There are all sorts of internet casino games you can play online, from RNG and live dealer table games to non-GamStop slots, bingo and instant win titles. Slots form the majority of any UK casino’s gaming library, though, and there are often thousands for you to choose from.
Such a broad array of themes and simplistic gameplay make slots an ideal hit for many. However, amidst all those choices, there are some slots which simply excel above the rest. For the most part, the best slots to play are those which offer top features. While everybody loves a free spin bonus, such a feature isn’t always the number one thing to aim for.
In my years of experience, I’ve come to rely on a few tried and tested goodies to steer me towards slots where I stand a good chance of winning. Join me as I reveal my top five hot slot features that you should aim to experience if you want to play the best slots online.
Five Top Slot Features Explained
As touched on above, there are all sorts of gaming options you can choose from when it comes to slots. Of course, you’re obviously going to want to play a slot which offers you free spins, and naturally, you’re going to want to see multipliers and, if possible, a progressive jackpot. However, these aren’t actually the top things I look for. I want to play slots which give me the best shot of winning.
I’ve come to rely on these five tried and tested features to ensure that whenever I play, I’m in with a sniff of winning:
Scatter Wilds
When you have separate scatter symbols and wilds, there is a great probability that they will trip over each other. The more special symbols there are, the less likely they are to land and be effective. Scatter wilds, therefore, do the job of both symbols and take up less space on the reels, improving their effectiveness. These are often found in “book slots”, which have been all the rage over the last few years.
Just a Few Symbols
As with scatter wilds, there is a case to be made for having fewer symbols. You win by lining up identical symbols on paylines or ways to win. The more symbols there are, the greater the likelihood that symbols you don’t need will get in the way of you landing a combo featuring the ones you do. The fewer symbols, the more likely you are to land a win.
Multiple Paylines
The more ways you have to win, the better, right? Not necessarily. I’m not talking about BTG’s MegaWays games here. Sure, you get up to a million paylines, but the volatility is ramped up to the max as a result. Instead, I’m talking about 243 ways to win games and similar options. Here, you’ll get far more than the conventional 25 lines for relatively the same stake, and you won’t see a massive adjustment in volatility. The volatility level will often (admittedly, not always) hover around the medium to medium-low mark, ensuring decent enough wins that are frequent enough compared to their low and high-variance counterparts.
Randomly Triggered Features
Randomly triggered features boost your gameplay, won’t cost extra, and won’t require scatters or bonus symbols to trigger them. Again, if your slot offers randomly triggered bonuses, you’ll see fewer symbols on the reels and scatters/bonus symbols may not be required. Furthermore, randomly triggered features (in my experience) tend to pop up more frequently when you’re on a losing streak, which is handy for replenishing your balance. I’ve found that this is the most critical, dare I say, the best time to land them. If you’re on a hot winning streak, you won’t need them anyway.
Slot Modifiers
Finally, I want to talk about slot modifiers. These can spice up the action without having to trigger bonuses, too. Slot modifiers, which occur randomly, vary in terms of how they work and what they offer. Some of my favourites are split/double symbols, multiplier wilds and random re-spins.
Split/double symbols can effectively make it possible to land ten-of-a-kind combos, perhaps more. NetEnt’s Flowers is a great example of this mechanic. Multiplier wilds boost whatever you can win using substitute symbols, while random re-spins potentially allow you to hold symbols on the reels and extend the combo you have. Again, slot modifiers come in all sorts of varieties to enhance the action. Just be sure that you don’t pay for them, as with bonus buy rounds. There are plenty out there which come as standard in games.
Five Other Notable Features Worth Considering
While the five features listed above are unquestionably the options you should consider, it certainly doesn’t hurt if they are intertwined with any of these five additional features:
- A progressive jackpot which doesn’t require success in a bonus round.
- Wild symbols which stick around for more than a single spin.
- Bonus rounds are triggered via scatters, not special symbols on specific reels.
- A high RTP rate – in short, the higher, the better.
- Slots which don’t hide their best special features behind buy-a-bonus paywalls.
If you can find slot machines that have most of the five main features accompanied by at least some of these secondary characteristics, then you’re onto a winner. Make no mistake about it: there are plenty out there which fit the bill for you to choose from if you’re prepared to go hunting.
How to Find Online Slots with Top Features in 2024
As a general rule, I recommend joining online casinos which support thousands of slots rather than a smaller library. You’re far more likely to find the types of games you want to play (with the features listed above) at casinos with a decent-sized collection of online slots.
Furthermore, those offering a 200% casino bonus (or higher) with fair wagering requirements and great game eligibility should fit the bill. You’ll ideally want to use your bonus on slots which fit the criteria listed above, so good game eligibility terms are a must.
The simplest way to find trusted casinos is to read casino reviews right here, where you can find all manner of sites not on GamStop which are ideal for slot gameplay, pack decent bonuses and have been tried and tested and won my seal of approval today.