The Aztecs may have had mucho bad luck meeting up with the Spaniards, but this Realtime Gaming 5-reel slots game with a whopping 20 possible paylines is a real winner.

Of course, chances to lose increase with the number of lines player, since each line costs one bet. Although the minimum bet can be 1 cent per line, it really only begins to pay off by playing at least 5 cents per line played if you’re going for all 20 lines. At $1 a spin, that can put a hole in your bankroll in a hurry if you’re not watching.

However, Aztec’s Treasure tends to have a good share of winners, thanks to its Substitute and Scatter icons.

The Aztec King is the Substitute Icon. It appears only on reels 2, 3, and 4 and substitutes for all other symbols except the Scatters. Thus a king or two on play lines can trigger some nice wins.

The Scatter icon is the Aztec Idol symbol, which multiplies the wins by the total bet. It brightens the play with a funky sound, too, when it comes up.

Other icons include Aztec Maiden, Jaguar, High Priest, Aztec Jewels and Ace through 9 poker cards. The Payout Table lists all the ways these combinations can win, but it’s a lot to memorize. It’s easier to let the game show you. All symbols pay left to right except scattered idols, which pay in any place.

The real prize here is the Free Game Bonus. The appearance of 3, 4 or 5 scattered idols anywhere triggers 5, 15 or 25 free games respectively. Each Scatter icon that appears during the free games awards a bonus prize equal to the triggering bet. Additional free games can be triggered when 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 Scatters show up in the feature. These add 1, 2, 5, 15 or 25 more free games respectively. Free games are played at the lines and bet of the trigger game and all prizes except the bonus are tripled.

A Progressive Jackpot, triggered at random, can be won at the conclusion of any paid game. Progressive Jackpot wins are added to other wins.

English Harbor Casino

Website: http://www.englishharbor.com
# of Penny Slot Machines: 30+
US Accepted: Yes
Play for Free: Yes
Bonus: 100% up to $200 on your first 4 deposits

English Harbor is one of the oldest and most reputable casinos on the Internet.

Cherry Red Casino

Website: http://www.cherryredcasino.com
# of Penny Slot Machines: 50+
US Accepted: Yes
Play for Free: Yes
Bonus: 400% up to $2,400 for slots

Cherry Red Casino is a relatively new online casino, but has already made a name for itself by having superior graphics, quality customer support, and huge bonuses.

SuperSlots Casino

Website: http://www.superslots.com
# of Penny Slot Machines: 30+
US Accepted: Yes
Play for Free: Yes
Bonus: 100% up to $300

SuperSlots is another great Vegas Technology casino with plenty of penny slot machines for you to play. SuperSlots is well known for having a large selection of slot tournaments. These range from the daily free slot tournaments to ones with a $10 entry.

Sloto’ Cash Casino

Website: http://www.slotocash.com
# of Penny Slot Machines: 20+
US Accepted: Yes
Play for Free: Yes
Bonus: $7 FREE + $570 in deposit match bonuses

Sloto’ Cash Casino is probably the most popular Rival casino around. Players love the interactive I-slots that you’ll only find at Rival casinos like Sloto’ Cash. With a $7 free no deposit bonus, there’s no reason not to play their penny slot machines.

Rushmore Casino

Website: http://www.rushmorecasino.com
# of Penny Slot Machines: 50+
US Accepted: Yes
Play for Free: Yes
Bonus: 400% up to $2,400 for slots

Rushmore Casino, like its RTG counterpart Cherry Red Casino, has built a solid reputation quickly in the gaming community. The casino boasts a great selection of video slot machines, huge weekly bonuses for slot players, and a customer service department that’s second-to-none.

Playing Online Penny Slot Machines

For those of you who like to play penny slots as much as I do, online casinos can be a convenient option. The multi-line slots look and play almost exactly like the ones you’ll find at any Las Vegas casino. If you’re fearful about depositing real money at online casinos, they offer all their slots free as well.