Which One is Better, 3 Reel Slots or 5 Reel Slots?

Before the digital age, slot machines operated by using manual reels. The first ones that came into existence had three reels, and they were originally called one-armed bandits because you needed to pull the lever for the slot machine to work. 

As technology improved, digital creators made online games that have five reels. So now, the ultimate question is what kind of slot machine should you play and which one is better? 

Here, we will take a look at the components of these games and help you decide which one to choose. Is it the 3 reel slots or the 5-reel ones?

Volatility

Volatility refers to the risk you are taking when you play slot machines. It is expressed as low, medium, or high, and many factors affect how volatile a machine can be. 

The number of symbols is one factor, along with the number of rows and the number of reels. When you spin all of them. The more symbols there are, the higher the risk. 

Think of a coin. It only has two sides. It is not so volatile because your chance of guessing the right outcome is 50%, but if you have 20 possible variants, your risk is higher. 

A high volatility slot has larger payouts, and you will notice that the wins also happen fewer times. Usually, 5-reel slots are volatile because landing a winning pay line is much more difficult, most especially so if the winning line must start from the leftmost reel.

3-reel slots are less volatile because there are only three reels, and only a few symbols involved. Usually, slots with 3 reels do not have more than ten symbols, and landing a combination is easier than with the 5-reel ones.   

Winner: 3-reel slots 

Simplicity

3-reel slots are a lot simpler than the 5-reel ones. If you play slots with three reels, it is very rare that you get confused with other game mechanics and symbols like the wild, scatter, free spins, multipliers, and bonus rounds. 

In a 3-reel variant, you only need to match three same symbols. There is usually only one pay line, which is a straight horizontal line from the first reel to the last one. 

Since there is only one pay line, understanding how you won is easy. There is no complication of multiple lines wins, and it is also easy to understand how to calculate your winnings. 

Most 3-reel and 5-reel slots allow you to bet more than one coin per line. What this means is that if you wager two coins on a line and that one gets a hit, you will also receive twice the payment for it.  

5-reel slots, on the other hand, have so many symbols like the scatter, which typically triggers the free spin or bonus round, and the wild, which substitutes for all symbols to create a winning line. 

In 5-reel slots, you will also see a gambling feature or a feature where you can buy free spins, all of which can be confusing to a new player.  Slots Online slots are provided by the slotxo slot game, which is the most popular online slots game at the moment. With images and sounds, making it look like in front of a slot machine In a real casino And have a fish shooting game to play as well With services to play all day When signing up for a slots and get free credits at slotxo777, the most fun online slots live22

Winner: 3-reel slots

Taste

Some people prefer slots that have a modern vibe. 3-reel games do not have this. Despite some versions that have 3D graphics, 3-reel slots often only use classic symbols like fruits, bars, lucky 7, and card suits. 

5-reel slots are limitless in design. Many branded slots, such as those that are inspired by movies and TV shows, are offered in 5-reel varieties. 

Today, there are also 5-reel slots that are in 3D. This means that the graphics not only look realistic, but there are characters that talk and move on the screen as you play.  

5-reel slots come in all manners that fit different age groups, demographics, and tastes. Some are based on movies, cartoons, and some are based on iconic superhero characters. 

5-reel versions also offer cinematic experiences at the beginning, where the game tells you a story before you start playing.

3-reel slots, on the other hand, can only be a great option for those who want to experience nostalgia. These are often made with classic symbols and gameplay, so only those who appreciate classic novelties can enjoy them.  

Winner: 5-reel slots

Prizes

The amount of money you win is a good starting point of debate as to which one is better. The truth is- 5-reel slots often offer higher prizes. 

The reason behind this is that winning is also less frequent. Most of the time, there are more than eight varying symbols in a 5-reel slot. And then you face the task of landing combinations on specific locations. 

Despite the difficulty of landing a winning line, the prizes can be really rewarding. 5-reel slots can typically reward you with at least 200,000 coins, with many offering you up to a million coins. 

Also, there are 5-reel slot machines that are interlinked. This means that while you are playing from your house, someone is also playing it in a physical casino. And because many people are playing, the operator can get a portion of the bets and pool it into a jackpot prize.

This jackpot prize is hard to crack, but it surely is worth the risk. Many slot machines with progressive jackpot prizes offer at least 10,000,000 million coins. 

Winner: 5-reel slots

Win Frequency

This is going to make or break your decision. The win frequency of 3-reel slots is higher, but the win amount is lower. 

The reason behind this is that there is typically only one pay line on a 3-reel slot machine. Sometimes, these slot machines also accept half-symbols. 

In 5-reel slots, it is difficult to land a winning combo on 15 slots. But if you do, you take home a bigger amount of money. 

Winner: 3-reel slots

So, based on these five criteria, the clear winner is 3-reel slots. But then and again, each person has his own cup of tea. 

3-reel slots are suitable if you want simple gameplay and frequent wins, but the 5-reel slot is great if you want big prizes, and you do not mind complex gameplay.