Which one is better: 3 reel or 5 reel slots?
Slots have always been one of the most popular attractions of the casinos online and offline equally. While most of us are used to traditional 3 reel slots, casinos are also keeping up with all the technological innovations and as a result they have incorporated lots of revolutionary 5 reel slots. However, we have to keep in mind that new does not always mean better.
We will carefully examine both types of slot machines, 3 reel and 5 reel slots, in order to determine in detail which of these types of machines is better and why. Let us go ahead and have a look at some of the major advantages and disadvantages of 3 reel slots and 5 reel slots.
Payout Percentages
Winning is what we seek for in any kind of casino game, besides fun and excitement of course; accordingly, one of the primary points that has to be looked over is the difference between payout percentages of 3 reel and 5 reel slots.
How about the chances of winning?
There is a common misconception that with 5 reel slots you have less chances of hitting winning combinations, but this is not the truth as all slot machines are using Random Number Generators nowadays; they are no longer mechanical. From this we can conclude that if two different reel slots are set to pay out the same percentage, then the number of reels does not matter here. In a long run, the machines will pay out exactly same percentage. So, when it comes to payout percentage 3 reel slots and 5 reel slots are completely similar.
The same can not be said about the hit frequency though. You have much more winning combinations of 5 reel slots than on 3 reel slots, as the combinations there are made up of 3 to 5 symbols. To make things clearer one can say that on 5 reel slots you have higher chance of hitting small pay outs more frequently rather than one big jackpot.
Let’s talk about graphics…
There is one part that is surely better in 5 reel slots and they are graphics and sound and gameplay in general. Newer slots offer greater variety of symbols and smoother animation.
In conclusion, 5 reel slots are actually better than 3 reel slots at some points, but in general it is all up to one’s taste. There are no such major differences between these two types of slots that would allow us to say that one is 100% better than the other.
