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Your Complete Guide To Slot Symbols | LeoVegas

Slot Symbols Explained: Complete Guide

There’s a tremendous amount of variety in the world of online slots. From the different themes to the various features, you could go from Multiplier-amassing features to adventures under the waves. The one thing that remains true across all slot games, though, is that you’ll be looking for symbol combinations.

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In almost all slot games, you’ll find yourself looking to spin in low-paying and high-paying symbols for base game wins. From there, you might get to try to land Scatters, win-facilitating Wilds, bonus symbols, and unique special feature symbols. Still, there’s a lot more to know about slot symbols. So, consider this to be your go-to guide!

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History of Slot Symbols

Slot symbols have been a key part of slot gaming since the original inception of the casino game way back at the end of the 19th century. Here’s how they’ve developed over the decades since the Liberty Bell.

Origins in Mechanical Slot Machines

The progenitor to the slot machine is widely considered to be the five-drum, 50-card gaming machine built by Pitt and Sittman in 1891. Based on poker, the aim was to roll in high-value poker hands to win better prizes. The first fully-fledged slot machine, as it were, would be the Liberty Bell. Devised by Charles Fey, the machine was similar but replaced cards with many of the slot symbols that we know today.

Transition to Digital Platforms

Long before the internet, digital slot terminals were being spotted in the grand casinos of the world. Later, in the early 1990s, slot machines arrived online. In fact, thanks to them being powered by random number generators, video slots became the most numerous games at online casinos, playing very much the same as standing machines.

Impact of Technological Advancements

As a mechanical machine, there’s only so much that a slot machine can do. The programming and display dictate that fruit machines and one-armed bandits can only run a limited number of symbols on reels and react in certain ways. In the digital space, the possibilities are endless. As long as an idea can be programmed in a fair way, developers can be as creative as they want. It’s what has allowed for so many zany features to come to the fore.

Types of Slot Symbols

You could probably name hundreds of different slot symbols from your time in the games. However, slot symbols generally fit into a handful of categories.

Classic Symbols

Classic symbols used to be the high card and card suit symbols. Now, with there being so much variety in theme across online slots, the symbols that follow are often considered to be classic symbols. These include the likes of Lucky Sevens, Bells, Bars, and different fruits. Unless it’s a classic-themed slot like Fire Joker, classic symbols tend to make up the low-paying part of the paytable, nowadays.

Themed Symbols

Themed symbols are usually the high-paying symbols that help to create a unique identity for the slot game. You could expect to find gladiatorial symbols in Tiger’s Glory Ultra, lucky Irish symbols in Rainbow Gold, and the mighty hammer Mjölnir as a symbol in 21 Thor Lightning Ways.

Wild Symbols

Wild symbols can be found in almost every modern video slot online. These symbols can offer a big payout as well, but usually, they substitute for low and high-paying base game slot symbols. This way, they can help any symbol link up for a win.

Scatter Symbols

Scatter symbols tend to be the keys to unlocking bonus features – particularly Free Spins. These slot symbols can land anywhere on the reels to count to the required amount needed to trigger the bonus. So, they can ignore paylines.

Bonus Symbols

Bonus symbols mostly encompass the range of other special symbols that can trigger bonuses or features. Sometimes, you’ll need to hit them in order on certain reels.

Modern slot symbols range just about every theme and angle imaginable. You can even roll in snake and ladder symbols in the Snakes and Ladders Megadice slot! Here are the most popular slot symbol themes that you can find today.

Fruit Symbols

Owing to the classic days of fruit machines in bars and arcades, fruits remain incredibly popular slot symbols. Grapes, lemons, melons, cherries, plums, and strawberries are usually the main fruits, but you’ll likely find even more fruit symbols in slots like Fruitoids, Fruit Duel, and Sunny Fruits: Hold and Win.

Cards and Jokers

Card symbols and jokers have been around since the very first slot machine. Most video slots have jack, queen, king, and ace as the low-paying symbols. Jokers can sometimes play as wilds or special symbols, like in Joker Strike and Joker Millions.

Mythology and Folklore

Myths and folktales offer instantly recognizable themes, characters, and slot symbols without the studio needing to fork out hefty licensing fees. It’s because of this that you’ll see great gods and creatures from folklore comprise the symbols of games like Mask of Amun, Chronicles of Olympus X UP, Monkey Warrior, Book of King Arthur, Leprechaun Goes to Hell, and Fury of Odin MEGAWAYS.

History and Ancient Civilizations

Similarly to mythology and folklore slot symbols, history and ancient civilizations are great themes that make eye-catching games and unique symbols. Aztec Luck, Three Samurai, and Legacy of Dead all play into this idea.

Pop-Culture References

Utilizing a beloved IP in pop culture is a great way to create unique features and slot symbols, as can be seen in games like Lara Croft: Tomb of the Sun and Jurassic World: Raptor Riches. Alternatively, where licensing isn’t an option, slot symbols and games can be made looking to merely draw from the properties, like with Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead being inspired by Indiana Jones.

Role of Slot Symbols in Gameplay

Here’s why slot symbols matter and the role that they play on every spin.

Payout Structure

The role of slot symbols in slot gameplay is to let the players know how to win and when they do win. Each symbol will return a different amount for how many you get along one payline. This establishes a paytable of low-paying up to high-paying symbols.

Symbol Combinations

For any symbol to matter, it needs to land in combination. Usually, this is from the leftmost reel to the right with at least two or three of the same being needed along one payline. It’s through slot symbol combinations that players win on the spin. Some combinations will even trigger bonuses or drop the top prize in some jackpot slots.

Bonus Features Triggered by Symbols

Scatters and bonus symbols may pay if a certain number lands, but for the most part, the function of these slot symbols is to unlock a bonus of some kind. Often, the bonus won’t charge your balance to play out, so landing these symbols can be very rewarding.

FAQs

What Are Symbols in Slots?

Symbols are the images on the reels that determine if a spin results in a win. Traditionally, you need three or more of the same symbol to align on one of the slot’s paylines.

How Many Symbols Are in a Slot?

Slots can have any number of symbols. In modern online slots, you’ll generally find between seven and ten base game symbols as well as two or three special feature symbols.

What is the Bell Symbol on Slot Machines?

The Bell symbol is a classic slot machine symbol. In traditional slot machines and some classic video slots the Bell would usually be among the high-paying symbols. If any, it’d perhaps only be the Lucky Sevens and Bars ahead of the Bell symbol on the paytable.

What Are the Most Common Slot Symbols?

The most common slot symbols are the Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Diamond, Heart, Spade, and Club. These are the traditional high card and card symbols that slots have long used as their low-paying symbols.

How Do Wild Symbols Enhance Gameplay?

Wild symbols enhance slot gameplay by substituting for any base game symbol. What this means is that you only, usually, need two of the same symbol to align along a payline if the Wild lands in the next position. Furthermore, it could help to create another winning line that runs through its position at the same time. Essentially, Wilds can make it easier to get wins. In modern slots, Wilds can even be enhanced by additional special features.

Can Slot Symbols Affect the Odds of Winning?

Slot symbols themselves can’t affect the odds of winning, but the number of symbols may. With more symbols populating the reels, more symbols can land in the place that you need that third, fourth, or fifth-of-a-kind. That said, even with more symbols, the main influences on the amount won in any given session are the volatility or variance and the return to player (RTP) percentage.

What Role Do Bonus Symbols Play in Slot Games?

In slot games, bonus symbols play the role of granting passage to what’s usually a more rewarding mode of the slot. Bonus symbols don’t tend to pay out directly, and can usually land anywhere on the reels in the form of Scatters.

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