Paylines are undoubtedly an essential aspect of slot machines. Ultimately, they decide the outcome of your bets, whether you make or lose money. If you want to learn more about how slot paylines function, then you’re at the right spot. Read this guide on slot paylines to learn more about slot machine paylines.
About Slots Paylines
Let’s review the fundamentals of the payline slots’ operation. The majority of slots are played on grids. The grid comprises three reels and five rows or columns. This allows the grid to have a total of fifteen positions.
When you play a slot, you’ll find an array of symbols to be seen at all times, one for each place. You make bets, then spin the reels, and a new set of symbols appear.
If you get enough symbols that match on reels that are consecutive on this line, you’ll win and be paid. The majority of paylines are between left and right.
So, the matching line of symbols must begin on the left reel, i.e., reel 1. If the slots paylines run from left to right, the line of play must begin on the rightmost reel (reel 5, reel).
Some slot paylines can run both ways, and your sequence of symbols that match can begin at the leftmost or rightmost reel, allowing you to take home a prize.
Most online slots come with 20-30 paylines. Some have fewer paylines, while others have more. The majority of the time, you’ll need just three identical symbols on a payline for you to be a winner.
The more identical symbols are on slot paylines, the greater your chances of winning. Remember that you can only be paid one time per payline.
If you win five identical symbols on the slots paylines, you’ve won by combining five symbols. However, technically speaking, you’ve also won with four or three identical symbols. But, you will be compensated only for the highest winnings on every line (i.e., the five-symbol winning).
The good news is that slots allow you to win on multiple slot paylines, simultaneously. If you get a chain of highly lucrative symbols on various paylines in the same spin and you win, you stand a chance for a big win.
There are two kinds of paylines which are fixed and adjustable. If the paylines of a slot are fixed, each line is covered in all wagers. If a slot’s paylines can be adjusted, you can choose how many paylines you’d like your bet to cover.
Keep in mind that the higher number of lines you choose to go for, the greater your bet will cost you, but the better chance you’ll be able to win. If you manage to land sufficient matching symbols on a line, but the payline you’re betting on isn’t covered by the bet, it won’t be a win.
To know the paylines of a slot, look at the pay table. This is a list of all of the slot’s features, such as paylines, the symbol, their payouts, and information on specific features and the methods to activate them.
The pay table displays every pay line that runs across the slot’s grid so you can see the lines you could win on your own. It also explains the direction the slots paylines are running in.
Bets on Slots Paylines
Before you sit down to play a slot, be aware of the paylines to know what you’re betting. Make sure you don’t have to bet the same amount each spin.
Few slots limit how many paylines you can play when you play at or even close to the amount you can bet.
Usually, slot paylines are paid out if you hit the minimum number of the identical number of symbols (usually the number three) in a line that runs between left and right which means from reels one, three, two, and the list goes on.
When Slot Machine Paylines Aren’t Paylines All the Time
What do you think? To add extra flavour to these games, few slots do not have paylines. Instead, they offer “ways of winning” instead. This is because instead of landing in a specific payline pattern, players can land the same symbol on the reels. In a five-reel and four-row slot game, there can be more than 1,000 chances to win, which is a tempting idea.
Megaways Goes to the Extreme
You’ve probably heard of the Megaways feature. Each game with this mechanic has a random number of icons that fall on the reels. Sometimes, it’s just three or two. However, it can also be seven or more.
Imagine all the reels that contain at least seven symbols, and you’ll have numerous opportunities to make money. They’re not paylines as Megaways slots payout when you get the same symbol on the reels.
What number of ways to win could the Megaways feature provide? It’s not an easy number, 117,649 to be exact.
Small Can Be Beautiful
Although the recent trend has been to increase the number of many paylines and methods to win as possible, the classic slot machines remain as well-known.
Certain of these games, such as IGT’s enduring Double Diamond game, have only one payline. It comprises only bar symbols, cherries Lucky Red Seven, and the Double Diamond logo. The game could not be more simple.
Conclusion
If you’ve learned everything about payline slot machines, and you have one thing you need to do: try playing some slots for yourself! Play some slots with standard paylines or opt for the slots that use the all-ways-win system and have a wide range of ways to win.
Be sure to look over the paytable to determine the slots paylines. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to land a lot of symbols with high value across multiple paylines and be rewarded with substantial winnings.
