Winning with Scatters, Bonus Rounds, and Jackpots
Most penny slot machines you will find in the casinos these days offer more than one way to win on a spin. Besides winning with matching combinations of symbols, you may also win money with "Scatters," Bonus Rounds, or Jackpots. Scatters pay when three or more "scatter" symbols turn up in a spin, and they can be scattered across the screen. That is, the scatter symbols do not have to line up in a row in order to win. Generally, you can get 3-5 scatter symbols on a spin, with 4 or 5 "scatters" paying much more than just three. (Scatter symbols are NOT featured on all slot machine games)

Most video slot machines also feature Bonus Rounds. Bonus rounds usually occur when you get three or more "bonus" or "free games" symbols on a spin. Typically, a bonus round will give you a certain number of free spins, usually between 5-15 free spins. Some games also multiply the amount you win by 2-3 times during the bonus rounds, which can make the bonus rounds spins more profitable than your ordinary spins. On most slot games you can also "retrigger" the bonus round by getting another three or more "bonus" symbols during the bonus round. One time I retriggered the bonus round on a Jade Monkey slot machine three times, which gave me a nice payout! Some slot machine games also feature other types of bonuses, such as picking tiles to reveal special bonus awards. On your typcial video slot machine you may get a bonus round maybe once every 150-200 spins on average. They don't come that often, except when you find yourself on a "hot" slot machine. (Read here on how to find the HOT slot machines in casinos)

Jackpots, or "top awards" occur when you get five of the highest paying symbol in a payline. Jackpot (or top award) amounts can vary anywhere from $20 on a minimum bet up to a couple hundred or more, depending on the game. Of course, these winning combinations come up very rarely and you may never see one!

How to familiarize yourself with a slot machine game
When playing a slot machine for the first time, a good idea is to familiarize yourself with how that particular game is played. The best way to do this is to hit the "Game Info" button on the game. This will open up a new screen which shows you the different paylines available on the game, the different winning combinations and how much they pay, plus information on how the different scatters or bonus rounds work and how much they pay. This is good information to have when playing a slot machine as you will have a better idea of what to expect while playing it.

How much money should you bring to the casino?
If you are planning on playing the penny slot machines for a couple hours and are playing mainly for fun (which is what they are really for), my advice is to bring a bankroll of 50-100 dollars with you. You could show up with a mere $20, but that may not last long, especially if you play the newer games with higher minimum bets and you hit a dry run of losing spins. If you plan on betting big to try to win big, you should have a bankroll of at least a couple hundred. Of course, your bankroll should be what you can afford to lose! Most casinos have ATM machines, but they come with fees of $5 or more per transaction. Personally, I go to the casinos with a bankroll of $100-200, depending on how long I plan on staying.

There you have it! The basics on how to play penny slot machines. Have fun, good luck, and may the force be with you! For tips on how to maximize your slot machine experience check out this article: How to win at slot machines (or at least have a good time playing them)