If you’re a slot newbie, you may be wondering why some games are described as having numerous ‘ways to win’, instead of more traditional paylines. In fact, even as a seasoned slot enthusiast, you may have played these games without really knowing how they work. More and more slots are now being designed with a ‘ways to win’ mechanism, which means they boast hundreds more opportunities for a player to create a victorious combination.
However, are they all their cracked up to be? Does playing these types of games actually improve your chances of pocketing some extra cash? And how do they actually work? Find out everything you need to know about ‘ways to win’ slots in this guide, as well as our top three games of this type available here at Fortune Frenzy.
What Are ‘Ways To Win’ Slots?
One of the best things about playing online slots is the huge variation of games available. Players can chose between different themes, different wager sizes, numbers of reels, bonus features and more. However, one of the biggest things to consider when choosing a slot is how it pays out. Most games will use paylines or winlines, however an increasing amount of slots are giving you the opportunity to win ‘all ways’.
‘All ways’ slots do not feature classic paylines. Paylines are those straight, diagonal or zig-zag lines you find in regular games which show you what counts as a winning combination. In contrast, ‘all ways’ slots are won simply by landing symbols on consecutive reels.
You’ll also see these slots described as ‘paying both ways’, which basically means combinations can be created from left to right, or from right to left. So for instance, you land the same symbol at the bottom of reel one, the next row up in reel two and the top of reel three – in an ‘all ways’ slot, this would be a winning sequence.
‘All ways’ slots will also tell you how many ways there are to win. Standardly, this is usually 243 ways, 720 ways or a huge 1,024 ways to win. That being said, as slots of this kind develop further, there are plenty of games out there with other amounts of ‘ways to win’ too. This number represents the amount of possible combinations there are to create a win.
The Advantages Of Ways To Win Slots
One of the biggest advantages of ‘ways to win’ slots is the cost of a single spin. Whilst it makes sense that if a slot had more opportunities to win it would cost more to play, this isn’t actually the case. Instead, a spin of a ‘ways to win’ slot works out at roughly the same price as if you were playing maximum paylines in a regular slot. This means you’re improving your chances at walking away of with a payout, without spending more cash!
‘Ways to win’ slots are also great as you don’t need to pay attention to paylines. When you play a ‘ways to win’ slot, you’ll immediately be able to tell if a winning combination is created, as you can simply count up the symbols on adjacent reels. In comparison it’s difficult to know straightaway, in a traditional payline slot, if you’ve won. Unless you have a really good memory, it can be hard to keep track of which patterns are paylines.
Lastly, wild symbols are much more lucrative in a ‘ways to win’ slot. As wins are awarded by creating combinations of consecutive symbols, a wild can count for much more than in a traditional game. For instance, a wild on a reel can help with any symbol in the game, as opposed to simply helping complete a pattern in a regular slot.
The Disadvantages Of Ways To Win Slots
All types of games have their disadvantages, and ‘ways to win’ slots are no different. The main drawback of ‘ways to win’ slots is the payout amount. Whilst you’re gaining more opportunities to win, sometimes the paytable can look disheartening. Whereas a traditional slot may offer a big win of 500x for five of a kind, a ‘ways to win’ slot is more likely to offer 100x. This makes for lower variance slots, as you win smaller amounts much more often.
The second disadvantage of ‘ways to win’ slots is that you have less control over your wager size. In some regular slots, you can chose how many paylines to play. This means that if you’re really on a budget, you can play for as little as 1p (with one payline active). However, as ‘ways to win’ slots do not use paylines, your usually tied to a higher minimum bet.
Three Of The Best Ways To Win Slots At Fortune Frenzy
Golden Mobile Slot
Golden is a fairly new release from NYX Gaming, with 243 ways to win. Set on a farm, symbols include hens, eggs, roosters and more. The wild in the game is the one to watch, and this is illustrated by a golden rooster.
As well as being a wild, he also operates as a scatter, so three or more of him on your reels will trigger a extra spins round. During the extra spins round a 5 of a kind combination comes with an extra 5x multiplier, giving you some amazingly high wins for a game of this type.
Twin Spin Mobile Slot
Twin Spin is a great game from NetEnt, that boasts 243 ways to win. It features high quality modern graphics, but with a retro theme. Expect cherries, sevens and bars. Whilst there are no extra spins or scatter symbols in the game, it remains exciting due to it’s joint reel feature.
On almost every spin, you will find two or more of the reels cloned and lined together. Due to the ‘ways’ to win mechanism, this creates huge opportunities to create winning combinations, and you’ll soon be reaping the rewards.
Taco Brothers Mobile Slot
Taco Brothers launched a couple of years ago, by indie designer Elk Studios. It remains, however, one of the most popular games at Fortune Frenzy, which just proves what a fun and exciting slot it is.
Taco Brothers takes you on a beautifully illustrated adventure, as you join brothers Paso, Pepe, and Pico as they defend their town from the evil Captain Diaz. It features 243 ways to win, as well as re-spins, extra spins, bonus games and multiplier wilds.
