Multi-line penny slots may look complicated, but they are really very simple to learn. The key to learning how to play penny slot machines, is to have a basic understanding of paylines, betting, and bonus features.

How paylines work

Paylines are various lines where symbols must be matched to win. Penny slots generally have several reels and between 9 and 50+ paylines.

Playing more paylines gives you a better chance of winning, but it also costs more. For example, if you’re on a 20 line slot machine, betting .01 per line would cost $.20 per spin.

While it’s possible to hit the bonus or other winning combination on just one line, I recommend playing the maximum paylines available.

How betting works

As previously mentioned, the optimal penny slots strategy is to bet all the paylines available to increase your hit rate. However, you should be very careful how much you bet per line.

A lot of video slots have coin values that go from $.01 to $5.00. Things can get extremely expensive if you start betting more than $.01 per line.

Let’s say you’re on a 20 line machine betting all 20 lines. Consider how increasing your bet per line impacts your total bet.

.01 per line = .20 per spin 
.05 per line = 1.00 per spin 
.25 per line = 5.00 per spin 
1.00 per line = 20.00 per spin 
5.00 per line = 100.00 per spin

So, be careful not to hit max bet on all lines or you’ll be wondering where your money went!

Understanding bonus features

Bonus features are what make penny slot machines so popular. Not only do they give you a way to rack up cash, they are usually very entertaining as well.

Penny slot bonus features can be separated into two groups – “On Reel Bonuses” and “Off Reel Bonuses”.

On Reel Bonuses occur on the normal five spinning reels. The most common On Reel Bonuses are free spin features.

Off Reel Bonuses occur on a seperate bonus screen. Popular Off Reel Bonuses include pick a box and spin the wheel.

To qualify for these different types of bonus features you usually need to hit a certain number of “scatter” symbols anywhere on the machine. To find out about a specific slot machines bonus feature, you can use the Help button on the machine, or search through our penny slot game reviews section.

Learning to play penny slots online

Online penny slots are by far the most convenient, fun, and affordable way to play. All of the best online slots casinos allow you to play instant penny slots without depositing. If you do choose to deposit they each have fantastic sign up bonuses to play slots with. If you want to learn how to gain an edge at online casino slot machines, read our article about online slots strategy. Below you can practice playing penny slots on a realistic online penny slot machine.