This may sound like an elementary point, but it is often one of the most easily overlooked. Knowing exactly how much you have to play with and, more to the point, how much you can afford to lose, is one of the most basic elements of a successful session at the online slots.

Proper preparation makes for a more successful slot session...

Preparing a bank roll helps players to feel relaxed and comfortable at the slots; proper preparation and a thorough knowledge of how much an be spent per session also helps a player ‘pick their battles’ in a smart manner.

After all, what is the point of spending time sitting an online slot game in constant worry that your next game needs to be a winner, all because you have lost track of how much money you have left to spend?

Smartphone slots are growing in popularity...

As with many things, there has been somewhat of a lag between technology and public consciousness. Primarily, there are still a great many people who participate in some form of online gambling that do not yet realise that they can take advantage of the same services from their smartphone!

Despite many people still playing catch up as to what is available from their mobile, the smartphone gaming sector is one of the fastest growing within the entire of the online gaming industry. This has been leading to some incredible innovations and developments from the top players within the online gaming; for instance, both Microgaming and Playtech have recently vowed to develop and release a plethora of new and incredibly interactive smartphone games – this will be in addition to the new titles that found their way on to player’s screen towards the closing stages of 2011.

With mobile gaming looking to conquer the traditional online market, there has never been a better time to check out what’s on offer from your phone…

Fortunately, becoming ‘savvy’ with online slots is not as hard as many people might believe. One of the core things to be aware of when playing online slots is which types are currently available. As it stands, the following are what an online slot player can expect to encounter when hitting ‘Virtual Vegas’:

Single/ 3 Reel Slots – these are the original (and many would argue still the best) kind of slot; the online versions originally hailed from ‘one armed bandits’, which required a player to pull a lever in order to see if they had hit it lucky.

Many consider single line slots to be the original and best...

Multi-line Slots - are an evolution of the original slots, and as the name might suggest, feature the addition of multiple pay lines. These types of online slot also saw the birth of popular ‘themes’, such as the incredibly successful superhero franchises.

Bonus and Bonus Video slots - these slots are often multi-line in nature, but also feature superb and often innovative bonus rounds; this provides a new degree of immersion and interaction to a player.

Progressive slots - these can be either single or multi-line slots; they work on the stipulation that if a jackpot if not won, then it builds up; this is often done between several online slots at multiple casinos and can therefore lead to some truly spectacular payouts!

Online slots aren’t “real slots” as “real” slots are mechanical – while this may have been true a very long time ago, it is a very outdated view of slot machines. Even “real life” slot machines make use of digital technology; inside they contain a chip which uses a random number generator to decide whether or not it should pay out. Online slot machines also use random number generators, meaning that there is practically little difference between the two types of game.

The humble slot machine is often shrouded in myth...

Pulling a handle is more likely to win that pressing ‘spin’ - this myth relates to the above point, but is still a surprisingly popular one! In truth, both pressing ‘spin’ and pulling a handle activate the same random number generator that dictates pay outs; this means that one is not better, or more likely to result in a win, than the other

Slots have ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ cycles - this is perhaps the most popular slot machine belief of all. As slots operate via a random number generator, there are not blatant cycles which relate to win ratios. However, it is true that simple laws of odds mean that you have an elevated chance of winning on a particular slot machine if you have just witnessed somebody lose on it many times in a row…

Well, that is exactly the kind of thing that we all should be doing once in a while; at least, that is what is thought be a certain type of online slot player. These players believe that the key to success when it comes to online slots is to give something new a go.

Why do they think this? You might well ask…

There's nothing to be scared of when it comes to new online slots...

These slot players believe that there are better odds of getting a return from an online slot game when it is in its earliest stages of being released; their reason for this is because they believe that online slot manufacturers want to make a name for the game when it arrives – and what better way to do this than being able to announce plenty of winners for it?

The logic behind this way of thinking certainly seems sound, but why not have a go at a new title and see how it treats you? After all: ‘variety is the spice of life’.

Some players can find it difficult to make the transition to online slots...

Fortunately, there is not a huge degree of separation between online slots and land based slots; although, there are a few important things to be aware of for the online slot novice.

Firstly, there is a staggering amount of choice when it comes to online slots; it is therefore important to have a good idea of what kind of slot you are looking to play before you go charging into a casinos entire selection. This can be done by checking out reviews of the latest and greatest offerings into the world of online slots, as well as being sure to choose a quality developer such as Microgaming or Playtech.

Another thing to be aware of with online slots is that there is an great amount of value to be had for regular players. Many online casinos offer cashback schemes for regular players, which could go a long way to boosting your account balance towards the end of the month.

Finally, try and vary your playing over different slots; there is no point pouring money into a stubborn slot that is simply refusing to pay out – give another game a go instead.

Online slots such as 'Little Devil' combine traditional and innovative features...

Online slots have get a lot of bad press from the online gaming community; there are a large amount of players who have an attitude not too far removed from that of ‘I wouldn’t play an online slot with a ten foot pole’.

This attitude (like most attitudes which can come across as being a ‘tad abrasive’) sometimes stems from a total lack of understanding about what online slots are and do. Online slots are still misrepresented as the ‘unskilled’ version of other gaming titles at online casinos; a gaming format that requires no skill to play and simply requires the repetitive clicking of a button.

While the fact that online slots require the repetitive clicking of a button is an undeniable fact, the same fact is true of virtually every online gaming format (what do you think you are doing when you play blackjack online?); however, the advent of the ‘bonus round’ has helped to put online slots on a par with many ‘skill’ titles at online casinos.

Bonus rounds are triggered during online slots when certain combinations of reels are hit or when a certain amount of time has elapsed since the beginning of play (such as the popular ‘Little Devil’ slot). Bonus rounds, in many games, have also been made into an art form in their own right – they encompass anything from skill games to brain teasers, while providing a challenging, rewarding and often lucrative experience.

Online slots are constantly evolving and with a surge of new and innovative titles coming out every year, they seem stronger than ever before – in spite of the naysayers!

Fortunately, there are a few simple tips that can help you avoid wasting time when looking for that perfect online gaming experience:

• Do your research – it may sound like an obvious point, but you would be incredibly surprised at how many people simply click on the first online casino that shows up in front of them on their browser. There are plenty of websites that have gone through the tedious work of testing and evaluating all the leading online gaming software providers, operators they service and the games that they provide. For example, a cursory glance at some of these editorial/review websites will throw trusted, quality names up again and again, such as Microgaming and Playtech.

Microgaming are among the most trusted gaming software developers

• Give them a go – research is all well and good, but there is no ‘right or wrong’ answer when it comes to online gaming and its enjoyment. Be sure to make sure that you are in total agreement with the reviews by testing the games rigorously.

• Don’t be afraid to move on – if a certain gaming operator or software provider is not ‘your cup of tea’, then there is no harm in looking elsewhere. The massive amount of choice available doesn’t have to be a negative…

We get to see a large number of slot machines in the movie 21. This film tells the story of the famous MIT blackjack card counters as they tour from casino to casino winning huge amounts of money from their team card counting exploits. The 2008 movie, based very closely on true life events, was directed by Robert Luketic and stars Kevin Spacey, Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth. Although most of the action takes place on the blackjack tables, we also get to a considerable amount of slots action.

We also get to see a large number of slot machines in Ocean’s Eleven which was released in 2001 and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, Don Cheadle, and Julia Roberts and tells the story of a huge casino heist ans in the course of it we get to see slot machines in the Bellagio, The Mirage, and the MGM casinos.

One of those exact people was J.C on 888 Casino who won $329,561 on the Treasure Twirl Slot Jackpot. It took him a while to even realise he had won as he was playing late at night and assumed he was “asleep and dreaming”. When asked about his winning strategy he states “When I play Blackjack I usually follow the basic strategies recommended. However, slot machines are pure luck. There is no strategy. My suggestion is that people play in order to have fun and always use a sense of responsibility. If one day luck smiles on you, great, but until then, let’s have fun with the game.”

Another big winner is G.A who increased his bankroll significantly by winning the €51,000 jackpot on a Hellboy slot machine, a Fruit Fiesta progressive slot machine at Captain Cooks Casino. He won this by changing tack, on reflection of his win G.A has to say “To vary my pleasure a bit, I decided to play on a progressive jackpot: I chose Fruit Fiesta as the jackpot is over $50,000 and I rarely saw one this big… After about half an hour of spins (trying with the “martingale” system) I don’t see the symbols lining up but I get a message reading: “Congratulations, you won the $51k jackpot!”

It is clear that when you play casino games online you definitely have a chance to win big, and as long as you are sensible and heed the advice of our first winner then not only will you end up leaving with some money in your pocket, you’ll enjoy the game along the way.