Casinos have always promoted slots through bonuses or by themselves as a way to attract players to their platforms. Not only do casinos put a lot of focus on slots, but gamblers appreciate them immensely as well.
With so many slot options on the market, it’s hard to pick one that you like that you will use real money with. That’s why testing the slots in demo mode first is the best way to experiment, discover your preferences and the games that you will continue to come back to because of how good they are.
The sections below cover what to look for when testing free slots, including RTP and volatility, bonus rounds and additional features, themes, and how slots generally work.
Using demo slots as a testing tool
There are many situations in which testing slots offer significant advantages. When you search SlotsCalendar’s free slot library for options, you dive deeper into the site, find some free spins no deposit bonuses, and claim one.
That bonus allows you to test a new gambling platform and some new slots for free at the same time. Not only are you discovering a casino, but you’re also getting acquainted with the features of a new slot.
Another situation would involve you already being on your favorite gambling site and curious about a slot. What you want to do is test it for free before using real money.
In any circumstances, the demo versions of the slots help tremendously in making decisions at the casino that can influence your overall experience.
Feeling out volatility
One of the main characteristics of a slot is the volatility. Slots come with 3 main types of volatility, though you may encounter games where you can’t pinpoint the exact volatility, because the provider doesn’t specify and only shows it in a type of graphic.
- Low volatility: this brings more frequent wins, but they are smaller in value, so it allows you to spend more time playing if this is your goal (examples: Blood Suckers, Starburst);
- Medium volatility: wins and their frequency are neither big nor small, the game is balanced, and you have the chance of occasional big payouts (examples: Big Bass Bonanza, 9 Pots of Gold);
- High volatility: you don’t get frequent wins, but when they do hit, the amounts are considerable. Good if you plan to have a shorter gambling session and your wallet can handle losing streaks (examples: Dead or Alive, Book of Dead).
Most of the time, you can check the volatility level directly in the slot by pressing the information button and going to the last pages, where the provider usually mentions this aspect.
Testing different RTPs
Another definitive characteristic of slots is their RTPs. The RTP (Return to Player) is a long-run theoretical average for the active model. Note that a short session can finish far above or below its target. Right now, the average in the industry sits at 96%, so it’s preferable if you would avoid slots with RTPs lower than this.
If you are really curious about a slot and it has some features that you’d really like to try, you can give it a chance, considering you’re playing in demo mode, even if it has low RTP. Some examples include Gold of Babylon, which has a 95% RTP, and Da Vinci Diamonds, which has a 94,94% RTP.
Still, a higher RTP will theoretically result in a higher return rate over a long session. So try searching for slots that come with this advantage, such as Starmania (97.87%) or Golden Tour (97.71%).
You’ll find this aspect on the same pages mentioned previously, in the slot’s menu, where you can find information about the game.
Trying bonus rounds/features
The free version of the slots is the perfect way to test the games’ special features. Considering you’re not gambling with real money, you can play however much you want. Playing for an extended period of time allows you to see how the features perform and what changes appear depending on the bets used.
Trying a series of slots that come with diverse features allows you to experiment more and be ready once you find yourself in a situation where you have to play a slot with real money with said features.
For example, you get to see the scatters trigger the free spins, how multipliers apply to your game, when re-triggers take place, how the wilds substitute the symbols and expand win lines or see how high-payout features work.
Comparing themes
The themes are really important when it comes to the games you play, because taking into account how many options are on the market, not all of them are going to suit your taste. The advantage of playing for free is that you have the opportunity to try themes that you wouldn’t have accessed with real money. Or maybe you were curious about some slots that required higher stakes.
Playing demos allows you to compare diverse themes and realize what your actual preferences are, so that when you play with real money, you know which types of games to direct your attention to.
Final thoughts
Even if you’re playing for free, gambling can still become addictive, so you need to be really careful with how much time you choose to spend at the casino. Make it a priority to play responsibly using tools that monitor your time and your losses, and don’t hesitate to call or text 1-800-522-4700 or 1-800-697-3738 to reach help from the National Council on Problem Gambling. Also, remember that you should only gamble if you are over the legal age of 18.