Reviewing online casino games is one of the biggest things we do here at CasinoBloke.com. We go through hundreds of them every year, keeping up with industry trends and movements. Naturally, online slot machines take up the bulk of our efforts. After all, they’re by far the most popular way to gamble online.
However, one of the most common questions we get from our readers is: which is the best slot to play for real money? With so much choice out there, it seems everyone wants to ensure they get nothing but the best.
The answer is not as simple as you might think.
Figuring out the best real money slots online is not only a matter of finding well-made and profitable games. There’s also the question of what exactly you want, and how to find it. In short, it’s a personal decision that has to consider a few factors.
In this guide to finding the best slots, we’ll discuss these factors and how to apply them when picking the next game to play. We’ll also offer a rundown of the various elements of slots, what they do, and what makes some better than others.
How to Pick a Winning Slot Machine
The fact is that the online casino world is packed with hundreds of thousands of online slot machines. Software providers have been making them for decades, and some have built up massive portfolios. If you also consider that top online casinos often include dozens of providers in their lineup, you can see how the choice can get difficult.
This means that if we were to provide a true, honest list of the best slots of all time, it would probably list thousands of games. No matter how you look at it, slots can only get so good, and our experience tells us that many have reached the peak of what’s possible. At least by today’s standards.
So how do we pick the best slots to play, then?
By finding out what we want and where to find it, of course. Picking top slots is inevitably a personal, subjective decision. What may be the best game ever in your book could be pretty dull for someone else, and vice versa.
That’s why it’s important to educate yourself on what modern online slots can offer, what features you want, and where your priorities are. That way, you can figure out what to look for, and then find it. Our reviews of online slots can help you with both of these steps, but you still need to know what to look for.
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Factors to Consider
Let’s get right to it, then – here are the factors you should consider when looking for the best slots. We’ll list them first and then explain each factor in more detail below.
- Software Provider
- Return-to-Player (RTP)
- Volatility
- Base Gameplay
- Features
- Graphics, Sound, and Theme
Software Provider
As we mentioned above, all online slot machines are made by casino software providers. These are essentially tech companies that produce the casino games you know and love.
It’s important to understand that online casino sites are merely platforms that host games made by other companies. This means that the quality of individual games does not depend on the casino itself, but on the companies that the casino chooses to work with.
That’s why software providers are also essential for picking the best casinos, but that’s a topic for another day.
All successful software providers make at least some good slots. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be successful.
However, every provider has its own style, strengths, and weaknesses. Some have distinct visual styles, others have a type of slot they specialize in, and so on. You can check out our software page for an overview of many software companies in the business.
Also, many casinos allow you to filter and browse games based on their provider. If you know which provider is a good fit for you, finding the perfect games will be much easier.
Return-to-Player (RTP)
RTP is probably the fairest and most objective way of measuring how good slot machines are. Although we said that picking slots is a subjective decision, this is at least one factor with a measure of objectivity.
Games with high RTP are better for players in the long run. This is always true, and it does not depend on personal preference. A high Return-to-Player rate means you’ll lose less and win more, especially in the long run. As such, there is no reason to prefer low RTP over high RTP.
If you’re not quite sure about what RTP means with online slots, check out this guide to slot machine odds. It goes into the details of terms such as RTP, hit frequency, and volatility.
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Volatility
As a concept, volatility is very important for all forms of gambling. The guide to slot odds we just pointed you to also explains what volatility means, but we’ll break it down for you quickly.
Games with high volatility basically have a bigger range of possible outcomes. In practice, this means you’ll see fewer wins, but the payouts are usually higher. Alternatively, it can mean most payouts are very small but every bet has a chance of winning big.
On the flip side, we have low-volatility slots. Typically, games with low volatility win very often, but the payouts are comparatively small. Most importantly, the maximum payouts are usually much smaller in exchange for more consistent returns.
Volatility generally has no impact on long-term profits, merely how they are delivered over a longer period. As such, you can simply pick the level of volatility you prefer personally.
Base Gameplay
Most slots work quite similarly to each other. You spin the reels, and you win if the symbols align the way you want them to. However, modern innovations have greatly expanded the basic concept of slot machines.
For example, classic fruit machines only win if you hit 3 or more symbols along a payline. However, many modern games remove paylines entirely, allowing you to win by simply hitting matching symbols on 3 or more adjacent reels.
Things can get even more interesting from there. For example, Megaways are a popular new form of slots that took the industry by storm. You can read more about Megaways here.
Other games stray even further from the original one-eyed bandit. Examples include Cluster Pays slots, Scatter Pays games, and more.
You may not like how these designs change the gameplay, but you should at least be aware of them. That way, you can find the game that provides the most fun and excitement to you.
Features
For most modern casino games, the base rules are merely scratching the surface. Many are also packed with bonus rounds, free spins, multipliers, and other features that expand how the game works.
That said, it can be very hard to explain what features in slots are. We like to think of them as anything that goes above and beyond the basic elements of a slot machine. Bonuses, special symbols, unique mechanics, jackpots, and so on.
Over the years, providers have come up with countless ideas for extra features in slots. Some are good, some are bad, but they’re only limited by their creators’ imaginations.
With that in mind, here are a few features you may come across and want to explore. Click on any of the listed features to find out more about them and where to find them.
- Wild symbols
- Free spins and various types of bonus rounds
- Win multipliers that increase payouts
- Hold & Win rounds (which, interestingly, have also been used as base game mechanics)
- Pick & Click features
- Cash Collector slot features
Again, these are some common examples that have become widespread enough to become general features instead of game-specific ones. However, every slot ever made implements and uses them differently, so features should be judged on a game-by-game basis.
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Graphics, Sound, and Theme
The last consideration comes down to the “surface-level” things – how the game looks, sounds, moves, and so on.
Some of you are likely asking – are the graphics really the most important part of a gambling game?
Frankly – no, they aren’t. However, finding a slot that looks good, sounds good, and offers a nice atmosphere can vastly improve your time with it. Themes and visuals are often where the developers really get to show off their creativity, and they can be a real treat. A good theme can grip you quicker than the biggest of jackpots, believe it or not.
Moreover, there is so much choice out there that the visuals are often the first thing that attracts you to an online slot in the first place.
While good graphics and audio won’t help you win more, they’ll certainly help you have more fun. And fun is the real goal of all gambling – or at least it should be.
Conclusion
By this point, you pretty much know everything there is to know about online slots and how they are composed. All of the elements we talked about come together to form a slot machine. Their execution and how well they blend together decide the quality of the slot.
Essentially, you now know exactly what the best slots are, because you’ll know them when you see them. If you’re still looking for some concrete titles, though, we’ll direct you to our Top 10 Slots page. Just remember that your opinions may be different than ours, and we still recommend that you dig around our full collection.