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• Autoplay: multiple consecutive spins from one click or button press. Depending on the software, you can set the total number of spins, or have the machine stop automatically when your win is greater than a certain amount or you are awarded a bonus feature.

• Bonus Feature: something extra that a slot machine offers (technically, anything more than a classic slot). A bonus feature could mean a wild symbol, a free spin, a bonus game, or any number of additional extras.

• Bonus Game: a feature in which a player plays an additional game to add to their winnings

• Coin Size: the basic unit of cash wagered (five cents for “Nickle Slots”, twenty-five cents for “Quarter Slots”, et cetera). Note that you can often wager more than one coin per spin — and should usually wager the “Max Coin” to activate all paylines and/ or qualify for the highest jackpots

• Expanding Wild: a wild symbol that can grow to cover multiple lines for extra wins

• Free Game: a bonus feature that awards another spin at no extra cost (see Free Spin)

• Free Spin: a feature that adds to your spins at no cost, often given in multiples as a bonus feature

• Gamble Game: a bonus game in which you gamble your most recent win, usually on a card suit (for 4x winnings) or color (for 2x winnings)

• Jackpot: the prize from a slot machine. Sometimes you’ll see the term used for the best possible payout, sometimes for unique wins of lesser value

• Loose: a “loose slot” has a better-than-average payout percentage, so you’ll tend to see more wins from “looser slots”

• Max Bet: the highest possible amount that you can wager on a single spin. Often confused with Max Coins.

• Max Coins: the highest number of coins that you can wager on a single spin. On a quarter machine, for example, 10 max coins would equal a max bet of $25.00

• Multi-line: a slot machine where you can select more than one payline. Modern slots can have 100 paylines or more!

• Multiplier: a feature that increases existing wins and/or further wins by a certain amount (i.e., a 2x multiplier doubles wins, a 3x multiplier triples them, etc.)

• Payline (or Pay Line): the way that symbols must line up on the reels to win. Classic slots only pay straight across, from left to right, but modern slots may be multiple straight lines, diagonals, up-and-down, or any combination.

• Payout: the amount given by a winning spin. Also a general description of the slot’s payout percentage (see below), so a slot with a high payout means you get larger amounts of money when you win (see Win Rate)

• Payout Percentage (or “Payback”): the percentage of all the money bet (on a given game, type of game, or the entire casino) that will be paid back to players in winnings. Land-based slots generally fall somewhere around 85%, while online slots typically range from 95% to 99% (see “Loose”)

• Paytable (or Pay Table): a collection of pictures of each possible winning payline. Classic slots usually have this alongside the reels, modern slots on another screen usually accessed by a “menu”, “help”, or “pay” button

• Progressive: an extra jackpot that grows every time anyone plays the game, usually triggered by a special winning combination of symbols

• Random Number Generator: technically, a computer function with an equal chance of producing any number within a given range. Simply put, the way computers deal cards, roll dice, spin roulette wheels, or make slots combinations.

• Random Progressive: a progressive jackpot that may be awarded after any spin

• Reel: the vertical columns of symbols on a slot machine, named so because classic slots used mechanical reels. Most modern slots (land-based and online) use computerized video simulations that mimic the classic spinning reel action.

• Retriggerable (or re-triggerable): a feature that can be awarded more than once (retriggerable Free Spins are the best kind, giving you potentially unlimited spins for no extra cost!)

• RNG: an abbreviation for Random Number Generator (see above)

• Scatter: a symbol that pays wherever it appears

• Tight: pays out worse than average (see “Loose”).

• Tournament: multiple players compete to earn prizes (typically sizable cash amounts) by getting the best total slot winnings over a period of time. Usually, players pay a set entry fee and get unlimited spins for the duration of the tournament on one specific slot machine.

• Video Slot: a slot that uses a computer-controlled video screen to display the reels and symbols (as opposed to classic mechanical slots). Can also refer to slots that have animated video and bonus screens similar to video games.

• Wild: a symbol that substitutes for other symbols to complete winning combinations

• Win: a combination of symbols that gives money back to the player (e.g., “three bars = a win”), or the total amount awarded for a single spin (e.g., “three bars plus 2x multipiler = $20 win”)

• Win Rate (or “hit rate”): how often a slot machine wins. Higher win rates are generally better, but payouts also come into play; higher win rates tend to go with lower payouts, but some slots (especially progressives) have higher payouts and lower win rates

• Window: the area where a player can see the symbols; classic land-based slots have a glass or plastic window over the mechanical reels