Play The Best Online Casino Slots
Today, online casinos have every game imaginable, from online roulette to live dealer baccarat, but online slots are undoubtedly still the online casino games Canada plays the most, and slots players are indeed spoilt for choice. At an online casino like JackpotCity, there are more than 400 titles to choose from, which can admittedly be a daunting prospect. Often players will pick a slot because they like the theme without understanding another important difference between these popular games, and this is the payout mechanic. Understanding the difference between the different payout mechanics – fixed paylines, Ways to Win, and Cluster Pays – can yield a whole new insight into the world of slots and add a layer of value when playing the game. It’s a bit like owning a car – knowing what’s going on under the hood can actually increase the enjoyment of driving a superbly functioning vehicle. In the same way, insight into how the game works can enhance a player’s gaming experience.
Fixed-Payline Online Slots
Variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to slots. If the virtue of a game like online roulette is simplicity, the point of slots is that they are wildly divergent in terms of themes and game mechanics. When it comes to the online slots Canada prefers, the fixed payline mechanic is still as popular as ever. A payline is a pattern on the reels – if players spin land symbols on the reels in that specific pattern, the game rewards them with a payout. Starting from the leftmost reel, paylines move along the adjacent reels until they reach the rightmost. Paylines can be straight or zig-zag. Although fixed payline slots generally consist of 5 reels, 3 rows and 9, 15 or 20 paylines, the number can go up to 25 or even 100. Fixed payline slots are the most numerous out there and developers like Microgaming and NetEnt keep developing more. From classics like iconic Agent Jane Blonde to innovative new titles like Fortunes of Asgard, with its two different modes of play, Canada online casino slots continue to deliver a solid gaming experience for every player.
Ways to Win
The Ways to Win system does away with the concept of fixed paylines. Instead of landing symbols in fixed patterns, players have to land a number of identical symbols on consecutive reels in order for the game to reward them – the more symbols the better. Mathematically, a 5x3 slot format will yield 243 Ways to Win – which is how Microgaming, who invented the concept, first promoted this game-changing mechanic. Slots that have a 4x5 or 5x5 pattern can offer plays up to 1,024 and 3,125 ways to win respectively. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Microgaming should feel flattered because the other top developers like NetEnt and Play n Go wasted no time in bringing our their own titles based on the Ways to Win concept. Top titles featuring Ways to Win include Highlander, and one of the most ambitious online slots ever produced – Avalon II: Quest for the Holy Grail. Naturally, these slots are available as Windows, Apple and Android casino games.
Cluster Pays
Online slot developers are always pushing the envelope of creativity when it comes to payout mechanics, and Cluster Pays is no exception. Here, instead of relying on fixed paylines or Ways to Win, the player has to land groups of symbols horizontally or vertically to form a connected group, or cluster.