We would be wasting your time if we attempted to categorize all the kinds of slot machines. Every casino offers a wide variety of slots to attract gamblers. Slots come in hundreds of types and variations, from single line and 3 line, to 3 or 5 reel, and from bonus games to progressives, to mention just some.

It makes more sense to look at the common characteristics of slot machines.

Number of Reels

You’ll find usually 3 or 5 reels in a slot machine. Early slots had only three reels. We remember them as “classic” or “regular” machines.

Today, 5 reel slots are common, and they generally feature more than one payline (see below).

Range of Rows

Slots machines feature one, two or several horizontal rows marking positions on the vertical reels.
Extra rows, usually one above and one below the payout display, tempt players with a view of how narrowly they might have missed a win.

Range of Pay Lines

There may be one or more paylines crossing the reels. It’s common to view 3, 5, 9, 15 and many more recently even 20 lines. For a winning combination, the designated symbols must fall on a line, often the central horizontal line.

There is only one payline crossing the 3 reels on a classic machine. You can bet one or even more coins per spin but only the center line pays, and increasing your bet will not boost your probability of winning.

On a slot with more than one payline, you may bring additional lines into play by upping the number of coins you play. You do not have to bet on the main page every available payline.

Suppose you are on a 3 line slot and you’re required to insert one coin to play the center line, a second coin to play the line above center and also a third coin to play the line below center. If you now bet only one coin as well as the reels display a winning combination on the line above or below the center, you don’t win anything because you played too few coins.
By offering diagonal matches, slots with 5 reels can have from 5 to twenty paylines.

Denomination of one coin

There are actually slot machines which accept denominations from as low as 5 cents to $5. High roller slots may accept “coins” with a denomination of just as much as $500, although they are few and far between. Some online casinos have special limits set up for their big players to accommodate large bets..

Number of coins that may be played

The maximum bet on classic slots is usually three coins, but you will find some slots that accept a 2-coin maximum bet. Again, video slots have changed this characteristic dramatically, with some multi line video slots now accepting up to 10 coins per line.