What is Autoplay and how do I use it with slot games?

Welcome to our series of "how to" articles and videos where we look at different features or aspects of slot games and investigate what they are, how they work and how they can be useful to players when playing slots that feature them.

In this article, we are going to take a look at one of the most useful and perhaps underused features available on the majority of slot games produced nowadays, the Autoplay feature.

In this article, we will answer some of the more common questions people may have about the Autoplay feature and we will try to keep our answers as generic as possible, so that they apply to as many different slot games as possible, rather than just a few.

So let's begin our look at this feature by exploring exactly what Autoplay is.

What is Autoplay?

Autoplay is a feature on a slot which, when activated, will spin the reels for you, at a pre-determined bet amount per spin. The number of spins you play automatically this way is determined at the start of the session by the user, who will select how many spins and what cost to pay for each spin in the session.

Autoplay is simply a compound word that is short for Automatic Gameplay, which essentially means that instead of you hitting the spin button each time to start a spin, the software will instead do this for you, for the number of spins you select and at the bet amount you select.

How do I use Autoplay?

Autoplay is generally easily accessible on most slots. You can access it usually using a button that is near to the Spin button on the slot, and often there is another link to it inside the information menu for that particular slot game.

On the most basic Autoplay functions on slots, you can pick your bet size and the number of spins that you want to play using the Autoplay feature. Once you have done this, you can then click the start button to start your Autoplay spins.

However, over the years there have been a few more items added to more recent Autoplay menus and these include Loss Limiter and Win Limit meters. These tools essentially stop the Autoplay feature before the number of spins has been played in full should you either your losses on the game reach the threshold that the player sets, or if your winnings reach a threshold on the slot that once again, the player sets.

Many Autoplay features also allow players the chance to set their bet amount and others, if they are on a progressive jackpot game, may also allow you to stop the Autoplay feature if you land a shot at the progressive jackpot prize.

Why would I use Autoplay?

Now many people feel that the heart of playing a slot is clicking the button which sets the reel in motion and if that gives you a genuine frisson of excitement each time that you do it, then you may wonder why you would bother using Autoplay at all.

It is a fair point, many people do love to click the slots and see the outcome of that click displayed. Using Autoplay does take that away but even so, Autoplay can still be beneficial for Mega Moolah players.

Firstly, if you want to play a game and are busy doing something else, maybe you can't be at your computer for a few minutes, or you want to play the slot whilst performing some other task. In this case, you can set Autoplay going using the parameters outlined and you can play through your spins automatically.

Some people also like to use Autoplay so they can sit back and just watch how the spins unfold, without having to click a button each time.

Does using Autoplay have any other benefits, such as increasing my chances of a win?

Yes, without doubt one of the best benefits of the Autoplay feature is the fact that it is so easy to manage your bankroll and control your spend, especially when compared to playing by clicking the Spin button.

With Autoplay, you can set clearly the amount you want to spend in total on your session. So you know exactly how much you are going to spend. Then at the end of the spins, you know you will not have spent any more than that amount.

Most of our video reviews are done with Autoplay because then we don't need to keep clicking to spin the reels.

The other benefit this has is that it outlines the exact point at which to quit the game. When playing using the spin button, it is easy to keep clicking for many more spins than you initially planned to and when you do this, you can play and spend much more than you originally intended, Autoplay allows you far greater control of your spend.

And of course, the flip side of this is, if you do win and it is added to your account, then you won't spend these winnings too and they will be available for you to use on the next session, whenever that is.

Autoplay can be very beneficial to these more impulsive players who tend to spend all the cash in their account, even when they didn't intend to, as they get carried away when hitting the spin button.

Are there any negatives when using Autoplay?

For me, the only negative when using Autoplay is that some players may feel slightly disconnected from the game. Clicking the spin button makes you feel like you have some element of control in the game (even though you don't actually influence the outcome of the spins) and many players will miss this aspect of the slot when using the Autoplay feature.

However, as we have outlined above, there are many positives to using Autoplay, some of which are not immediately apparent, and as such, the benefits of having the option available to play this way far outweigh he fact that some people may like to click the spin button themselves.

Which slots have Autoplay?

Almost every modern slot will have an Autoplay feature available on it, but it is important to note that not all Autoplay features are exactly the same. Some are simpler than others, just offering a couple of options (bet size and number of spins) whereas others will have some of the more detailed options we have outlined above.

On some games, the amount of spins you play will be predefined amounts (10, 25, 50 and 100 spins seem popular choices) and on other slots, you can actually type in the number of spins you want to play to the exact number. Similarly, win or loss limits can be selected from drop down menus, or typed in automatically by the player depending on the slot.

Autoplay is a fantastic feature and as you can see in the accompanying video, it does not offer you any less chance of landing a win on any game you choose to play using it.