Slot Machines are not a very complex gaming experience but there are a few terms you should get yourself acquainted with so you know exactly what you are doing when you play. Everyone knows and loves the slots. Slots have been around for years but understanding them is very useful information for you to have.

You get to select how many lines you want to bet on, the amount you want to bet on each line and then you are set to spin the wheels. The confusion comes in because every slot machine uses different symbols on their reels, and some have different ways of figuring out their pay lines. Online slots will have a button to click for you to read the pay tables, this is invaluable for knowing what symbols you need, what combinations will pay out, and how much they pay out.

Pay Line: It`s usually the line in the center of the slot machine, the line on which the designated symbols must align in order to receive a payout. Some machines have multiple pay lines.

Pay Table: The pay table is the section of the slot machine that lists all important information about payoffs. Including the payoffs for each winning combination, bonus features, and if the max coin bet pays any bonus. Payouts are quoted in number of coins.

Maximum Bet: The maximum amount of coins or credits that can be played per spin. Often, you must play the max bet on a machine to qualify for the jackpot.

Winning Combinations: The amount of possible winning outcomes.

Reels: The rotating part of a slot machine usually three or more rotating barrels with symbols. The object is to line up the symbols in a winning pattern.

Symbols: The pictures on the reels. Can be anything from fruit to stars to bars. Almost anything that sticks to the theme of the particular machine you are playing.

Coins Size: Coin size is a unit of measure, the denomination or the value of each coin that the machine accepts.

Payout Percentage: The amount of every wager put into a Slot machine that is given back to the customer as a win, or payout. If a machine is said to have a 98% payout percentage, then that means that 98 cents out of every dollar is given back to customers in payouts, while the two cents leftover is the casino`s take.

Hit: Slang term for a win on a Slot machine.

Symbols: The pictures on the reels used to determine wins. The traditional ones include stars, fruit and numbers, but today can include just about anything that stays with the theme of the machine.

Hopper: This refers to the coins held inside the machine. When the hopper is full, the surplus is returned to the casino as profit. This most commonly refers to land-based casinos. Online casinos however do have maximum jackpots, so anything taken by the machine in excess of the jackpot amount is the casinos profit.

Wild Symbol: When a Wild Symbol lines up on the payline it substitutes for any other symbol. For example, if you line up two 7s on the payline with a Wild Symbol it is the same as three 7s. Some Wild Symbols may also double or triple the payout, or even more.

Progressive Jackpot: A slot machine whose potential jackpot increases with each coin that is played. When the progressive jackpot finally hits, the amount resets to the starting number.

Random Number Generator, RNG: micro-computer that constantly even when the machine is not being used spits out numbers. These random numbers correspond to positions on each of the reels in the machine. When you pull the handle or push the Spin button you aren`t really initiating anything except the spinning of the reels which is merely for show. You are simply telling the machine to display the reel positions that correspond to the last set of random numbers that were generated.

Loose Slot Machine: Slot machines are loose when they are paying off and giving the house only a small advantage over the player.

Credit Button: In slot machines or video machines, the button that allows players to bank coins in the form of credits.

Slot Schedule: Usually posted on the front of a slot machine. It is all the information needed to determine the denominations you can play and the winning amounts.

Static: The opposite of progressive jackpot. A jackpot that is already predetermined and does not change.

Progressive Slots: A group of slots grouped together with a growing common jackpot. The amount of the jackpot depends on the amount of money that has been played in all machines combined. When a jackpot is won, the jackpot is reset to the low jackpot, where it begins to accumulate again with each coin played. All slots in that group will be affected.