Lions, tigers, and bears…and Aces and Kings?
There are countless themes among the thousands and thousands of online slot games on the market. Wild west, cyberpunk, fantasy, you name it. And each theme, each slot, has its own set of symbols for you to watch fly around the reels, hoping they line up just so.
almost never related to the game’s theme
But even with all the different themes and artwork, you have probably noticed that one set of symbols appears over and over again in loads of different online slots, almost never related to the game’s theme: playing card symbols.
I know I have wondered why in the world games with monsters, gems, and movie characters use Nine, Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace in addition to their custom symbols. I bet you have, too.
Learning tool
At first blush, the playing card symbols make at least some sort of sense, considering they are central to other gambling games, and slot games, too, are gambling. Ultimately, it is that relationship between the symbols and gambling that is the reason why we see them so often in online slots.
Using playing card symbols is a way to help gamblers bridge the gap between table games and online slots. Online slots can be a bit daunting to a new player, especially when most of them nowadays have five or six reels or dozens of cascading, exploding, and animated symbols. A player who is used to poker, blackjack, and other casino table games can be made more comfortable if they see familiar symbols right off the bat.
On top of that, playing card symbols are almost always the lowest-value symbols on an online slot, while custom symbols, specific to the game, are the ones you really want to hit. Reserving Nine through Ace (or a subset thereof) for the bottom tier payouts became a universal convention, allowing players who are trying a new online slot, especially those who already have some experience, to immediately understand the basics. It shortens the learning curve, increases enjoyment, and keeps people playing longer.
Don’t knock it
I tried one online slot a while back that employed playing card symbols but also plopped a custom image on top of them. At the time, I goofed on it to a colleague, saying that the developers were lazy, not even making the effort to completely reskin an older slot.
I realized later, though, that it likely wasn’t laziness, but rather a best of both worlds scenario: they could use imagery consistent with the game’s theme while also including the traditional playing card symbols to help players get up to speed without having to study the pay table. It was perhaps a little odd looking, but it served its purpose.
Age-old mystery solved. Playing card symbols make absolutely perfect sense in online slots and will be a part of the game forever and ever, so don’t fight it.
