If you’re looking to try online slot machines for the first time, most experts recommend starting with these popular games.
If you are new to online casinos and want to try some of today’s best online slot machines from various award-winning companies, it might be better to start by playing 3-reel slots, often called classic slots, before playing 5-reel slots.
Some people recommend 3-reel classic slots for beginners because they are the most basic form of online slot machine. They have the least amount of reels and paylines, and they are really easy to play.
Let’s dive straight in to discover why some people suggest beginners should play classic 3-reel slots before advancing to the more complex 5-reel slots.
Why are 3-reel classic slots easier to play than most 5-reel slots?
Many of today’s most popular classic 3-reel slots only have the iconic low, medium, and high-value symbols (7s, bells, fruits, bars, etc.). They usually don’t have any special symbols like wild symbols, scatter symbols, or bonus symbols.
This means they also usually don’t have any additional in-play bonus features, free spins bonus rounds, second screen picking bonuses, trail bonuses, or money wheel bonuses that can randomly trigger as you spin the reels during normal play.
They don’t require any skills, and all you have to do is sit back, hit the spin button, and hope to land three matching symbols across that single winning payline.
However, beginners don’t need to stick to the 3-reel classic slots because even the modern feature-rich 5 and 6-reel online slots today are easy to play.
Before you play mobile 3-reel or 5-reel slots from your preferred smartphone or tablet device at a fully licensed and regulated online casino, always check to see if it’s available in the free-play demo mode.
If it can be accessed in this risk-free mode, you may want to give it a few spins to see if you like it before switching to the real money mode.
Also, remember to head straight to each slot’s paytable before you hit the spin button to find out what kind of bonus features/rounds it has, the symbol values, and if the game has any special symbols that you should be keeping an eye out for.
What if I don’t want to play 3-reel classic slots?
For some players, 3-reel classic slots are just too boring, which is another reason why you might want to head straight to the 5 and 6-reel slot sections.
The basic principles are the same, and the only real difference between the two types of slots is that 5 and 6-reel online slot machines have far more features for players to look forward to, more paylines/megaways/win ways, wider betting ranges, and the gameplay in these slots like this is much better.
They often have likeable characters and far more immersive storylines, bigger fixed coin jackpots and progressive jackpots to play for, better graphics and sound effects, more authentic accompanying background audio, and a great deal more 3D-rendered animated sequences that add to the experience and make these games more entertaining.
In other words, if you’re looking for something a little more laid back, try classic slots first, and if you want something with a little more oomph, try the 5 and 6-reel slots.
What are the most popular online slots in 2024?
There are currently thousands of online slot machines brought to you by over 100 companies, so choosing the right slots can often prove challenging, especially for beginners.
To save you a great deal of time and effort trying out millions of slots to see which ones you like the most, remember to check out some of these games that the majority of online slot machine lovers can’t seem to get enough of in 2024.
The top 10 suggestions to keep an eye out for are the following hit titles:
- Big Bass: Floats My Boat online slot from Reel Kingdom and Pragmatic Play
- Gold Blitz Extreme online slot from Fortune Factory Studios and Games Global
- Robocop: Cash Collect online slot from Origins and Playtech
- King Kong Cash – Even Bigger Bananas online slot from Blueprint Gaming
- Mega Moolah Megaways online slot from Gameburger Studios and Games Global
- Book of Dead online slot from Play’n GO
- Cygnus 4 online slot from ELK Studios
- Bonanza Megaways online slot from Big Time Gaming
- Cash ‘N Riches WowPot Megaways online slot from Triple Edge Studios and Games Global
- Eye of Horus Megaways Jackpot King online slot from Reel Time Gaming and Blueprint Gaming
Others include Fishin’ Frenzy: The Big Splash, Age of the Gods: God of Storms, Jack Hammer 3: Diamond Affair, Big Bad Wolf Megaways, and Gates of Olympus, to name just a few.
These famous online slots load fast in most web browsers, and you can enjoy playing them from any modern smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer.
Final thoughts
The best thing to do would be to try out a few 3-reel classic slots and a few 5 and 6-reel slots to see which format you prefer. The type of game you will enjoy playing depends on what kind of player you are and what mood you’re in on the day.
There are plenty of slots to choose from on any of the highly recommended online casinos currently featured on the globally renowned casinos.com iGaming review site. Also, new online slots continue to arrive each week, meaning you always have something new to look forward to.