Casino
How to Play Slots: A Beginner’s Guide
From classic slot machines to games with the latest features and popular themes, William Hill Vegas has them all. Log in and you can play the biggest and best online slots.
Whether you’re new to slots or an old hand, we’ve got hundreds of online slots for you to check out. At least one will suit your preferred style of play and desired stakes.
Follow our online slots guide as we dive into how slots work and give you all the tips you need to know.
How do online slots work?
Online slots are very similar to the machines that we play in brick-and-mortar casinos. When played online, slot machines simulate the pulling of a mechanical lever or the pressing of a button.
Learning to play online slots is easy and enjoyable at William Hill. You can play online at William Hill Vegas or on the William Hill app.
How to play online slot machines
- Create an account
Once you create an account and log in, you’ll be able to deposit funds to your William Hill account. You’ll be asked to sign in when you open the slot game page.
- Choose a slot game
Most everyone playing on William Hill can find a slot-game theme and style that suits them.
Each slot machine has information you can access by clicking or tapping the information icon or the help icon. Then you can see the rules, jackpot, volatility, minimum bet, maximum bet, features and more. They are all designed to help you decide if this is the game for you.
- Set a budget for yourself
With every game just a click away, it can be easy to lose track of how much money you’re risking when playing slots. Hence, it is best to make sure you set an affordable budget before playing any casino games.
Stay safe when gambling – use our tools to help you have fun responsibly.
- Check the rules and paytable
Once you’ve selected the slot game you want to play, a pop-up menu will appear. It explains the rules of your chosen game. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the rules, options and any unique features, such as free spins and multipliers.
The paytable will show you the paylines of the game, including how much each symbol on each of the reels are worth and the sequence patterns of those symbols.
Some games even give you the option to choose how many paylines there are with each spin. This will allow you to control your bet size. So, when playing, remember to keep an eye on your budget.
- Place a bet and spin
Tap or click on the screen to spin the reels. Once the reels come to a stop, any winning lines you have will be highlighted. At that point, your winnings will be credited to your account.
Random Number Generators in Slots
Here’s the burning question: Are slot machine outcomes random?
At William Hill, we use sophisticated random number generator (RNG) software on games that include slots, roulette and blackjack. This is to ensure complete fairness. All RNGs are certified externally and tested in-house before going live on our site.
This means that all possible sequences of slot symbols have the same mathematical chance of appearing, regardless of the last spin’s results. Outcomes have nothing to do with what happened on previous spins.
Different types of slot games and features
3 Reel Slots
This is the original, classic slot machine. The idea and design both date back to the age of mechanical gaming machines, when players used features like a side-mounted metal handle to spin the reels for a chance to line up symbols across three reels and land a win. If you’re looking for an old school one-armed-bandit experience, 3 Reel Slots will be appealing.
5 Reel Slots
Thanks to digital technology that isn’t restricted by physical space, most online slots feature five reels. That leaves plenty of room for more symbols per reel, bigger jackpots and a bucket load of features. But it doesn’t stop there. Some slot offerings might provide six or even seven reels. Each additional reel ups the excitement quotient.
Multipliers
Multipliers are one of the most common features when it comes to online slots. What makes multipliers alluring is that they can increase your wins by 2x, 5x, 10x, etc. Considering that their specifics vary from game to game, it’s always worth checking paytables to find out details before you play.
Bonus games and features
Bonus games and features are present in most online slots and will vary massively from machine to machine. Bonus games give you the chance to win extra prizes, which result in extra excitement. Think of these add-ons as games within the games.
Multi-Payline Slot Guides
Unlike original slot machines, which had just one payline (row), multi-payline slots allow players to bet on many different paylines, and line up symbols in various directions. As always, it helps to be familiar with a game’s payout rules. This allows you to understand your options and to have the appropriate expectations.
Megaways™
Megaways™ slots provide an overflow of thrills. While traditional slots can feature 5 to 40 opportunities for winning, the majority of Megaways™ slots have up to 117,649 ways to win. And, believe it or not, some games have even more.
There are hundreds of games to choose from, with some popular classics remade to feature the Megaways™ mechanic. And with each spin different from the last, you never know how many ways you can win until you spin.
Enjoy more ways to win with our Megaways™ slots at William Hill.
Jackpot Slots
Looking to ramp up the excitement? You can play for a wide range of fixed and progressive Jackpots.
Here are the two most common types of jackpot slots:
- Fixed jackpots – As the name suggests, this is a fixed prize that will stay the same and it is usually around 5,000x your stake.
- Progressive jackpots – Every time you spin the reels, a small portion of your stake will go towards the progressive pot. This pot will grow until a lucky player wins the progressive jackpot.
Find all the top-rated jackpot games when you play online jackpot slots at William Hill.
Slot tips you need to know
Look for bonuses and promotions
Many online casino sites offer welcome bonuses and regular promotions. These will ease you into playing the sites’ slots.
Choose from a variety of exciting promotions at William Hill.
Check for volatility
Volatility is how often a game pays out to the player.
High volatility games generally provide bigger wins that pay off less frequently – and they may contain bonus features and progressive jackpots.
Meanwhile, low volatility slots give smaller wins but pay out more frequently. Hence, the low-volatility offerings are suited for beginners and casual players.
Check the paytables
Studying the paytables will help you recognize combinations that offer prizes and symbols that trigger bonus features.
Always set a budget before a session and stick to it. Knowing when it’s time to call it a day is the key to being a successful slots player. Have fun responsibly.
Choose slots that will be fun for you
With hundreds of immersive themes and features available, coming from some of the biggest and most well-known brands in the business, there’s a slot to suit everyone.
Here are some of our most popular slots at William Hill Vegas:
- Bigger Bass Bonanza™ — Take a fishing trip and see if you can reel in scatters to trigger free spins and net the golden fish to land a big cash prize.
- William Hill Megaways™ – This is an exclusive slot that you won’t find anywhere else! It comes with up to 117,649 ways to win. That is in addition to a host of exciting features and jackpots.
- Book of Dead – Join a popular explorer on his quest through ancient Egypt. Can you escape with the prize?
Whether you’re looking to play top-rated slots or the latest releases, you can find a new favorite here at William Hill.
Slot FAQs
How do online slots pay out?
Online slots pay out when a player lines up a certain combination of winning symbols. This is known as a “payline.” Because symbols and payouts vary from game to game, you should always check the paytable in order to know what to expect.
Payouts are based on the bet size and each symbol’s value. All winnings are paid out in cash to your account or in bet credits, depending on promotional offers.
What is a paytable?
Before you spin, you should refer to the paytable. This will give you all the basic information about the particular slot that you are playing – including what each symbol pays, how the paylines work and how to trigger any bonus features that might be available.
How do you know when a slot machine is close to a jackpot?
It’s impossible to know when a slot machine is close to a jackpot. Each individual spin is randomized by a random number generator (RNG) and is not affected by previous results. So, no amount of time spent playing will swing the odds in your favor.
What is RTP in slots?
RTP stands for “Return to Player. This is the amount of money that gets returned to the player in the long run. For example, if the RTP is 96%, this means that for every $100 put in the machine, $96 will go back to the players.
But that is over a long period of time, with many units of $100 run through the machine. In the short term, a player can win or lose way more than the 96%. But, of course, that uncertainty is the whole point of gambling.
Are online slots fair?
Online slots are completely fair. The outcomes are decided by a random number generator, which ensures that each spin is randomized. No entity controls the wins or losses of an online slot machine spin. And past playing do not influence future ones.
Can you play slots online for real money?
Yes. William Hill Vegas has a wide range of online slots you can play for real money. Always check paytables and rules before you begin. This will help you to gain an understanding of how the game operates and what you will be getting for your money.
Playing with real money can be exciting. Stay safe when gambling and use our tools to help you have fun responsibly.
Ready to give our most popular slots a spin? Play online slots at William Hill Vegas.
