Understanding Slot Machine Lines

The technical gambling term for the lines on a slot machine is paylines. There is a reason for that name. What shows up on the lines determines whether or not you win. Today, there are countless slot machines with varying numbers of paylines. Slot machines have their roots in three-reel mechanical games, but the large majority of slots in modern brick-and-mortar casinos are played on video screens. Online, of course, all games are on video. Like slots with mechanical reels, video slots and online slots are easy to play. For example, some 1-cent video slots have 30 paylines, meaning lines across the video reels on which you’re paid if matching symbols line up. If you bet 1 cent on each payline, then your wager is 30 cents per spin of the reels, far, far less than any table minimum you’ll find in a casino. There are Understanding Slot Machine Lines plenty of good Understanding Slot Machine Lines ones out there, with some prominent examples including Betonsoft, BetSoft, Microgaming, NetEnt, NextGen, Playn’ Go, Playtech, Rival, RTG and Booming Games. Slot Machine Popularity. Over the years, the popularity of slot machines grew, even with the player giving up 25 percent in odds. When Nevada's casinos were in full swing as the only state with legalized gambling (starting in 1931), small casinos like Harold's Club in Reno had just a few slots.

Slots Paylines and Payout

A payline is a sequence of positions on the reels read from left to right. An active payline is one that is wagered upon. When the reels stop spinning the sequence of symbols occupying the positions in the active paylines are compared with the combinations in the payout table. The payout table lists all the combinations for which there is a payout along with the payout ratio. If any of the active paylines have combinations that match with those in the payout table then the players are paid out as per the payout ratio.

Video Lesson On Paylines and Payout Tables

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Note: One thing we forgot to mention in our video is that all games are different and that we advise that you read and undestand the payout table before you commence in playing any slot game so as to ensure there's no discrpancies later.

In the classical electromechanical slots only one set of symbols could be displayed and hence those slots had only one payline. But with the advent of online video slots this changed drastically. 5 reel online video slots display 3 rows of symbols, with each row having 5 symbols. Reading horizontally this gives rise to three paylines. Initially the video slots had three paylines. But then slots were developed to read the lines in a zigzag manner as well. Hence the number of paylines increased. Today the most common numbers of paylines are 5, 9, 15, 20 and 25. Microgaming and WagerWorks have developed online slots with 50 or more paylines. Microgaming has Gladiator with 50 paylines and Cashapillar with 100 paylines. WagerWorks has Elvis A Little More Action with 50 paylines and Elvis Multi-Strike with 60 paylines.

In multi line slots the player decides the coin denomination and number of coins per line. The product of this gives his line bet. He then decides how many lines he will wager on. If he decides to wager on 5 lines then his total bet is 5 times his line bet. This is equivalent to choosing one line and spinning the slots 5 times. Hence in multi line slots the number of spins required for the same wagered amount is reduced. Multi line slots therefore proceed at a much faster rate and this is their main advantage. Added to this is the thrill of playing so many lines simultaneously.

Understanding Slot Machine Lines Online

It is important to be able to read the payout table. Payouts usually begin when the specified symbols appear at least three times in active paylines. The left to right rule states that the symbols must appear on consecutive reels starting from reel 1, with the reels being numbered from left to right. Divin' for Pearls is a popular Wizard Gaming online slot. Its payout table can be seen here in our payout table section of our review for the Divin' for Pearls video slot game. In the Regular Payout Table, 4 Tiki symbols have a pay out ratio of 150. This means that if the Tiki symbol appears in reels 1 to 4 in any active payline then the payout will be 150 times the number of coins wagered on each line. If the player has wagered 10 coins of $0.50 on each line his payout will be 1,500 coins or $750.

Online slots are fun, but they can be confusing to a first-time player. The pay lines seem to go all over the place. Have you wondered how do the lines on a slot machine work? We have a quick guide to the things you need to know.

Three Reel Slot Machines

Classic slots, whether they are mechanical or video slots, have one line. That line is right across the center of the reels. There's no mistaking these slot games due to the simplicity. You bet a few coins, spin the reels, and watch to see if the symbols you need for a win line up in that center line. Take Crazy Cherry Slots for instance. You can bet up to five credits on the single line. There is only that one line, so it's easy to play. The paytable appears on the same screen as the single row. It's important that you don't mistake all three-reel slot machines as being classic machines. Some have multiple lines. For the three-reel slots that have multiple lines, they usually run in Tic-Tac-Toe format. The winning line may run diagonally from top left corner to bottom right corner or bottom left to top right. They may run horizontally across the three rows or vertically across the three reels. Break Da Bank slots is one where the three-reel slot game has multiple lines. Win up to 2,400 coins in this game where there are five pay lines. Lines form across the three rows and diagonally from top to bottom and vice versa.

Five Reel Slots

Pay lines in five-reel slots can be almost impossible to memorize. For a slot machine with 9 lines, it's going to be easier than a 243-ways-to-win slot game. Typically, you'll have lines form straight across the five reels, and the others will take a zig-zag path across the reels. In Good Girl Bad Girl Slots , there are 15 lines. They form straight across the three rows and in variations from there that include diagonals and zig-zags. To find out the true layout of slot machine pay lines, access the paytable and rules. Scroll through the pages until you find the page on pay lines. This gives you a diagram of the different lines. Some slots, such as the 243-ways-to-win games, won't show you the pay lines.

Exceptions to the Standard Lines in Slot Games

With 243-ways-to-win slot games, winnings can occur when you get a number of symbols on adjacent reels. These games may count symbols that appear in adjacent reels from right to left as well as the standard left to right. Six Shot Showdown Slots is an example of a 243-ways-to-win slot game. As long as symbols are on adjacent reels, you win. They do not need to be in a particular pattern. There's another exception. Some games count clusters of symbols rather than symbols appearing on adjacent reels. In these games, getting a group of symbols that are touching horizontally or vertically is all that matters. Legend of the Nile is an example of these games where clusters pay. The game has a 7 by 6 grid of symbols. You earn cash when at least four symbols form a cluster.

Betting on Lines in Slots

Understanding Slot Machine Lines For Beginners

Understanding Slot Machine Lines Test

Slots work in two ways. Some games require you to bet on the individual lines. If you have a 30-line video slot, you may have to choose if you want to bet on 1, 2, 3, etc. lines. You won't win money on lines you don't activate, so it's often smarter to bet on all of them. Fixed pay line slots don't give you the choice. Your bet is automatically set to activate all lines. You pick the dollar amount and that's it. The 243-ways-to-win slots are an example of a fixed pay line slot game. Now that you have a better understanding of how the lines on a slot machine work, you can bet with confidence. Try a new online slot or play a favorite slot for real money. Get started now by signing up or logging in.