Anyone who visited a casino twenty years ago knows that the biggest change brought about by modern technology has been to the slot machine. Earlier it was a very simple device. You put a coin in the slot and pulled the handle to activate the three reels. The pay table was on the front glass and if you lined up three winning symbols you won. The modern video slot machine is highly developed than used in those days.

The new slot machines are truly modern day wonders and they have many technical advantages than the machines used in the past. The new machines are run by microprocessors that make it possible to have virtual reels and many stops making it possible to offer life changing jackpots. Unlike the old ones, the new video slot machines have five, nine or even more playlines. You can also bet multiple coins on each line that you select. The winning paylines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal or zigzag. There can be scatter pay or bonus pay symbols on the reels

Although the new slots don’t come with a manual, there is a help screen to explain you how the game is played. If you are playing a game you never played before, you must spend a minute looking at the help screen and understand the game. The first screen of the help menu shows the pay lines for the game. This screen also explains how the symbols must line up for a winning spin. Many of the new video slots require that the winning symbols must start on the left reel and go to the right. The screen will also tell you how many coins you can bet on each payline.

Importance of pay table in the slot machine

The next screen you want to look at is the pay table that shows how much each symbol pays. Slot makers try to make the hierarchy of winning symbols easy to understand. Some of the games have themes that make the value of the symbols easy to understand. But there are some which are confusing and so it is always best to check the pay table, before the start.

Each machine has a table that lists the number of credits the player will receive if the symbols listed on the pay table line up on the pay line of the machine. Some symbols are wild and will pay if they are visible in any position, even if they are not on the pay line. On the older machines, it was found that the pay table is listed on the face of the machine, usually above and below the area containing the wheels. Most video machines display the pay table when the player presses a “pay table” button or touches “pay table” on the screen. Some of the machines have the pay table listed on the cabinet as well.

It is up to you to determine if you want to play a machine that affords you many smaller wins or are you the type that wants to go for a big one? By looking at the pay table you can get a general idea. Although payback percentages are set to return a set amount over the long run, anything can happen in the short run.

By Stephen Crawford
Stephen Crawford is a publisher and webmaster of SlotFan.com. He provides information on slot machines. You can research on his web site at http://www.slotfan.com/.