First things first, it's important to understand that the richness of symbols and their execution can vary widely across software providers. However, they all share a crucial role: they impact how winnings are distributed. In essence, symbols create a hierarchy of potential payouts, adding to the thrill and uncertainty of the game, far beyond the more predictable outcomes of traditional casino games.
Imagine placing a simple bet of 1 on a specific video slots game; you're given the opportunity to win as small as 0, as big as 10,000, or anything in between. The odds are dynamic, presenting a whole range of possible victories.
Regular paying symbols are often represented by card values. You'll commonly see the card rank symbols A (Ace), K (King), Q (Queen), J (Jack), and T (Ten). But, the regular symbols aren't just limited to these — many a time, the main characters of a particular slot game also serve as regular paying symbols.
These symbols represent the baseline winnings of the game as compared to Special symbols. Within these regular symbols, a hierarchy of values exists, meaning not all regular symbols are created equal. Depending on the game's paytable, payouts for these symbols can be quite varied.
These symbols need to align in a specific sequence called a pay line to produce a win. However, Special symbols aren't always bound by this rule. In plain terms, Regular symbols pay by lines most of the times. They are glaringly different from Special symbols in this regard and could be considered more basic in comparison.
Often, 8–10 regular symbols are found in online slot games, particularly in newer ones.
Among Special symbols, the Scatter, Wild, and Bonus game symbols are prominent. Hence, Special symbols are less frequent than Regular symbols.
These symbols are aptly named "special" because they're typically the highest paying symbols in slots games. Given their worth, they're designed to be a bit elusive.
Special symbols don't just result in pay-outs, they can also activate bonus features in an online slot machine (such as Free spins, Bonus game, Multiplier, and so forth). That's their primary purpose in the game.
Significantly, unlike Regular symbols, Special symbols don't always need to form a line. For instance, it doesn't matter where a Scatter symbol or Bonus game symbol appears on the screen, as long as a predetermined quantity appear (often a minimum of three).
You'll often find that special symbols are intricately designed and animated, often incorporating or representing the "heroes" of the slot machine's story.
The average modern online slot typically comes with 8–10 Regular paying symbols (4-5 of which are card values and the rest are story characters) along with an additional 2–3 Special paying symbols. It's safe to say about 95% of online slots fit this description, making these figures pretty standard.
To learn about the paying symbols of a particular slot machine, you'll need to visit the "Info" section, a feature that practically all online slots offer. With a simple click and perhaps a few pages of scrolling, you can view the specific paying symbols for that slot machine and the amounts they pay.
Author: James Hatbill
