Slot Games Transforming The Most Popular Games in the World
It’s no secret how long gambling has been around and can be dated back hundreds of years, with the Romans being the first to have card games that would be somewhat similar to the card games you would see and play today.
Slot machines were first introduced in the 19th century in America and have only risen in popularity and sophistication since. Slots began as one of the most basic forms of gambling, with a handle needing to be pulled to generate the 3-reels shown on screen. Now, there are so many possibilities that it’s impossible to guess the outcome.
Modern slots: how they operate
Upon the inception of the random number generator, the way that slots could work changed, giving millions of outcomes as opposed to hundreds, which ensured that no one sitting would be similar to another. Using these generators has made it easy for game providers to create numerous different styles of games.
Why are slots so popular?
There are many reasons you could whittle this down to, the fact that slots require absolutely no skill and is completely random is one of the main reasons, no mistakes can be made by simply pressing a button to spin.
This is not the case with live table games – a small mistake or lapse in judgement can end in you losing the round for yourself. For people that play live blackjack real money, this can be related to hitting on a 16 when the dealer has a 15 and eventually taking the high ‘bust card’ away from the dealer. This also loses the round for the rest of the table in some cases.
What are the best types of slots?
Choosing the best type of slot can differ from person to person. Although there are many different slots in the way they work or pay, the chances to win are largely the same, and in every game, the information will tell you the normal return to player percentage, meaning that no matter the type of game, the chances of winning are all very similar.
Payline slots
Pay-line slots have been the longest-running style of slot game going, and these are the easiest to grasp in terms of the concept. There are lines in which symbols have to land in, left to right, in order to generate a win. Bonus symbols are possible within the game too, but this round would also have a pay-line structure.
Despite these types of games gradually losing popularity over the last 10-15 years, some of the pay-line games released in the past are some of the most iconic and familiar to those who are slot-fanatics, such as the Book of Dead, Book of Ra, Starburst, Mega Fortune, and many more. Due to their familiarity, these games will always be played, as they give a sense of nostalgia to some.
243 Ways slots
The success of the pay-line style game attracted so much interest in the online casino world and the introduction of the 243 ways slot was far more attractive to many, as there were no pay lines whatsoever. The way these games work is that a sequence of left-to-right symbols would grant wins, meaning that the lines were completely removed from the games.
This style of game became extremely popular very quickly, spurring a flurry of this game type being created in various formats and with many themes. Due to the number of ways to win, the win potential in these games began to increase vastly, with many offering upwards of 10,000x win potential.
Megaways games
Due to the success of 243 Ways styles of slot games, it essentially gave an opportunity to game providers to innovate further, and Big Time Gaming, a top slot provider, created the Megaways style, which uses the same pay function as 243 Ways, but gives hundreds of thousands of ways instead, meaning volatility was knocked up numerous notches.
This was a groundbreaking style of game, and game providers rushed to Big Time Gaming to get their own MegaWays titles released, and many of the most popular slot games to release had their own re-release in the MegaWays style.
Cluster games
One of the more recent discoveries in game types is the cluster-style slot. This is run by having symbols all in the same block touch one another to achieve a win. The use of multipliers within this gave the games an extra edge of volatility, with win potentials through the roof, albeit unlikely.
Style games and cluster games remain as some of the top slot games today, and have all but eclipsed the old pay-line games. The popular constant in what games is popular is all based on the volatility of the game and the fact that you could win up to 50,000 times your stake in some games.
