Probably the biggest obvious difference between online slot machines and land-based slot machine games is the obvious physical difference. In an online slot machine game, the gamer inserts a virtual ball into a slot machine by the simple click of a button and triggers the spinning reels by the simple push of a button. The result is that the same exact payout (from the same exact slot) occurs at every stop, but because the odds are different, the casino will pay out slightly different amounts for each spin. On land-based slots there is no such button to trigger the reels, and the only time the payout from each stop would differ is if a brick placed on the slot would cause the machine to stop. This slight difference in odds does not greatly alter the general outcome of the game.
This brings us to the second major difference: the paylines. Payline refers to the lines on the screen, which indicate what denomination you are paying for. There are two kinds of paylines in a slot machine game. There are direct paylines, which are the easiest to calculate since they just take the number of heads it takes for you to win, and are usually accompanied by what is called the bet max amount. The second kind of line is called the progressive payline, and it differs from the direct line in that it takes into account the number of bets that you make before it figures out what your winnings will be, allowing you to calculate what you should be betting on ahead of time.
Online slot machine games employ what is known as “hedging”. Essentially this means that you take part in a slot game, and if it pays well enough you will end up making some money back on your initial investment, so long as you stick to the basic rule of thumb about not putting too much money into the machine. There are a number of strategies for hedging that you can learn from software designed to help you play slots online with confidence. Some of these software programs are free, while others are expensive. Most of them offer a money back guarantee, which should go without saying.