Out of all games in online and land-based casinos, slot machines are among the most popular ones. They are easy to understand, simple to play and don’t require a lot of thinking or strategies. Their main point is to provide gamblers with thrill and entertainment. And oh boy, they deliver them both perfectly!
While the popularity of slots doesn’t seem to change, their features and looks have changed drastically over the years. Slot developers are very creative. So, you will notice that these games come with a wide range of themes, unique mechanics, and symbols.
Well, in this article, your CasinoChap will go over all the different types of slots symbols you can find.
Standard Symbols
These are the most basic slot symbols, and you will find them in absolutely all slot machines.
There are two types of standard icons – low paying and high paying ones.
In classic slots, low-paying symbols are represented by lemons, cherries, grapes, oranges and melons. In modern slot machines, they are usually playing cards from nine (9) to King (K). They are also commonly represented by card suits like Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds.
High paying symbols in classic slots are typically represented by diamonds, bells, lucky 7’s and BAR symbols. However, in modern slot games, these same symbols are carefully designed to fit the overall slot’s theme. The only function of standard symbols is that they pay a specific cash amount when identical ones appear on an active payline. Depending on the slot machine you’re playing, you can score a win with anything between 2 and 5 of a kind.
Common (standard) slot machine symbols
Scatter Slot Machine Symbols
The scatter symbol is one of the most common slot machine symbols. At the same time, it’s the hardest one to land on the reels. Scatters have a double function in slots. First, if you land enough of them on the reels, they will give you a decent payout. The advantage of scatters is that they don’t have to land on a particular payline to hit a win.
Besides paying cash for a combination of identical symbols, the scatter also triggers the slot’s bonus features.
Usually, you need three scatter symbols to activate a bonus feature, and the reward is often a number of free spins and multipliers.
All wins during the bonus feature are based on the size of the triggering bet. But that’s not all. Bonus games typically involve extra bonuses and multipliers that will give you even bigger payouts.
Wild Symbol
Slot machine Wild Symbol depends on the game
The wild symbol in a slot game exists to help you form more winning combinations and get a better payout. It has the power to substitute all other standard symbols that show up on the reels and create a winning payline. For example, let’s say you have identical symbols on the first and second reel. Landing a wild icon on the third reel will get you a win and a payout.
Wild symbols make every slot more exciting and enjoyable. However, they don’t work the same in all slots. In some games, they show up only on certain reels, usually on the three middle ones. Sometimes a wild symbol will only appear on the second and fourth reel or the first, third and fifth.
There are a few different types of slot machines wilds:
- Sticky wilds
- Expanding wilds
- Moving wilds
- Exploding wilds
Multiplier Symbols
Multiplier Slot Machine symbol increases your winnings
The multiplier slot machine symbol’s meaning is clear – they exist to multiply your winnings. These show up on the reels like regular symbols and add up multipliers to your payout. Sometimes, they can multiply your winnings by 10x, 100x or even 1000x.
Some multiplier symbols only appear in the main game, and others only land during the bonus features. Also, some of these symbols only multiply your winnings, and others can count towards your line and total bets.
Make sure to get familiar with the paytable and learn the details about the game you’re playing and the symbols you’re dealing with.
Sticky Symbols
Sticky symbols are not very common in slot machines.
Once they appear on the reels, they remain stuck in place for one or more spins. Sticky symbols can be regular or wild.
Sticky wilds work like standard wilds and replace other symbols on the reels to create more winning paylines. The only difference is that once they land on a reel, they remain in place, guaranteeing you will have a wild symbol for several following spins. Sticky wilds are a popular feature during free spin rounds.
Expanding Symbols
Expanding symbols have pretty much the same features as regular symbols. However, they expand to cover multiple slots or even an entire reel. That increases your winning potential. If you meet expanding wilds, they will stand in for other game symbols to form a win.
However, what makes them different is that they expand from top to bottom whenever they land, transforming all regular symbols on the reel into wilds. That way, you will end up with an entire reel of just wild symbols, which also increases your chances of winning.
Slot Machines Can Have Various Signs
Stacked Symbols
Stacked slot machine icons usually come in bands of two, three, four, or five symbols. In some slots, they land only on specific reels, and in others, you can expect them to land anywhere.
These are placed in adjacent positions, which means that they will fill an entire reel from top to bottom if you get lucky, and the reel stops at the right place. Stacked wilds are also a thing, and they are intended to produce huge wins.
Since they are positioned next to each other, you might hit the edge of a stack or line up the entire stack and fill the whole reel with wild symbols. Obviously, this will result in a crazy payout.
Splitz™
Splitz™ is an innovative mechanic created by Yggdrasil that will boost your winning chances and add more excitement to the gameplay. Mystery symbols that land on the reels is taken and split a random number of times, creating more than 200,000 ways to win.
Once a split happens, the mystery block will reveal a wild scatter symbol, and if it forms a winning combination, you can get a massive payout. What’s more, there’s a second version of the mechanic where winning combinations involve up to fifteen symbols and give much bigger payouts.
Version two games also feature mega jackpots where you can pocket up to 25,000x your stake.
Splitz – Yggdrasil Games Symbol
Gigablox™
Yggdrasil Gaming also created the Gigablox™ mechanic, and you will find it in selected games from the provider. Like the name of the mechanic suggests, Gigablox™ are symbols that vary in size and may be pretty huge.
The symbols are between 2×3, 3×3 and 4×4 in the main game or up to 6×6 in the bonus rounds. Gigablox symbols are specifically designed to help lucky players win more, as the synched reels can easily give jackpot-style payouts.
Yggdrasil Slot Machines Gigablox Symbol – For Example Gator Gold Game
Themed Slot Machine Symbols
Slot developers are always trying to create something new and attractive. There’s no shortage of slots online, and they all come with different designs and themes.
Classic slots usually stick to fruit machine symbols like bells, horseshoes, BAR symbols and lucky sevens. These symbols are part of the old-school setup, but you can also find them in today’s traditional slots. If you like classic-style slots and their vintage charm, you are sure to enjoy these.
Some slot developers took the traditional slot symbols, embellished them to fit the desired theme and incorporated them into their modern slot machines. These themed symbols are usually the standard paying ones, and their role is to elevate the visual experience of the slot.
Royal Symbols
Royal symbols are playing cards like Kings, Queens, and Jacks. These are featured in almost every modern slot machine, and they typically act as fillers. Although they don’t provide any payouts as standalone symbols, combining two, three, four or five may result in a modest prize. Providers include Royals as the low-paying symbols of the game, while the themed ones hide the big payouts.
Other Themed Symbols
You’ll find numerous Ancient Egyptian, Oriental, Viking, movie, and many other slot themes online. Providers always make sure to match the design of the symbols with the slot’s theme. Thus, if you’re playing an ocean-themed slot, you are sure to find some fish, mermaids, seashells and other theme-related symbols on the reels.
Animated Symbols
Nowadays, slot developers create more innovative slot machines and introduce animated slot machine symbols. These look like regular icons until they become part of a winning combination. Once you land them on a winning payline, animated icons come to life, adding a new layer of excitement to your gaming experience.
3D Symbols
3D slots are one of the most popular games nowadays, thanks to advanced digital technologies, 3D computer graphics, and HD displays. Although players are not wearing special glasses, they still get a unique gaming experience with the 3D slot machine signs on the reels.
3D symbols make everything on the screen look very realistic. It seems like you can reach out and touch the game characters and objects, which makes the gameplay even more appealing. Betsoft has created some top-rated 3D slots over the years, and it’s the most popular provider in this category.
Betsoft’s Angler Slot Machine Is a Good Example Of 3D Symbols
Sum Up Slot Machine Symbols
As you understand, there are plenty of different slot machine symbols. Chap hopes this guide was helpful and made things more clear.
Catching one of these symbols, of course, increases the chances of winning or the winning size itself. On the other hand, sometimes getting one of these slot machine symbols can be really hard and not appear so often as expected.
Furthermore, Chap highly recommends clicking on the “i” button in the game screen to find full explanations of symbols. Also, this way you will find what symbols the game support.
And finally, only understanding the game, how it works, and its dynamics will let you fully enjoy what it gives. Also, this way, the player can evaluate and know his winning chances. So, know the slot machine symbols and their meanings. Good luck!
