Slots Lingo

What is the Slots Lingo to use at Casinos?

Slots Lingo to use at Casinos

Playing video slot games is the choice of everyone. When you enter online casino or land based casino to play slot games you find players talking in a language that your ears think as something ‘foreign’ to understand. But you must have seen that even on the online slot game screens such words do occur which tell you something about what is going on in the slot game or ask you in their terminology to take the next action in the game play to move further and make a win.

Well, here you will come to know of this wonderful slot lingo with words and their meaning…no, not at all I am not taking your lingo class but this will be fun for sure.

Let me start by asking you two riddles.

Riddle 1- What are slot machine placed at land casinos called in the slot lingo terminology?

Riddle 2-What does player refer when saying, “Come let us play Mobile Slots”?

Until you find the answers to these riddles (may be it is hidden somewhere in this post)…..let me take no time to make you start using wonderful  slots lingo.

Slots Lingo To Use At Casinos

This Slot games lingo terms are divided into three parts at games. There are over 100 slot machine terms related to these mini-games especially for enthusiastic players who enjoy playing online slots as well as offline.  Slots are classified as mini games in the slots game terminology because they are played on a small screen and many slot versions offer games or features within the main bonus game.

slots reel work
Slots are random games that work like a roulette wheel. Image source: 888 Casino

There are four types of slot mini games. Basic Slots, Progressives, Bonus Slots including multi-lines, reels, ‘Wild X Multipliers’ plus Community Play or Multi Player. The majority of these games are available at both online casinos and offline.

  • Basic Slots: Single payline, also known as straight slots, have a constant top jackpot payout that does not change.
  • Progressives Slots:  Offer increasing jackpot $$ dependent upon amount of monies played through the linked bank or carousel of slots.
  • Bonus Slots or Multi-lines: These are the largest group of mini games played in casinos today. Multi-line mini games offer a bonus event, scatter pays, free games and multipliers.
  • Community Play or Multi-Player Concept: Setup to accommodate several players, all of whom can qualify for the top jackpot bonus round and gather credits separately at their station.

Action – Slot action refers to all of the slot machine playing time accumulated by a slots player. This information is generally kept track of on the players slots club card offered by most casinos.

Annuity Winner – Some slot machine jackpots are offered in installments over a number of years. The winnings may be collected in one lump sum but there is usually a significant tax when this is done.

Basic Slots – Basic slots, or straight slots are slot machines that have only one single payline and a static jackpot or a jackpot amount that does not change as progressive jackpots do.

Bet Max – Bet max refers to the number of credits on a slot machine that a player can bet per spin. Bet max is usually a button on the slot machine that enables the player to bet the maximum number of credits or units allowable per spin of the slot machine. Usually the highest payout amounts are calculated for the bet max spins.

Bet One – Bet one means that the slots player only bets one unit or credit per spin of the slot machine.

Betting Units – Betting units are the units used to wager. The value of the betting units is determined by the denomination slot machine that you are playing. Betting units are the same as credits.

Big Bertha – Big Bertha is slots lingo for the really big slot machines that are usually employed in casinos as attention getters. These slot machines are much larger in size than the regular slot machine and usually has multiple reels.

Big Hit – Big hit is a slots reference to hitting the jackpot combination on the slots.

Bonus Feature – Bonus features are offered on many slot machines in casinos today. Bonus features include wild cards or symbols and free spins.

Bonus Multiplier Slot Machines – Bonus multiplier slots are slot machines offering larger jackpots to entice players to bet the maximum number of credits.

Slot Lingo
Source:888ladies
  • Carousel – A carousel is a group or bank of slot machines, usually of a common denomination of betting units, like dollar slots or nickel slots.
  • Cashback – Cashback in slots is a reference to rewards or comps given to slots club card players.
  • Certified Slots – Certified slots are those slot machines that casinos guarantee have a payout of 98%-100%. These slots are usually very well marked as such.
  • Coin In / Coin Out – Coin in and coin out refer to the number of credits or units both played and paid out. Coin in are the number of units played and coin out are the number of units won.
  • Coins – Coins for slots come in many denominations from a penny to five dollars or more.
  • Coin Size – There are some slot machines that allow the player to vary the amount of money they want to wager in increments of. These machines can be penny slots all the way up to five dollar slots.
  • Cold Slots – Cold slots is a reference to slot machines that do not pay out very often or tight slots.
  • Collect – Collect is usually a button or option on the slot machine that enables the slots player to convert their credits into cash.

Comps – Slots players who are members of the slot clubs in casinos are generally rewarded with free rooms, meals and other gifts for the amount of slot machine playing they do.

Console Slot Machines – Console slots are designed to be more comfortable for the player by angling the machine down towards the player. 

Credits – Credits are what the coins are converted to once they are in the machine. For example, on a nickel slot machine, when a dollar is inserted into the machine, the player will then have twenty credits on that machine.

Denomination – Denomination is the value of each credit played on a particular slot machine. Dollar slots are one dollar denomination slots.

Slot Lingo
Fruit Machines

Doubles – Doubles (also triples) are usually references to symbols on the slot machines that when they come up two or three at a time, double or triple the winning amount is won.

  • Fixed Value Slots – Fixed value slots are slot machines where the betting amount and coin size cannot be altered. These slot machines are one denomination, one coin per spin.
  • Five Liner – A five liner is a slot machine that contains three reels where players can win on up to five payout lines. There are two diagonal payout lines as well as three horizontal payout lines on a five liner.
  • Free Spin – Free spins are usually offered as a bonus feature on bonus slot machines.
Slot Lingo
Hit and Frequency

Games Per Hour – On average, slots players can play about five hundred games per hour on a standard coin operated slot machine. Depending on the style of slot machine and the player, the games per hour can fluctuate.

  • Hammer A Machine – To hammer a machine is slot player slang for playing the same slot for a long period of time, usually in an attempt to win a large progressive jackpot.
  • Hit and Run – Hit and run refers to a slot player that plays a single payline slot at max credit bets for only a few spins, moving on to another slot machine if it doesn’t payout any credits.
  • Hit Frequency – The hit frequency of a slot machine is a reference to how often a particular slot machine pays out on average. The lower the number the better, as a slot machine with a hit frequency of 3 can be expected to payout on average, one out of three spins.
  • Hold Percentage – Hold percentage is a term referring to how much of a players money the casino keeps. As an example, a 99% slot machine keeps one dollar while returning ninety-nine dollars back to the player.
  • Hot Slots – Hot slots is a reference to slot machines that are loose or payout more often that other slots.
Slot Lingo
Linked progressives

Instant Winner – An instant winner is an on the spot jackpot rather than an annuity jackpot where the jackpot is paid out over a number of years.

Jackpot – A jackpot is the top prize a slot machine can payout.

  • Line Bet – A line bet refers to the activated paylines on multiple payline slot machines. Usually max bets must be played to activate all the paylines on these kinds of slot machines.
  • Linked Progressive Jackpot – A linked progressive jackpot or wide area progressive is two or more slot machines whose progressive jackpots are linked. 
  • Loose Slots -Loose slots is a reference that refers to how often a particular slot machine pays out. A loose slot machine can be expected to win more often than a tight slot machine.

Multi-line Bonus Slot Machine – A multi-line bonus slot machines are slots that offer more than one payline. Some multi-line bonus slots have as many as fifty paylines.
Multiplier – Multiplier refers to a bonus slot machine feature where payouts can be multiplied up to ten times on a bonus win. 

  • Near Miss – A near miss is when a winning combination on a slot machine almost lands. 
  • Nudge Slot – A nudge slot machine will move the winning combination up or down that little nudge that it needs.

One Armed Bandit – The one armed bandit is a slots players slang for a slot machine. 

One Liner – One liner is a term that refers to a slot machine with only one reel where players line up three symbols to win. 

Onesies – Onesies is slot player slang for a slots player who plays only one coin or one credit at a time for each spin of the slot machine reels.

Slot Lingo
One armed bandit
  • Payback Percentage – Payback percentage is a reference to the amount of money a slot machine should return to slots players over a period of time.
  • Payline – The payline is the line at which winning combinations on the slot machine reels must land in order to win the payout amount.
  • Payout – The payout is the amount won for a winning combination on the slot machine.
  • Pay Table – The pay table is the sign on the slot machine that tells what all the different winning combinations are and how many credits they each win.
  • Primary Jackpot – The primary jackpot is the highest payout prize that a player can win on a particular slot machine.
  • Progressive Slot Machines – Progressive slots have a jackpot that continues to grow until it is won.

Reel Stop – A reel stop is one single position on the reel of the slot machine.

Reels – The reels are the disks that spin inside the slot machine window with the symbols on them. By matching the appropriate symbols, slots players can win money. Different slot games may have multiple reels.

  • 3 Reels – A slot machine with three reels which results in a three item combo.
  • 5 Reels – A slot machine with five reels which results in a five item combo.

RNG or Random Number Generator – The random number generator is a computer program that selects the slot machine results at random from all the possible sequences.

Scatter Pay – Slot machines with the scatter pay bonus feature have specific symbols on the reels that payout no matter what other symbols are with it.

Slot Lingo
Stacked wilds
  • Second Screen Bonus – Some video slots that offer bonus features will have a second screen bonus. Certain winning combinations will activate the second screen bonus.
  • Select Lines – Select lines are the number of paylines selected on the slot machine.
  • Short Win – A short win is when a player hits a large jackpot with very little playing. 
  • Signature Slots – Signature slots are the casinos own brand of slot machines.
  • Slot Club – Slots clubs are member programs that casinos offer to slot players where prizes and rewards are offered in exchange for playing the slots. The more you play, the more comps you receive.
  • Slot Host – The slot host is an employee at the casino who is there to assist in serving customers as well as handling slots club member issues.
  • Slot Schedule – The slot schedule or pay table is the winning payout combinations and their payout amounts posted usually on the front of the slot machine.

Slot Talk – Slot talk is slots player slang for the trading of slots information between players and slots hosts.

Slot Lingo
Bets and Fills
  • Slot Testing – Slot testing is a reference to a form of player evaluation of a slot machine where the player will play an entire roll of coins to determine the ratio or percent of payout for that machine.
  • Slot Tournament – A slot tournament is a tournament where slots players play for a specific prize at a pool of slots.
  • Slot Type – Slot type refers to the slot machine either being basic slots, progressive slots or bonus slots. 
  • Slots Drop – Slots drop refers to the amount of money played through a slot machine.
  • Slots Hold – Slots hold refers to the amount of money that a slot machine does not pay back as wins.
  • Sound of Rain – Sound of rain is slots player slang for the sound of the coins dropping when a slots player cashes out.
  • Spin – The spin button or pulling the lever on the side of the slot machine activates the spinning of the reels to determine if you won or not.

Streaky Slots – Streaky slots are slot machines that are reputed as having hot moments and cold moments. 

Symbols – Symbols are the different illustrations on the various slot machine reels. These symbols include cherries and dollar signs as well as sevens and money bags. There are many different symbols on slot machine reels today.

  • Three Liner – A three liner is a slot machine with three reels where players must line up three identical symbols in order to win the cash prize.
  • TITO : Ticket In / Ticket Out – TITO slot machines will print a ticket with the winning amount on it when players cash out a machine. The player can then insert that ticket into another machine and play with it there.
  • Tight Slots – Tight slot machines can be expected to payout less frequently than loose slot machines.
  • Total Bet – The total bet is the number of credits played on a machine at one time.
  • Two Liner – A two liner is a reference to a slot machine that has two reels where players line up three symbols and win, but line up six symbols and win double the original win.
Slot Lingo
Wagering requirement

Up / Down Slot Cycle – The payout percent of a slot machine fluctuates at any given time because the average payout percent is calculated over a long period of time. The up / down slot cycle refers to the fluctuations that occur during that period of time.

  • Video Slots – Video slots are slot machines that do not have physical reels inside but are rather a computer screen ran by a computer program. Most of the slot machines today are video slots.
  • Virtual Reel – Virtual reel technology is what enables the RNG (random number generator) to randomly select more non winning combinations than winning combinations without having to add extra reels or larger reels. In effect, the odds of winning had to be decreased in order to offer larger jackpots and the virtual reel was the solution that the slot machine developers came up with.

Wager Management – Wager management is a method of managing your slot playing bankroll. Breaking your gambling bankroll into smaller amounts for a specified number of gambling sessions and cashing out while your ahead.

  • Well – The well is the bin at the bottom of the slot machine that catches the coins when a player cashes out.
  • WAP or Wide Area Progressive – Wide area progressives are slot machines that are located in different casinos that have the progressive jackpot linked together. As players play these slot machines in the different locations, the jackpot increases in each machine.
  • Wild Symbol Slots – Wild symbol slots have wild symbols that will substitute for winning symbols in the event that they land in their place.

Zig Zag – Zig zag is a term used to describe the line that can be created on many multi-line payout slot machines. Instead of the line going straight across the screen or diagonal, the line is zig zag.

Now as you have come to know of these amazing slot lingos and their meanings have you solved the riddles that I had asked above? Many of you must have got the right answer and big applause for you all. For those who are still thinking let me tell you the answers.

 Riddle number 1: What are slot machine placed at land casinos called in the slot lingo terminology?

Answer: Slot machines placed in land casinos are called ‘One –Armed Bandits’..But why? Because they were originally operated by a lever on the side of the machine instead of a button on the front panel, and because of their ability to leave the slot player broke . Many modern machines still have a legacy lever in addition to the button.

Riddle 2-What does player refer when saying, “Come let us play Mobile Slots”?

It means play online slot machines. You must have thought to play on mobile phones and tablets..Well that can be a answer but here what was meant was online slot machines that are often referred to as “mobile” slots.

Now that you have acquainted with Slots lingo go and play some slot games at online casinos and grab the awesome bonus offers.