The main types of slots are classic three-reel games, five-reel video slots, Megaways and other variable-reel games, cluster and grid slots, jackpot slots, hold and win games, branded slots and, in Britain, pub fruit machines. They differ in layout and features, but all decide results with a random number generator and all have a house edge.
The labels overlap. A single game can be a branded, Megaways, jackpot video slot. Think of the categories below as tags rather than boxes.
Classic three-reel slots
Classic slots imitate the mechanical machines that came before video. Three reels, one or a handful of paylines, and traditional symbols: fruit, bars, bells and sevens. Bonus features are minimal or absent.
The design goes back to Charles Fey’s Liberty Bell, built in San Francisco around the 1890s, which had three reels and a single line. Our history of the slot covers how that machine shaped everything after it.
Online classic slots run on an RNG like every other game. Simple does not mean generous; check the RTP in the game’s information screen.
Video slots
Video slots are the standard online game: usually five reels and three or four rows, with a theme, animations and one or more bonus features. Fortune Coin’s video slot of 1976 is usually cited as an early example of the format on the casino floor.
Most video slots combine some of the following: wilds, scatters, free spins, multipliers and a bonus round. They use either paylines or ways to win; our paylines vs ways to win guide explains the difference.
Megaways and variable-reel slots
Megaways slots, a mechanic created by Big Time Gaming, change how many symbols each reel shows on every spin. The number of ways to win changes with it, potentially into six figures. Most pair this with cascading reels.
Other studios have their own takes on a grid that grows and shrinks, including xWays symbols that split into several copies and infinity reels that add new reels as wins land. These games tend to be high volatility.
Cluster and grid slots
Cluster pays games drop the reels-and-lines model for a grid. Wins come from groups of matching symbols that touch, and winning clusters usually vanish to let new symbols fall in. Pay anywhere games are similar but count matching symbols anywhere on the screen, touching or not.
Grid games often build features around the board itself: grid expansion, symbol upgrades and multipliers that land on individual cells.
Jackpot slots
Jackpot slots add a top prize on top of the normal paytable. That can be a fixed jackpot, a set multiple of the stake, or a progressive jackpot that grows with a slice of every stake and can be linked across many sites.
Because part of every stake funds a prize very few people win, the return from the rest of the game is lower. Slot jackpots explained shows how that works with an illustrative example.
Hold and win slots
Hold and win games, also sold under other names such as hold and spin or link, have a feature triggered by landing a set number of special symbols, often coins or orbs carrying cash values. Those symbols lock in place, you get a small number of respins, and each new special symbol resets the count. Filling the grid often wins a top prize.
A related family uses money collect symbols, where a collector symbol gathers the values shown on others.
Branded slots
Branded slots are licensed from films, TV shows, bands, board games or other entertainment properties. The licence brings the artwork, music and sometimes clips, and features are often built around the source material.
Underneath, nothing is different. The brand affects the theme, not the maths, so check the RTP and volatility in the information screen as you would for any other game.
Fruit machines (UK pub machines)
Britain has its own slot tradition: the fruit machine, found in pubs, clubs and arcades. Fruit machines are physical cabinets with features rarely seen in casino slots, such as nudges and holds, a feature board with trails to climb, and a gamble option on wins.
Pub fruit machines fall into the category of gaming machine known as Category C. Each category has its own stake and prize limits, and the fruit machines guide covers them. The rules for land-based machines differ from online slots, as our guide to online vs land-based slots explains.
Many online games borrow the fruit machine look, often called “pub fruits” or “fruities” online. They run under the online slot rules, not the gaming machine rules.
Live game shows (briefly)
Live game shows stream a presenter and a physical wheel or device from a studio. Bets are placed on what the wheel lands on, and some include bonus games or multipliers that look slot-like. They are usually classed with live casino games rather than slots, so we cover them only in passing.
Features available in GB, and one that is not
Most features you will read about appear in British games. One that does not is bonus buy, where you pay a lump sum to jump straight into a feature. In January 2020 the Gambling Commission told licensees that bonus buys breach its technical standards, and they are not offered on GB-licensed sites. You may see it described in reviews written for other markets.
Which type should you play?
There is no type that gives better odds. Every slot has a house edge, and the differences between types are mainly in how results are spread, which is volatility, and in what you find entertaining. If you are new, playing a game’s demo version, where available, is a sensible way to see how it works without staking; see free slots and demo play.
The short version
- Classic slots: three reels, few lines, few or no features.
- Video slots: five reels or more, themes and bonus features; the online standard.
- Megaways and variable-reel slots: the grid changes size every spin.
- Cluster and pay anywhere slots: wins from groups or counts of symbols, not lines.
- Jackpot slots: fixed or progressive top prizes, with lower everyday returns.
- Hold and win: locking cash symbols and respins.
- Branded slots: licensed themes on the same underlying maths.
- Fruit machines: Britain’s pub machines, Category C, with nudges and holds.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a slot and a fruit machine?
In everyday British usage a fruit machine is the type of slot found in pubs and arcades, with features such as nudges and holds. Slot is the broader word that covers fruit machines, casino machines and online games.
Are classic three-reel slots easier to win?
Not in any meaningful sense. They often have fewer features and a simpler paytable, but the house edge still applies, and their RTP and volatility depend on the individual game.
Are branded slots based on films or TV shows any different underneath?
No. A licence changes the theme, artwork and sometimes the features, but the game still runs on a random number generator with a fixed RTP like any other slot.
Is a live game show a slot?
Not strictly. Live game shows use a real presenter and a physical wheel or device streamed to your screen, so they sit closer to live casino games, although some borrow slot-style features.
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