Slots are hugely popular at online casinos, with some casinos offering nothing but slots! There are countless titles available out there, with many themed after popular TV shows, movies, video games and more. The list of themes really is endless and there are new ones popping up all the time.
When it comes to playing online slots, it can get quite repetitive. You have to spin the reels repeatedly, clicking the mouse or tapping the touchpad each and every time you want the reels to spin.
Luckily, there is a feature that many online slots have that allows you to bypass the hard work of constantly spinning the reels. This feature is called autoplay and here’s some more information about it.
How autoplay works
The autoplay feature really is quite simple. When you’re playing a slot, you should see the ‘autoplay’ button on the screen. Once you’ve clicked it, the feature will then activate. Once activated, the slot will spin the reels, show you the results, then spin the reels again.
Alternatively, you can choose to have the results of all the spins shown after the autoplay feature has come to an end. If the player happens to win while the autoplay feature is active, the winning combination will be shown. The prize money will then automatically be added to the player’s account. This is essentially an automated way of playing online slots.
Many online slots have lots of exciting sound and visual effects – autoplay typically skips these extra features and just focuses on spinning the reels again and again.
When you activate this feature, you’ll get to decide exactly how many times the reels will be automatically spun. This number is never random and is always decided by the player before the player activates autoplay.
You’ll also have to decide how many pay lines you want to play and how much you want to bet. Note that once autoplay is activated, you won’t have the option to increase or decrease your bets until the feature is no longer running.
Bear in mind that autoplay is in no way free. If you have the reels spun 50 times with autoplay activated, it will cost you the same as having them spun 50 times without autoplay activated. Autoplay will stop if you happen to run out of money, even if you have spins remaining.
You can set limits in place so if you win or lose a certain amount of money, the autoplay feature will stop. This can not only protect any wins you might have, but it can also prevent you from losing too much money.
If you win free spins while autoplay is active, the slot will use up these free spins straight away. The autoplay feature will continue running (if there are any spins remaining).
If you happen to activate a bonus round, the game will come to a stop until the player chooses an option; the autoplay feature won’t randomly select bonus round options on behalf of the player. After the player has completed the bonus round, the autoplay feature will continue automatically.
Once you’ve activated the autoplay feature, you can stop it at any time and resume normal gameplay.
Should you use it on online slots?
Whether you should use the autoplay feature on online slots is a matter of personal preference.
The most obvious advantage of this feature is that it speeds the game up and allows you to do other things while the computer’s spinning the reels. You can play other casino games at the same time. You can even have several online slots running on autoplay at the same time. This is a great way of increasing your chances of winning even further.
Another key advantage is that it reduces the amount of input required from the player. Instead of having to continually having to spin the reels, you can sit back, relax and watch the computer automatically spin them for you.
Thought the autoplay feature may seem great, it’s not for everyone. For example, it doesn’t suit players who employ strategies and like to change their bets on a whim.
You can, of course, stop autoplay at any time and restart it with new bets. However, constantly stopping and starting it to adjust bets goes against the idea of autoplay. You might as well just play normally.
For the full online slots experience, complete with cool animations and immersive sound effects, you should avoid using autoplay. This is because lots of these great features are typically skipped in order to maximise the number of spins.
Conclusion
Autoplay is a great feature for those who want to save a bit of time or those who want to multitask while playing online slots. Most online slots have this feature and even though it isn’t for everyone, it can be useful.