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The Classic Slot – Simple Yet Entertaining

What are classic slots is a question we often get, especially now when casino lobbies are dominated by video slots. A classic slot has three reels, and each of the reels displays three symbols. This allows for up to five pay lines, three that go horizontally over the reels and two that go diagonally. Usually, you’ll be able to choose how many of the pay lines you want to bet on for each spin. Betting on only one line can make the bet per spin cheap, but it will, of course, also mean that you’ll only get a win when the winning combination is on this line. You’ll usually need to have three of the same symbol filling a whole pay line on the online slot machine to get a win. Make sure to read our slot reviews to find your favorite classic slot!

The symbols used in the true classic slots are bells, coins, bars, 7s, and fruits, but what we would call the “modern” classic slots, the new versions of slots that resemble the classics can have all kinds of different symbols. Each symbol will have a different value, so you’ll win the most from the high-value symbols that don’t appear that often, while you might get frequent wins from the low-value symbols. It’s also perfectly possible to get wins from different symbols on the same spin if you choose to activate all the pay lines in the slot.

Just like other casino games, there are free classic slots online. These are real-money reel machines that support demo play. While you don't play with actual cash in this mode, you also don't win real money prizes. Remember, playing free 3 reel classic slots is different than playing with a no deposit bonus. In the second case, you can actually win some real money prizes.

The Pay Lines

With three reels showing three symbols each, the pay lines in a classic slot usually run horizontally and diagonally. To win, you need to have three of the same symbol in a line. In classic slots, having a wild symbol is relatively uncommon, although you’ll see this in more modern versions. Quite a few classic online slots also let you choose the number of pay lines you want to bet on. The standard number of pay lines is five, but you can choose to bet on one, two, three, or four lines, depending on the settings on the slot. On modern versions of classic slots, it’s normal to have nine pay lines or more since the slots usually have five reels.

The Best Classic

Slots Classic slots are, first and foremost, popular among players who have played on physical versions of these games in the real world. Many of the exact same games can now be found online, complete with the same pay tables, symbols, and features. These three games are among the most popular classic slots at online casinos:

Jackpot 6000

NetEnt has brought new life to the old-time slot Jackpot 6000. In this game, you’ll find a typical classic slot with both a gamble feature and a super meter. The maximum win is 6000 coins, and you can get this by either lining up three jokers or by triggering a random win by getting two jokers in the supermeter.

Super Nudge 6000

NetEnt is also the game provider behind the online version of Super Nudge 6000. In this slot, the supermeter has the most to offer, and it’s here that real gamblers have the best chances of winning. In the super meter, you choose if you want to bet 2x, 4x, or 6x your initial bet, and you’ll get 1, 2, or 3 nudges. By nudging the reels after they stop, you can change an almost win to a win.

Mega Joker

There are lots of jokers spinning around the reels in Mega Joker from NetEnt, and these symbols don’t have a fixed prize. Every win from a line filled with jokers will trigger a random win, and you can bring the winnings with you to the supermeter. You can choose to wager 2x, 4x, 10x, or 20x your initial bet in this bonus feature, depending on the size of win you're after. And that’s not all. Mega Joker also features a progressive jackpot!

Bonus Features 

Even though classic slots are usually quite simple there are some bonus features to be found in most of them. Free spins and pick & click that are a big part of most video slots are not common, instead, you’ll find simpler versions such as the gamble feature and perhaps a supermeter. These are in-game features where you can choose if you want to collect the win from a pay line as it is or gamble with it for the chance of winning more. However, you might also end up losing what you initially won.

The gamble feature is easy: you can take your winnings and bet on a 50/50 or a 25/75 game by picking a card color or card suit, and if you pick the correct one you double or quadruple your winnings. In the supermeter, on the other hand, you’ll be gambling by spinning the reels. In this feature, you’ll bet more per spin, but you might also get the chance of winning more from bigger wins from the bet lines or from special symbols, like the jokers. Nudging wheels or getting mystery wins is also possible in quite some of these slots.

Gamble Feature

The gamble feature is usually a 50/50 game. When you win from a pay line, you get to choose whether you want to collect your winnings or use them to gamble longer. If you choose to gamble, you get to pick either heads or tails on a coin flip, or you can choose either red or black from cards drawn from a deck. If you pick the right one, you’ll double your winnings, but if you pick the wrong one, you’ll lose your winnings. If you win, you can gamble for the chance to double your money again.

Usually, you can do this until you click collect to have your winnings added to the balance in the game or until you lose. Some games do, however, have a limit on the number of times you can use this feature in the same game round. If the gamble feature uses cards, you might also be able to choose a suite of cards instead of just the card color. If this is the case, you’ll be playing a 25/75 game. The potential winnings will be greater, but the chances of winning are, of course, lower.

Supermeter

In many ways, the supermeter feature is similar to the gamble feature, since you can only enter it by gambling on the winnings from a pay line. The difference is that your win is added to the supermeter, and you can then spin the reels again with the chance of hitting a bigger win. Some classic slots use the same reels for this, while others have a separate set of reels that are only used for the supermeter. The bet per spin will be higher — it’s usually at least double what you’d normally bet — but the potential wins are also greater. You can win more with a “normal” win from the pay lines, but there may be other added features, such as scatter wins or something like that. The more you bet, the more you can win.

Once you've entered the supermeter, you can, at any time, choose to collect your winnings and go back to the game’s normal mode, and if you end up losing everything you have in the supermeter, the feature will automatically close. If you do win, some games will let you play in the supermeter mode indefinitely while other games limit the amount you can have in the meter. Once you hit this ceiling, your supermeter balance is transferred to the balance you have in the game itself.

Advantages of Classic Online Slots

Classic casino slots have one thing that video and 3D slots don’t have - simplicity. That’s why players who prefer old-fashioned symbols and easy-to-understand rules prefer classic reel machines. There are no complex bonus rounds and tons of features that only confuse you. Instead, there are several symbols that pay nice prizes when aligned. It’s as simple as that.

Another benefit of classic slots is that they’re good for any budget. Namely, they often have only one payline and some have up to eight. This makes the minimum bet on the game low compared to slots with 25 or more fixed paylines. This advantage doesn’t mean much to those who want to play free classic slots rather than partake in real-money action.

Find the Best Classic Slot

Luckily, most online casinos are separating their slots into several categories, and that means you’ll normally find all the classics in one place. This should make it fairly easy to scroll through the selection you have to choose from. Just note: not all the games found in the category are always the true classics, so there might also be modern slots that have taken inspiration from the classics but also implemented more modern features. Some of these can, in fact, be a video slot, but the main game resembles a classic one by only having three reels and not many pay lines. 

If the casino you’re playing at has a filtering option for sorting slots you’ll most likely find the option to filter for classic slots, but it could also be that this is not the case. If so, you’ll most likely be able to filter by pay lines and bonus features. If you choose the lowest amount of lines and the least amount of bonus features then chances are that you’ll end up with a selection that at least includes a lot of the classic slots. 

You should also read through some of the slot reviews we here at GoodLuckMate have made for you, so you can find the classic slot that has the features you’re after. And, we’ve of course also provided you with a link to where you can try the slot for free, to make sure you like it before you start gambling for real money.

Eve Luneborg
Eve Luneborg
Last Update: 11 Aug 2023
Eve started working at an online casino back in 2014, and she’s been involved in the iGaming industry ever since. Here at GoodLuckMate, she’s our go-to writer for in-depth guides, specialising in anything related to payments and account verification, table game guides and even casino and slot reviews. Eve is also religiously following industry news, keeping a close eye on any regulatory changes, new game releases, upcoming trends and much more.
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