A beginner’s guide to Slots symbols

The backbone of any slot game is the symbols. If you’re new to this world of gaming, then you might be a little lost when it comes to which symbols you need to look out for, or even how to play online video Slots and leave with a smile on your face. Read on to find out everything you need to know about Slots symbols.

Fruits

In the early 1900s, the world of Slots saw a big change, with cash prizes being banned. So, a new wave of gaming machines hit the gambling scene, featuring fruity symbols such as the now-iconic lemons, plums, cherries and watermelons. The main reason for introducing these fruits to the games was to correlate with the new wave of prizes that had been introduced, consisting of fruit-flavoured sweets and chewing gum, instead of the banned cash.

Playing Cards

Playing card symbols have been a regular feature in Slots since the very beginning. They originated with Sittman and Pitt’s machine back in 1891, which consisted of a Poker deck, and the only way to win would be to line up a winning Poker hand. The deck of cards would sit within five drums before spinning. Soon after, the Jack of Hearts and 10 of Spades were removed, reducing the chances of landing a Royal Flush, as it was agreed that the game needed to be a little harder.

Coming back to present day, playing cards often represent the lower paying symbols within any online slot. They have remained an integral part of any game, and we predict that they will stay just that.

Horseshoes and BAR

Charles Augustus Fey created the next successful machine, named the Liberty Bell, which introduced a whole new way to play in the late 19^th century. The Liberty Bell featured three reels and five symbols, including those playing cards, as well as the horseshoe. Horseshoes are known as a symbol of luck, so the idea was probably to try and inject a little bit of this positivity into the game.

The BAR symbol wasn’t far behind, appearing on fruit machines alongside the lucky 7, getting players one step closer to bagging a jackpot.

Themed

Of course, when you play any slot game there will be a theme, and the symbols will be the key aspect to bring this theme alive. For example, if you’re playing an Egyptian themed slot then you may find ankhs, scarabs and pyramids spinning across the reels.

Wild

The wild is a special icon, with the power to fill in for any other symbol on the reels. If you’ve rolled in two of one base symbol, and the following third position is filled with something different – instead of losing that winning combination all together, the wild can spin in and finish off that matching trio. The only symbol the wild cannot replace is the scatter, which we’ll come to next.

Scatter

The scatter is usually the key to getting access to the bonus rounds in any slot. Roll in three or more and a whole host of free spins or multipliers can be yours. Just like any other symbol in the game, the scatter will reflect the slot’s theme.

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Gambling can be addictive, please play responsibly.

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