What Do the Most Common Slot Terms Mean?

New to online slots? The language can catch you off guard. RTP, Wilds, Megaways, Scatter symbols. There's a lot to take in before you truly know how to play slots.

This glossary covers the key terms you'll come across, clearly explained, so you can focus on the fun part.

The Basics: Reels, Rows and Paylines Explained

Start here.

• Reels are the vertical columns that spin when you play. Most online slots have five, but you'll also find classic three-reel games and newer titles with six or more.

• Rows are the horizontal lines that symbols land on. A 5x3 layout, consisting of five reels and three rows, is the most common setup, but that can vary.

• Paylines are the patterns across the reels where matching symbols need to land to trigger a winning combination. Classic slot games might have just one payline, but modern games can have 10, 20 and sometimes hundreds.

Understanding Your Money When Gambling Online

We take responsible gambling seriously here at Virgin Games, which is why we always want to ensure you're in the know about how your money works when playing slots online or via our app. Here are a few things worth remembering.

Bet Sizes

Bet size refers to the amount you wager on each spin. Every slot has a minimum bet - the lowest you can stake - and a maximum bet, with a range of options in between. Setting your stake before you spin is one of the most important parts of playing responsibly.

Bankroll Management

Your bankroll is the total amount you've set aside for playing. Managing it well means deciding in advance how much you're comfortable spending in a session and sticking to it, regardless of how a session is going.

Keeping track of your balance as you play, setting spend limits and taking regular breaks are all sensible habits. Virgin Games offers a range of tools to help you stay in control.

Wagering Requirements

If you're playing with a welcome offer, wagering requirements are worth understanding before you start. They refer to the amount you need to wager before any associated winnings can be withdrawn.

For example, a welcome offer may require you to wager £10 on slot games before withdrawing any winnings. Always check the full terms attached to any welcome offer.

Return to Player (RTP)

The Return to Player, also known as RTP, is the theoretical percentage of all wagered money a slot is expected to pay back over time. A slot with 96% RTP returns £96 for every £100 staked, on average.

It's possible to find a game's RTP alongside its paytable, which you can usually find in the game menu.

You can read our blog about which slots pay out the most to find out more about this.

What Is Volatility in Slot Games?

Slot volatility describes the risk level of a slot:

• Low volatility: more regular, but smaller, wins

• High volatility: bigger wins, less often

• Medium volatility: a balance of the two

Closely related is hit frequency rate, which is the percentage of spins on which any winning outcome occurs. A high hit frequency means winning outcomes land more often, and a low hit frequency means they land less frequently. It doesn't tell you how much those wins are worth, just how often they happen.

Volatility and hit frequency rate work hand in hand: a high-volatility slot will typically have a lower hit frequency, while a low-volatility slot will have a higher one.

Choosing the right volatility for your playing style can make a real difference to how a game feels. Our Slot Volatility Explained article covers this in detail.

Common Slot Symbols and Bonus Features You Need to Know

Luckily for newcomers, many slot games feature recognisable symbols, so get to know these popular slot symbols, and you'll be good to go.

Standard Symbols

These follow the theme of the game. Low-value symbols are often playing card values (10, J, Q, K, A), while high-value symbols tie into the game's design and pay out more when they land in combination.

Wild Symbols

Wilds substitute for most other symbols to help complete a winning combination. Land two matching symbols and a Wild in the right position, and the Wild fills the gap. They come in several different forms:

• Expanding Wilds – grow to cover an entire reel

• Sticky Wilds – stay in place for multiple spins

• Walking Wilds – shift across the reels with each spin

• Random Wilds – appear unpredictably during play

Scatter Symbols

Scatters don't need to land on a payline to count. Land enough - usually three or more - anywhere on the reels, and they'll typically trigger a bonus feature like a free spin round. They can also award payouts in their own right.

Bonus Symbols

Distinct from Scatters, Bonus symbols trigger specific game rounds or unique features depending on the slot.

Mystery Symbols

Mystery symbols add an element of surprise to every spin. They typically appear as a question mark or themed symbol and reveal a random matching symbol once they land, transforming into the same icon across every position they occupy.

They can appear in groups, covering multiple reel positions at once, which can lead to a string of matching symbols and some significant wins.

Slot Bonus Features: Free Spins, Re-spins and Multipliers Explained

Free spins

A set number of spins awarded without any additional cost to your balance. Free spin rounds often come with added features - extra Wilds, multipliers, or enhanced paylines - and with some games you can re-trigger the round for even more.

Re-spins

Normally triggered when a specific condition is met, like landing a particular symbol, for example. During a re-spin bonus, you're typically working towards filling the reels with a target symbol, with the re-spin count resetting each time a new one lands.

Multipliers

These multiply the value of a win by a set amount. A 3x multiplier triples your return. Multipliers can appear in the base game, during free spin rounds, or as part of features like Cascading Reels. In some slots, they increase with every consecutive win.

Slot Jackpots Explained: Fixed, Progressive and Must Drop

• Fixed jackpots – a set top prize that doesn't change

• Progressive jackpots – grow over time as players spin, with a portion of each bet contributing to the total. Once won, the jackpot resets and starts climbing again

• Daily jackpots/Must Drop jackpots – guaranteed to pay out within a set timeframe or before hitting a specific value

Our Jackpot King range and Daily Jackpot slots are worth a look if you're interested in jackpot play.

Popular Variations in Online Slot Games to Familiarise Yourself With

We like to keep things interesting. That's why we've got such a varied selection of slot games for you to choose from. Your classic slot functionality features can include a 3x5 reel set, with wins evaluated from left to right. It's a solid foundation, but modern online slots have taken things considerably further.

Here are some of the variations you're most likely to encounter.

Cascading Reels

If an online slot game has cascading reels, it means you can complete a number of winning combinations from just a single spin. Winning symbols will be removed in these games, which creates space that is filled by new symbols falling down from above.

Once they are in place, the reels will be re-evaluated, and if new wins have been formed, the process will repeat. They can also be used to activate a bonus round; in Secrets of the Phoenix, securing four consecutive winning cascades will unlock the Free Spins Bonus.

Cluster Pays

These games do not feature traditional reels, and winning combinations are triggered by identical symbols appearing in a cluster. The symbols must be directly alongside each other in order to complete the cluster.

Megaways

A mechanic developed by slot provider Big Time Gaming, where the number of symbols on each reel changes with every spin, generating thousands of possible ways to win.

Our Megaways range includes titles like Raging Rhino Megaways, which can deliver up to 50 free spins and comes with 117,649 ways to win.

Ways to Win

Instead of fixed paylines, these slots pay out whenever matching symbols land on adjacent reels, regardless of their exact position. This typically results in a much higher number of potential winning combinations.

Hold and Win

A bonus feature where certain symbols - typically coin or cash symbols - lock in place on the reels while the remaining positions re-spin. The aim is to land more of the triggering symbols during the re-spins to fill the reels and maximise your prize.

By now, you should have all of the basics of slots terminology covered, and be in a strong position to take a spin on any of our slots.

You’ll be able to tell what some of the most significant symbols in these games look like and how they can help you to win, plus you’ll have a better understanding of the bonus rounds and how slot mechanics work.

Before you head to the reels, a couple more things worth knowing.

What Is It Called When You Win on a Slot Machine?

If you complete a combination of matching symbols on a winning payline on the reels, you will trigger a payout, and this is what winning on one of these machines is known as. If a player scoops a big win and a large amount of money, then it can be known as “hitting the jackpot”.

What Is Slang for Slots? Nicknames From Around the World

Slots go by a few different names depending on where you are:

• Fruit machine/Fruity – the classic British pub slot, named after the fruit symbols on the reels

• FOBT (Fixed Odds Betting Terminal) – electronic machines found in UK betting shops, introduced in 1999

• One-armed bandit – an old American term dating back to mechanical slots that needed a lever to operate

• Pokie – the term used in Australia and New Zealand, derived from "poker machine"

• Big Bertha – an American name for oversized slot machines, originally referring to an eight-reel machine

• Hot machine – the belief that a slot is on a winning streak and more likely to pay out. In practice, this isn't how slots work, as every spin is determined by a random number generator (RNG), making each outcome entirely independent of the last

• Five liner – refers to a classic slot machine with five paylines. The term is more commonly associated with traditional land-based machines and older-style online slots, before the advent of games with hundreds of paylines or ways-to-win mechanics

Other Slot Terms Worth Knowing

• Autospin – a feature available on most online slots that lets you set a number of spins to play automatically, without pressing the spin button each time. You can usually set loss limits or win caps to keep your session in check while using it

• Slot provider – the software company that develops and builds slot games. Providers like Pragmatic Play, NetEnt and Big Time Gaming each have their own styles, mechanics and game libraries. The provider behind a slot can give you a good sense of what to expect in terms of features and quality

Try Before You Spin: Playing Slots in Demo Mode

If you want to put what you've just read into practice without spending anything, demo mode is a good place to start.

Most slots on Virgin Games are available to play for free in demo mode, a free-to-play version that lets you get a feel for the mechanics, bonus features and volatility of a game before playing it for real. It's a useful way to familiarise yourself with a new slot - understanding how Wilds land, how often free spins trigger and how the game plays overall - before committing any of your bankroll.

Head to our How to Play Demo Slots guide for more on how it works.

Slot Terms FAQs

What does 777 mean in slots?

The triple 7 is one of the most recognised symbols in slot history. Rooted in the idea that 7 is a lucky number, landing three 7s on the reels traditionally signals a jackpot win. You'll find it most commonly on classic and American-style machines. Some games are built around the concept, including 777 Strike, one of our Daily Jackpot slots.

What does RTP mean in slots?

RTP stands for Return to Player. It's a percentage that shows how much a slot is expected to pay back to players over time. A slot with 95% RTP returns £95 for every £100 wagered on average. It's a theoretical figure across all players and spins, not a guarantee of individual results.

What is the difference between volatility and RTP?

RTP tells you how much a slot pays back over time, while volatility tells you how it pays. A high-volatility slot might go long periods without a win before paying out a large amount, while a low-volatility slot pays out smaller wins more regularly. Both figures are worth checking before you play.

What are Wild symbols in slots?

Wilds are symbols that substitute for most other symbols on the reels to help form a winning combination. They come in different forms - Expanding, Sticky, Walking and Random Wilds - each with their own behaviour. Wilds are one of the most common features in online slots and often play a key role in bonus rounds.

Ready to put what you've learnt into practice? Sign up today and explore our most popular online slots.

All offers mentioned correct at the time of writing, but may be subject to change.