Video Slots in Irish Online Casinos
Video slots are the kings of online casinos. They are favourites for most casino visitors, and that’s why the best online casinos in Ireland stuff their lobbies with all types of video slots from many providers. If we look at an average online casino, around 90% of its catalogue is comprised of video slots. They are a good starting point for novices and an excellent pastime for experts. Video slot providers release novelties almost daily, so you will always find something new and impressive in your favourite online casino. Slots allow you to play with a low budget, at one cent per line. If you are a high roller, you will find titles with a €200 max bet per spin and beyond. If you wonder how much you can win in a video slot, the answer is ‘Heaps of money.’ The point is that every spin can result in a combination of high-value symbols, which pay out 5000x bet and higher, depending on the specific paytable. Read more about online video slots in the review below.
What is a video slot?
You open a normal slots game. High chances are you will see a rectangular field unless you enter some exotic slot variation with a round or diamond-shaped layout.
The field is made up of columns, which are called ‘reels’. There are at least three reels in an online video slot, but typically, games have five reels. You will also see many small pictures on the reels, which are an integral part of every game.
The idea behind any video slot casino is that a player gets a certain payout when symbols match up on the screen after the reels stop. This is how a typical gameplay in a video slot goes on:
- You place a bet by tapping the buttons that increase or reduce a bet size.
- When you are satisfied with a bet, click a spin button.
- The reels will rotate for a few seconds, and when they stop, you will see if the icons line up in a winning combo or not.
- Continue the game by pressing Spin every time or customising the Auto Spin tool.
Online video slot paytable
Accessible from inside the game, a paytable shows how much each combination earns you. It displays the composition and value of each combo. Paytables also describe the main rules of the video slot, the provider’s disconnection policy, the maximum win, and other things—some are important, others are not. You can see a paytable example below:
What information can one extract from this paytable? Note: it shows monetary values on a €1 bet per spin.
- Combos award from left to right on adjacent reels only
- Diamonds are the best-paying symbols
- When five of them line up, you get 200x bet
- Playing card icons 10 to A are at the low end, with payouts of 0.5x to 10x
- The game also features a wild symbol (a woman pilot) and free spins.
Paytables also show win line patterns. They determine how exactly the matching icons must be arranged across the wheel to get a payout. You are strongly encouraged to take a look at the paytable of your game before playing. If you find it uninspiring, you can always close that and open a new video slot.
Normal and special slot symbols
As said above, slot symbols pay out when they form a winning combo. Normal symbols do not carry any extras. They are the powerhouse, as they often appear, awarding routine wins. All the gems on the above screenshots are regular symbols that do nothing else but award cash prizes when landing on a payline.
Normal slot symbols are counted when they start running from the utmost left wheel. Some video slots, known as ‘Both Ways Win’, consider it a win when the matching pics begin from the rightmost and leftmots reels.
There are two types of special symbols: Wilds and Scatters. Wild symbols substitute for normal symbols, acting like Joker cards in video poker. If, for example, you have a cherry on reels 1 and 3, you will not make a payable combo since there’s a gap on reel 2. But if a wild symbol hits reel 2 exactly on the payline, it will substitute for the missing cherry, and you will get a payout as if three cherries appeared.
Scatter symbols stand out for their ability to pay out in any position. They do not have to be on a payline for you to receive a cash award, hence the name. Scatters usually trigger a bonus feature, chiefly a set of free spins.
Do you know there are many sorts of wild symbols?
Common wild substitutes can have advanced features and extra effects on gameplay. Some of wild symbol variants are:
- Expanding wilds
- Sticky wilds
- Floating wilds
- Cascading wilds
- Multiplier wilds.
Bet sizes in video slots
Since video slots are targeted at the broadest audience possible, it’s only natural their bet sizes are vast. Suppose you are a low roller and deposited 10 euros to the casino balance. You can easily make a hundred spins or more in this situation because most slots have a minimum bet of 10–20 cents a spin.
If you play a payline-based video slot, a bet is usually modified per line. There are two or three selectors, enabling you to set a credit cost and the number of credits per active line. Anyway, the process is intuitive. Even if it’s the first time you see a video slot, it will hardly take you more than five minutes to figure out how it works.
Heavy punters with thousands on their account and an everlasting desire to win big can find many video slots where the maximum wager is €100. Furthermore, some igaming companies make their games even more lucrative for the whales, with bets of over €500 per spin.
Classic slots
The first slot machines that appeared over 100 years ago had three mechanical reels set in motion by a big lever pulled by a player. They were installed at pubs, drugstores, cafes, and other places where people could try their luck. Initially, lucky players who stacked symbols into the winning pattern were awarded a pack of chewing gums or other petty prizes, not cash. Classic slots of today are digital copies of real-life slot machines, speaking generally.
So, a typical classic slot in video slot online casinos has three reels. The number of lines is one, three or five. They run horizontally and diagonally (in some rare games, there are also vertically arranged lines running along each reel). Game providers intentionally make classic slots simple in all respects: simplified graphics, retro sound and no bonus features. Sure, providers can figure out dozens of bonus features, but classic games are simple by design. Fruit symbols evoke nostalgia, while beeps, clicking sounds and flashy lights all over the screen transport players back in time. Classic slots are still found in many land-based casinos, and they are scattered across online casino lobbies, too.
How much can I win in a classic slot?
This is an axiom that the size of the prize depends on the bet size placed on that winning spin. Normally, low-paying combinations award 1x and below. High-valued symbols can pay out 5000x—sure, this is an approximate figure because classic slots vary greatly. Let’s assume the max win is 5000x per line. So, if you bet €5 (a normal max bet per line), you can win €25,000.
Let’s take the screenshot of the 888 Gold slot by Pragmatic Play (see above). You can see the max payout is 6000 coins. It will be awarded when landing three 8s across line 5. A bet is set in the range of €0.01 to €5 per line, so the max winning in this video slot reaches an astounding €30,000 at max.
Video slots
A most populous type of game in online casinos in Ireland, video slots are the Holy Grail of all players. They are simple; even a complete newbie can get in and start winning. They are unpredictable: you can have 10 tiny hits and then suddenly a jackpot. A video slot normally consists of five reels. With three rows in place, a video slot has more space for creativity and bonus features, as it displays 15 symbols at a time.
Video slot casinos online usually have many bonus features. If we had aimed at creating a comprehensive list of features accounting for every video slot on the market, there would have been over 200 items in the list. What’s more, game providers forge ahead, creating brand-new features.
A video slot concept follows the old classic approach: The game awards a specific prize if you create a winning combo. Alternatively, a prize is given away as a result of a bonus feature: free spins, wild multipliers, respins, etc. Due to advanced bonus features, a video slot yields higher winnings. Its gameplay is more interesting than in a classic slot.
How much can I win in a video slot?
Online video slots boast a more impressive winning power than classic slots, much due to its bonus features and increased maximum bet limits. The best video slots to play will let you win x5000 a spin and higher. Progressive video slots are in a league of their own, because they offer cash prizes of over a million euros, e.g. the epic Mega Moolah and WowPot series from Games Global (ex-Microgaming). Most probably, the best wins will come your way during free spins, respins or other bonus features.
Video slot features
Various aspects can be used to identify online video slots from the classic and fruit machine kinds. Some of these aspects include:
Numerous themes
Classic slot games are a reflection of the retro slots that were played when slot games were first invented. Fruit machines also carry the same traditional features with icons on the reels that are quite predictable. However, with video slots, things are the complete opposite. The use of video technology has allowed online gaming software developers to explore numerous themes that are used as a background story for the game. This makes gameplay even more exciting since the player is immersed in another universe where they are playing towards a purpose that is other than just winning. Some of the themes that have become quite popular among slot enthusiasts include oceanic, ancient cultures, historical events, Hollywood stars, popular films, and music. With such a diverse choice of themes, gamblers can engage in games that appeal to their style.
Paylines
Traditionally, fruit and classic slot machines had only a few paylines where the characters were placed. In most cases, they fell between 5 and 50 pay lines. When video slots were introduced, this limit was broken to see slots bear as much as 100 win lines. A new feature was introduced, which was regarded as win ways. This element saw some video slots carry as many as four thousand and ninety-six win ways. The significant addition of bet lines gave gamblers a higher chance at striking wins than in the previous types of slot games.
Bonus features
This can be termed as the main aspect that has made online video slots the most widely sought-after type of slot game in gaming destinations. In previous slot versions, the only thing players had to look forward to was spinning the reels and hitting winning combos. However, in recent times, things have taken a turn for the better. Software developers saw it fit to include video bonus slot elements to help further boost players’ winnings and make gameplay even more exciting. Gamblers are bound to run into bonus aspects in video slots such as:
Video slot free spins
This is hands down the most popular bonus feature in video slots. They give the gamer a chance to spin the reels without them having a real money deposit. Even so, the winnings made translate into actual cash. These rewards can be triggered by matching specified icons or in other bonuses such as mini-games.
Multipliers
These offers help take the player’s wagers or winnings to a higher amount by the number that is acquired. This means that a 10x multiplier will reward the gambler with €100 for a ten-euro wager.
Bonus games
These are mini-games that can be found in the main game of new video slots. These games bear a spinoff story from that of the base game. They carry more bonus features such as free spins and multipliers. They are usually triggered by high-value icons such as scatters and wilds.
Gamble feature
This bonus presents the player with a chance to double their winnings. It appears every time a winning combo is struck. All the gamer has to do is guess the correct colour of a down-facing card. However, a wrong guess will take away all the winnings that have been made.
Pick me bonus
This feature is quite similar to the gamble feature, but in this case, the player has to choose several hidden items. Once selected, the item will reveal what is within, and the player will have won it. The elements could contain free spins, multipliers, real money, or even nothing.
Wheel feature
As suggested by the name, the player is presented with a wheel that has various prizes on it. They then have to spin it, and whatever the pointer lands on is what they have won.
FAQ
An online video slot is a game of chance. It usually has three or more reels with symbols depicted on them. A player clicks Spin, sets the reels in motion and waits for the outcome of the spin.
Video slots coming from licensed providers are audited for fairness, thus they are absolutely fair and safe to play. Since video slots are stored in game provider’s servers, online casinos cannot interfere with game results.
An average RTP for a video slot and classic slot is 95% to 97%. Progressive slots have a lower RTP, at about 90% to 94%. Some have a fluctuating RTP, enabling video slots casinos to change it within a set range.
This is a special bonus icon that serves as a replacement for other pics. Wild symbols often have a multiplier attached, and hitting that wild will increase the prize by that mutiplier.
You can play them in any online casino after creating an account and depositing funds to your balance. Check out the best online casinos on our website to streamline your video slots experience.
Yes, and even greater. Your ultimate loot will largely be determined by your bet. If say you bet €100 and get a rare combination with a x1000 payout, you can thus grab €100,000. The ceiling win is often fixed by game providers and is clearly stated in game rules (in its paytable).
