expanding, Sticky, Walking, and Shifting Wilds.
- Expanding icons land on any position on the reels, and they expand to cover the entire reel horizontally or vertically.
- Sticky wilds hold on to the position and do not spin for the remainder of the rounds.
- Stacked ones will land one over the other.
- Scatters. The main function of the scatter is to trigger a special feature called Free Spins. Landing 3 or more of the scatters anywhere on the playing grid triggers the Free Rounds. The extra spins on offer vary based on the number of scatters that land on the grid. In most games, the free spins allowed range is from 5 to 15. Some of the software developers allow the free spins to retrigger whenever 3 or more of the scatters show up during the extra rounds. Sometimes, you come across scatters that activate free spins along with a multiplier. This helps in boosting wins. Get a casino bonus here.
Final Thoughts
The features of the modern titles are inviting and alluring. There is lots of money to be won when playing slots. You should not rush to let the reels spin. Before playing, check out the various icons used and what they bring to the game. Once you understand the play and the various important icons, you can enter the game with better confidence.
