Slot Machine Lingo
Slot Machine Lingo 10,0/10 1518 reviews
- Slot Machine Slang Terms
- Slot Machine Lingo
- Slot Machine Slang
- Slot Machine Lingo
- Slot Machine Slang One Armed Bandit
Sure, it’s nothing revolutionary, but if you’ve been playing slots and bingo for years it might provide some sort of respite from the crushing predictability of it all. Slingo Extreme is a game that’s mostly 75-bingo but with a few special characters thrown in that are more reminiscent of slots. Up/Down Slot Cycle: lingo for slot’s average payoff percentage that applies over the long haul. Therefore, a slot with a 98% payoff percentage rate will sometimes pay off at 130% and other times at 50%.sometimes at 28% and other times at 502%.
The slot machine is by far the most popular and profitable casino game, and with slot machines dominating the online, mobile, and social markets, there’s been a resurgence in interest in the one-armed bandit. This glossary covers terms used by slot players and the slot machine industry. We’ve included an example of each word used in a sentence. Newcomers to the world of slot gaming should familiarize themselves with the terms below before they head to the casino.
| 243 Ways to Win slot: | a game that doesn’t consider pay lines when determining wins and payouts. Instead, winning combinations of symbols can appear anywhere on the screen. |
“Spend a little extra time reading the pay table of that game – it’s a 243 Ways to Win slot.”
| Action: | refers to a gambler’s total amount played, plus any amount they’ve won or lost for a given session. |
“Your slot club card rewards you with comps based on your action.”
| All pays slot: | a category of games that don’t use the traditional pay line system to determine winnings. |
“If you’re bored with traditional games, look for one of the new all pays slots available online.”
| Basic slot: | games with few features, a single pay line, and a fixed top jackpot. |
“Fans of retro gaming will find themselves drawn to the classic styling of the casino’s basic slots.”
| Bet Max: | to place a wager equal to the largest possible bet for a particular slot. Many slots also have a “bet max” button on case that allows gamblers to quickly place the game’s top per-spin wager. Often required to gain access to a game’s largest payouts. |
“You can squeeze in a lot more playing time if you wager using the Bet Max button.”
| Betting unit: | refers to hitting a slot’s top-paying combination of symbols. |
“Managing your slot bankroll starts with working out how many betting units you can afford to spend per hour.”
| Big hit: | refers to hitting a slot’s top-paying combination of symbols. |
“You should have seen the slot hosts come running after Aunt Mary got that big hit.”
| Bonus feature: | a side game or other special activity distinct from a game’s regular mode. Can include things like wild symbols, scatter symbols, and free spins. |
“More and more, slot designers are producing games with skill-based bonus features.”
| Buy-a-pay slot: | a game in which each coin you wager activates a new tier of payouts. Placing the maximum number of coins leads to the largest payouts. |
“The buy-a-pay slot is the most misunderstood game on the casino floor.”
| Carousel: | a name for a group of slot machines sharing a common feature, usually denomination. |
“The first thing I look for when I walk into a new casino is a penny slot carousel.”
| CICO: (Coin In, Coin Out) | an industry term referring to the total number of credits played in and paid out of a machine. |
“You can get an idea of your total CICO for a given slot by analyzing the points on your slot club card.”
| Coins: | another term for “credits.” Slots accept credits in a variety of denominations, from a penny to five dollars and more. |
“This game’s bonus feature pays a special multiplier prize based on the total number of coins wagered.”
| Coin size: | refers to a gambler’s chosen denomination, the amount that each coin (or credit) is worth. |
“Some slots allow you to select your coin size, others set a fixed-price value for each coin.”
| Comps: | short for “compensated items,” comps are freebies given to slot players by the casino as a reward for their loyalty. Players must join a slot club and swipe their card before playing each machine in order to have their action tracked. Comps range from free drinks and room upgrades to larger prizes, depending on how much a player spends. |
“Earning slot club comps shaves a tiny fraction off the casino’s built-in advantage.”
| Console slot: | games with built-in features designed to be more comfortable for the player. These days, console slots have screens which can be placed in different angles, built-in seats, and customizable brightness settings. |
“Grandma said she prefers to play the console slots, even though they’re a little more expensive.”
| Credits: | another word for “coins.” When gamblers insert a $20 bill in a slot machine, that cash is converted into credits, based on the coin size of the game. |
“Fifty credits per spin is too rich for my blood.”
| Denomination: | the value of each credit. Some games feature fixed credit values, others allow you to choose your denomination. |
“The only benefit to using a higher denomination is a larger set of possible payouts.”
| Double symbol: | a symbol (or set of symbols) that doubles a payout when it’s part of a winning combination. Triple symbols are also common. |
“Slots that use double symbols and triple symbols are perceived as more exciting than slots that don’t.”
| Fixed-value slot: | games in which the betting amount and/or coin size cannot be altered. Some of these games allow for multiple credit wagers, which gives the player some control over the size of each spin. |
“Fixed-value slots make it easier to manage your slot bankroll, though they limit your options as a player.”
| Free spin: | a bonus feature in which the player earns one free round of play. |
“Wouldn’t you know it – I spent all that cash and then finally hit a jackpot during a free spin.”
| Fruit machine: | UK slang term for slot machine. Most games of this type are basic slots with few features. |
“I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the classic fruit machines found in British pubs.”
| Hit frequency: | a theoretical number referring to how often a given slot machine pays out a prize of any amount, relative to the total number of games played. |
| Hold percentage: | a theoretical number that refers to the amount of a player’s money a slot machine retains. |
“Theoretically, a machine programmed to have a 95% hold percentage will keep 5% of all the money a player feeds into it.”
| Jackpot: | either the highest-value prize paid out by a given slot machine, or (used more generically) any prize paid out by a machine. |
“You have to bet five coins per spin to gain access to the jackpot – it’s a buy-a-pay slot.”
| Line bet: | the number of active pay lines on a given multi-payline slot. |
“I try to always place a max line bet on progressive slots.”
| Linked progressive slot: | a slot that pays out an ever-increasing top prize connected to a network of two or more games. These games produce larger progressive jackpots because more players are paying into them. |
“Linked progressive slots are placed prominently on the casino floor to attract attention.”
| Low-level slot: | any game that includes a built-in seat or chair. |
“You don’t find nearly as many low-level slots in Atlantic City as you do in Las Vegas.”
| Multiplier: | a specific type of bonus slot feature where a payout is increased, usually between 2x and 10x. |
“I like this slot’s multiplier feature – I just wish it came up more often.”
| Near-miss: | player slang for a result that’s incredibly close to a payout. |
“I needed five cherry symbols for the jackpot, and only got four. Talk about a near-miss.”
| Nudge slot: | games that include a particular bonus feature in which near-miss combinations are occasionally bumped into a winning combo. |
“Nudge slots are exciting because it seems like you win more often, even though the odds are adjusted to take the nudge effect into account.”
| One-armed-bandit: | popular slang for a slot machine. |
“I got robbed by the one-armed bandit all weekend.”
| Payback percentage: | a theoretical number that refers to the amount of money a particular slot machine will return to a player. Because this number is based on an infinite number of wagers, it should be used only as a guide. |
“Progressive slots and games with lots of bonus features generally have a lower payback percentage than traditional slots.”
| Pay line: | an invisible line that moves across the reels of a slot. Winning combinations only pay out prizes when they appear on one of these invisible lines. Must be activated by the player, usually with a wager. Sometimes spelled “payline.” |
“If I had all fifty pay lines activated, that last win would have paid my mortgage for six months.”
| Payout: | the amount paid by a slot for a specific combination of symbols. Sometimes spelled “pay out.” |
“Reading a slot’s pay table is a simple matter of finding a winning combination and reading the payout listed next to it.”
| Pay table: | a chart posted on the slot machine’s case (or on the display) that indicates the payout for various winning combinations, as well as any specific game or bonus rules. |
“You can tell how much variance a slot has by reading its pay table and comparing the payouts to one another.”
| Penny slot: | a slot which accepts pennies as its basic denomination. Because of the cost of activating multiple pay lines, most modern penny slots don’t really cost $0.01 per spin. |
“If you don’t have a lot of money to waste, there’s a penny slot on the casino floor with your name on it.”
| Pokie: | Australian slang term for “slot machine.” |
“When he called the slot machine a ‘pokie,’ I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.”
| Progressive slot: | a game with an ever-increasing jackpot built from tiny portions of all the wagers played into it. |
“This progressive slot has been taking my money for years – maybe today’s my lucky day.”
| Real stop slot: | a game that allows players to skill-stop each reel, one at a time. Rare on casino floors these days. |
“The reel stop slots of the 1970s added a new skill dimension to slot play, but weren’t all that popular with players because of their reduced payouts and small jackpots.”
| Reels: | refers to the sets of symbols that spin and stop to determine winning combinations. |
“Old-school slot machines had just three reels, while most modern games have five or more sets of spinning symbols.”
| RNG: (Random Number Generator) | a piece of software that produces random numbers within a certain range. Used by modern slot machines to randomize results. |
“The use of Random Number Generator software gave game designers the freedom to produce increasingly complicated and feature-laden slots. “
| Scatter symbol: | a symbol that doesn’t have to appear in any specific combination or on any specific reels or lines in order to trigger a bonus feature. |
“Usually, a specific number of scatter symbols must appear to trigger a bonus or prize.”
| Second-screen bonus: | an industry term that refers to video slot game features that take place on a separate screen from the standard slot game. |
“Modern licensed games depend on video scenes and second-screen bonus games to attract players familiar with the brand.”
| Short win: | refers to hitting a combination that should lead to a huge jackpot, but doesn’t because of a low-credit or low-denomination wager. |
“Sure, you can play nickel slots for a nickel per spin, but all your jackpots will be short wins.”
| Slot club: | member’s-only programs offered by casinos to track their play in exchange for comps and other rewards. |
“Joining the slot club won’t cost you a thing and could lead to some nice freebies.”
| Slot host: | a casino employee whose job it is to assist serving customers at slot machines. Usually performs all necessary hand-pays. |
“Tipping your slot host after a big win is considered proper etiquette – how much you tip is up to you.”
| Slot machine: | a gambling game that pays prizes based on random combinations of symbols. |
“The slot machine is America’s greatest contribution to the world of gambling.”
| Slot tournament: | an event that brings slots players together to compete for a set of specific prizes on a pool of specific games. |
“I love this casino’s promotions – especially the weekly $10,000 slot tournament.”
| Spin: | refers to one round of slot machine play. |
“As a low-roller, I’m most comfortable betting about $0.50 per spin.”
| Symbols: | images on the reels of a slot machine that must be lined up in various combinations to win. Can be anything – traditional symbols include fruit, numbers, and playing cards. |
“The best symbol on this game is the game’s logo itself, which acts as a scatter and a wild at the same time.”
| Tilt: | a slot malfunction that usually requires the attention of a host and possibly a mechanic. |
“I was in a good rhythm and then the machine tilted and I had to switch games.”
| TITO: (Ticket In, Ticket Out) | refers to a specific type of slot game that prints a ticket with your winning amount when you cash out. Can then be inserted in a different machine to continue playing. Most modern casinos have switched to the use of plastic cards rather than tickets. |
“You wouldn’t believe how many people leave behind tickets in TITO slots.”
| Total bet: | refers to the total number of credits multiplied by the chosen denomination. |
“I was betting a nickel per credit and betting the fifty pay line max, for a total bet of $2.50 per spin.”
| Video slots: | refers to a category of slot games that use a video screen to display virtual reels. The vast majority of slots on modern casino floors are video slots. |
“You hardly ever see anything but video slots these days – but I miss the spinning reels of the basic slots.”
| Wide-area progressive: | games with ever-increasing jackpots, linked between different online or land-based casinos. They the largest of all possible progressive payouts, since a huge number of people are paying into their jackpots. |
“The largest jackpot in Vegas history was won on a wide-area progressive slot machine.”
The definitive list of slot machine terms you encounter when playing online slots games for real money. It is also useful to learn these phrases and their meanings if you ever go to a brick-and-mortar casino. It helps have a great casino experience.
Save this list and come back to it when you see a new term on a slot review.
Slot Game Terms A – Z
Jump to the Slot Definitions in Alphabetical Order
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List of Slot Machine Terminology with Definitions
This glossary includes popular words that every game uses and some you might have never seen before. Learn what a progressive slot is, the difference between a free spin and free play, and all about those tricky pay tables.
A 1,024-way machine is similar to a 234-way game but with an extra row of symbols. The five reels with four columns create an exponential amount of new paying combos.
A 234-way machine pays out when symbols appear on any of the reels in any position. Symbols count toward winning combinations as long as they are adjacent.
3D Video slots are graphically intense slot games with depth in their imagery to give a three-dimensional effect.
A 3 reel slot machine has three spinning columns of symbols.
Slot Machine Slang Terms
A 5 reel slot machine has five spinning columns of symbols. This type of game seems to be the new standard for online slots.
A 6 reel slot has columns of spinning symbols. These games usually have additional features.
Action is the total amount that a slots player bets in a certain period of time. This number is used for some bonus offers and when clearing wagering and rollover requirements.
An active payline is “turned on” and pays a prize if a winning combination lands on it. Many machines let you activate and deactivated paylines to adjust the wager.
All ways machines have paylines that create winning combinations from left to right and right to left.
An annuity winner takes their prize in payments instead of a lump sum. This option isn’t available online.
Autoplay and autospin features let you set a wager and number of spins for the machine to complete automatically. You can usually cancel autoplay after any round.
Bars are classic black slot symbols with “BAR” printed on them in white. They are often the lowest paying and come in single, double, or triple stacked versions.
Basic slots are three-reel machines with a single payline. The prize is always the same, and there are no special features.
The bet is the amount that a player wagers on a spin.
A “bet one” setting adjusts the wager to one single coin of the selected denomination per spin.
A bonus feature, or bonus game, offers free spins, additional wilds, or another big win potential. Find instructions on how to activate the feature in the game’s paytable.
A bonus round is an in-game event where players make specific decisions to earn extra prizes.
Buy a pay refers to payouts that a player gets only if there is a certain wager amount per spin. It’s important to take notice of this as the jackpot sometimes won’t be available unless you’re betting a certain amount.
Buy a feature grants access to certain bonuses or special modes if a player is wagering a minimum amount per spin.
The candle is the light on top of a physical slot machine at a casino. You can use it to call over an employee if there is an issue, or if you hit the jackpot.
A carousel is a bank or group of slots that are together on a casino floor.
Cascading wilds convert other symbols in a slot game into more wilds, allowing for massive or concurrent wins.
A classic slot machine has three reels and only a few paylines. These machines often use vintage symbols like bars, bells, fruit, and 7s.
Coins are the total amount of cash you have in a slot machine at any given time.
The coin size is the value assigned to each coin or credit when you’re betting at a slot machine. These can be as small as 1¢ or large as $100. This amount gets multiplied by the number of paylines to calculate the total bet.
A coin slot is a physical hole where you put your coins to fund the machine. Finding a coin slot is becoming rare with digital machines, although some casinos still offer physical quarter or penny games.
The collect button allows players to cash out their remaining credits from the slot machine.
Comps are complimentary prizes, drinks, food, or spins offered by the casino for loyal players.
Columns are the vertical lines of symbols that spin. This term is used interchangeably with reels.
Credits are the unit used after you insert money into a slot machine. A credit indicator is usually near the bottom of the slot machine or screen.
The denomination is the value of a single coin on a slot machine. Some machines allow the player to change the coin amount. A carousel of slots in a brick and mortar casino will usually be the same denomination.
Demo mode, or practice mode, gives you a “fun balance” to play a slot game. You can not win real money, and your balance doesn’t carry over.
Expanding wilds are a unique type of wild symbol that grows beyond a single space. These often fill the entire reel they land on, creating more winning potential.
EGM is an acronym for “Electronic Gaming Machine.”
A feature is any additional bonuses, free spins, and side games that you can unlock with certain winning combinations.
A fixed jackpot is a set amount a player wins if they hit the jackpot combination. This is the traditional payout in slot machines, also called a flat-top slot.
A free play slot lets you try the game without risking any real money. The best online casinos offer this with their demo mode.
Free spins are opportunities to spin the reels and win prizes without having to wager. You earn them during game features or with some casino bonuses.
The gamble feature gives you a chance to double your previous winning spin’s prize.
To “hit” is to complete a winning combination on an active payline.
The hopper is the area below the reels of a physical slot machine used to catch winning coin payouts. These days, most slots use ticket vouchers.
The jackpot on a slot machine is the highest possible award. Quite often, players can only hit the jackpot at max bet.
A line bet refers to how much a player is wagering on a single slot machine line. This amount determines the payout if the player hits a winning combo.
A loose slot machine has a higher than average return to player (RTP).
The max bet is the highest amount of credits that a player can wager on each spin. On most slots, there is a bet max button to adjust the wager to the maximum automatically. Sometimes the jackpot is only available when playing at the max bet.
Mechanical slots are traditional, older machines, and have physical reels that stop behind a glass revealing symbols. These generally have fewer paylines than a video slot and predominantly feature 3-reels.
The min bet is the smallest amount a player can wager on one spin. Usually, it’s one credit for one payline. It could be as little as one 1¢.
Mobile slots have intuitive touchscreen controls for phones and tablets. Play them right in the web browser of your mobile devices.
Multi-line slots have many paylines. Each line increases your wager and drastically boosts your chances of winning.
A multiplier is a feature or symbol that significantly increases your winning payouts. For example, a 3x multiplier triples your win.
A nudge slot has symbols that move up or down once the reel has stopped. They provide additional wins and an added excitement to slot titles.
Numbers are symbols commonly found on the reels. The 7 was a traditional symbol, but now you can find 9, 10, J, Q, K, and A regularly.
Slot machines are known around the world as one-armed bandits. This slot machine slang originated because they have a lever, or one arm, and are programmed to take money from players.
The payback percentage is the total amount a machine pays out over time. This term is used interchangeably with RTP.
The payline is a line, or pattern, that a winning combination needs to land on to win a prize. It can be straight, diagonal, or zig-zag in many directions.
The payout is the amount you win when you hit a winning combo. This number is affected by your wager, the symbols, and any active multipliers.
The paytable is a page or section that outlines how much you can win on a slot machine. In addition to payouts, it shows the symbols, rules, and how to activate and use bonus features.
Penny slots have wager options as little as 1¢ per pay line. These machines are popular since they provide extended entertainment with little risk.
Pokies is the Australian slang term for slot machines. They may also refer to them as pokie machines.
A progressive jackpot slot has a grand prize that grows with each spin until it is won. Their payouts often reach hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The random number generator determines where a slot machine’s symbols land. It is based on a mathematical algorithm that allows for genuinely random placement on each spin.
The reels on a slot machine are the columns that contain various symbols.
A reel stop refers to each position on the reels.
A percentage of the total wagered money that the machine pays back to the players. This number is calculated over thousands of spins.
Rollover and wagering requirements are the total amount a player must wager to clear a bonus offer.
Rows are the horizontal lines that symbols fall on.
A scatter symbol awards the player with a payout and often unlocks a bonus round or special feature.
The second screen bonus is a special feature that takes you away from the basic reels and to a mini-game with a different format.
The “select lines” button allows you to activate or deactivate paylines. It affects your wager and likelihood of hitting a payout.
Shifting wilds, or sliding wilds, are like expanding wilds, but they grow horizontally across multiple reels.
Skill-based slots bonuses test your skill in a mini-game and award you a higher prize for better performance.
Slant top slot machines are wide and short games that save space. They allow the player to have a more immersive experience, particularly on video slots.
The slots club, or player’s club, is a VIP program for loyal players to earn comps and other rewards. They are often tiered systems that provide additional services as you progress up the ladder.
The arm on the side of a slot machine is called the slots lever.
A slots tournament pits players against each other with a set time limit or number of credits. The player with the best score at the end of the tournament wins additional prizes or free play credits. You join these games with a buy-in or invite.
Slots types include progressive slots, 3D games, Video machines, and titles with bonus features.
A spin refers to a single round on a slot machine.
A slot machine with staggered payouts offers a larger payout when you bet more coins.
The symbols are the images, numbers, and bars on the slot machines reels. Each symbol has an associate payout, and some unlock special features.
Tight slots are machines with low RTP and are not in the player’s favor.
The total bet is the amount wagered based on your current settings. The coin size and number of active paylines get multiplied to calculate the credits per spin.
Slot Machine Lingo
A game with unique reels may not use a traditional column layout. The reels may be in a hexagon, tower, or side-scrolling display.
Slot machine variance refers to a game’s consistency. A low variance has frequent smaller prizes, and a high variance has larger, but less frequent, wins.
Video slots, unlike mechanical slots, have no moving parts. The spinning reels are simulated on a screen with amazing graphics and sound effects. All online slot games are video slots.
Instead of listing several paylines, a game might list a specific number of ways to win. This number could be 234 – 1,024 different winning lines.
A wild slot symbol substitutes for any other symbol in the game (except for scatter or bonus symbols) to help you create a better winning combination.
A wild multiplier is a feature that positively affects the payouts of combinations that include wild symbols.
A win happens when you hit the correct combination of symbols that appears on an activated pay line.
Winning both ways means a paying combination can occur from left-to-right or right-to-left.
Slot Machine Slang
A zig-zag payline moves in a crooked line across the rows and columns of the reels. There are often some very interesting payline layouts.
Use This List of Slot Machine Terminology to the Fullest
Who knew slot machine terminology was so involved? Now you have a one-stop-shop for all the slot machine slang you could ever need.
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Slot Machine Glossary FAQ
Below are some common questions we get regarding various slot machine terms.
A progressive jackpot slot machine has a growing grand prize that continues to climb until a player hits it. These tend to reach life-changing amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What is the arm on the side of a slot machine called?
The arm on the slot machine is the slot’s lever. You pull it to spin the reels. Many games now use a button format, and the lever is just for show.
What do you call slot machines that pay out more often?
Slot Machine Lingo
Slots machines that payout often are known as loose slots. They have a higher return-to-player (RTP), so you stand to win more often.
Paylines, sometimes just called lines, indicate the direction and location a winning combination must land to award a prize.
Slot Machine Slang One Armed Bandit
At one point, the Aria in LasVegas had a machine where you could wager $5,000 on a single spin.