The nuts and bolts of any slot machine game is its paylines. These determine how many chances a player has to achieve winning combinations of symbols. But there is a lot more to it than just creating different combinations. Every payline in every slot machine is either fixed or adjustable.
Fixed Paylines
Most class slot machines feature fixed paylines. These are set so that players cannot choose the number that are active and the number that aren’t. When players spin the reels they are betting on all of the paylines. Those that prefer fixed payline games have a better chance at winning a larger amount of money while being able to place smaller bets for longer. The use of scatter and wild symbols means more on fixed paylines than adjustable.
Adjustable
Unlike fixed, adjustable paylines, also known as variable paylines, let players choose how many they want to bet on. Almost all of today’s slots have adjustable paylines. Players generally expect to have this kind of freedom and may avoid a game where the paylines are fixed.
Experts recommend that players who are new to slots should stick to games without a jackpot and bet on no more than five paylines. The belief is that betting on anymore than that at once is likely to lead to a big loss for players who are still learning the intricacies of slots. This is why jackpot slots are not recommended for new players.
Numbers of Paylines
While the original classic fruit machines only had one payline, slots have come a long way since then. The number of paylines a slot has ranges from three, to 1024. It is the 1024 payline games that most younger players have come to expect. Anything less isn’t appealing to many of today’s slot machine players.
How Paylines are Read
Pay lines have always traditionally paid out from the left to the right, starting with the very first slot machines that ever existed. Many games still pay out that way to this day. Reading from left to right means the winning combination of symbols must start at the left of the grid and end at the right of it. Games with right to left payouts are more common today than they were in the past.Pay both ways lines are used in just about every now slot machine released.
All ways is a payline feature that players love. Most games that have this have at least 100 lines. Today’s most popular slots generally feature all ways, with 243 ways to win being the most frequently used. This applies to online and land based slots equally.
Certain newer slots instead use cluster pays. Rather than having to be lined up on paylines to achieve a win, symbols can be clustered together in groups of three or five. Slots with cluster pays often feature cascading reels, making traditional paylines less likely to be used.
These types of slots are referred to as X-Ways slots. They don’t force you to create a winning pattern of symbols on the reels, because you can win money when two of the same symbol land adjacent to each other. Players have a lot more freedom with this type of paylines.
Multi Paylines
Slots with five or more paylines were only introduced when scatter and wild symbols began to appear in games. These slots can have as little as five possible payouts or as many as 100. The industry average is somewhere between 20 and 40 paylines per game. This is the ideal number of paylines so that players win often enough to keep from getting discouraged, but online casinos don’t go bankrupt in the process. The slots with the most paylines are the best choice for players who care more about having fun than winning money.
Pay Tables
Trying a new slot can be overwhelming if you aren’t sure how many paylines it has. The good news is that every slot machine has a pay table that you can view at any time. It will show you how much each symbol in the game is worth. You can also learn what it takes to trigger bonus features within a particular slot.
Every possible winning combination of symbols is listed on the pay table. It also shows you what a game’s scatter and wild symbols look like, so you know what to look out for while you are playing. This is the best tool you can use to learn the ins and outs of slot machines.
