Online slot developers have been trying to come up with all sorts of innovative ideas for the last couple of years. We see this all the time in new slots that have special bonus features and original extra rounds. Some of them have included gameplay mechanics that make these games absolutely unique.
In effect, a regular slot player may find it harder and harder to navigate among these innovations. Some things might even be difficult to understand at first. Paylines (or winlines, if you prefer) might be one of these things.You’re probably thinking that we’re joking right now. Paylines? This is probably the most basic feature that every online slot has! Well, it used to be so some years ago.
Nowadays, developers have come up with all sorts of ideas to make even the most basic and fundamental characteristics of an online slot more interesting and unexpected. But don’t worry. After you read this guide, no online slot paylines are going to confuse you anymore.
The Left-To-Right Paylines
Let’s start from the beginning. Even though new games are often different from traditional slots in many respects, a good deal of paylines in slot games are still the left-to-right ones. Like all paylines, these are basically horizontal, diagonal or zig-zag shaped lines that yield some points whenever the same symbols land on them.
However, the left-to-right paylines only reward the player on two conditions. First, the sequence of alike symbols must start at the leftmost reel. Second, it must continue onto the adjacent reels, no gaps allowed. So, if you manage to land four symbols on a 5-reel payline, but it has a different symbol on the leftmost or the middle reel, you’ll get no points whatsoever. Unless it pays for a combination of two symbols, which usually isn’t the case.
The Paylines Paying Both Ways
A fair number of online slots uses paylines that score both left-to-right and right-to-left. As you can probably tell by the name, the principle of right-to-left payline is the same as in the previous example, except it’s reversed. So, the symbols must still land on consecutive reels and the combination must start on the rightmost reel. However, games that only have right-to-left payout lines are extremely rare.
What’s much more common in online slots is the combination of both left-to-right and right-to-left paylines. You’ll know such games when it says that they’re paying both ways. This is exactly what this phrase means. It doesn’t matter whether the combination starts at the leftmost or the rightmost reel – it’ll work both ways. Check out NetEnt’s Fisticuffs to get an idea.
A number of games drop the payline direction rule altogether. Such slots feature traditional paylines, but, unlike other games, they will pay you even if the correct symbols only land in the middle reels. Another rare but possible example is when the symbols don’t have to be consecutive. Landing the same symbols on first, third and fifth reels counts as a win. Since this highly increases your chances to win, such mechanisms are difficult to come by.
‘All Ways Win’ Or ‘Ways To Win’
The last example of payline type we haven’t yet covered is called ‘all ways win.’ These aren’t really the paylines in the traditional sense. The only rule here is that the matching symbols must land on consecutive reels. It doesn’t matter which line they’re in. This not only increases the number of paylines, it also eliminates the need to remember them. If consecutive reels have the same symbol – it’s a guaranteed win.
That’s why ‘all ways win’ online slots often have either 27, 243 or 729 ways to win. The number depends on the size of the grid, but there might be other factors, too. An example of ‘all ways win’ slot is Astro Cat by Lightning Box, featuring an unusual reel layout which allows for 1,296 ways to win!
Cluster Pays
If you know Aloha Cluster Pays, you know what we mean. Scoring by clusters has nothing to do with direction or even paylines themselves. As long as enough symbols land adjacent to one another, the slot registers a win. These can be horizontal or vertical and can appear anywhere in the grid.
In Aloha, the minimum cluster that pays is nine symbols. Some other games, like Viking Runecraft, require only five symbols. The variation here is endless, but the principle remains the same.
Paylines Aren’t Everything
Now that we’re covered all the possible paylines an online slot can have, don’t forget that paylines aren’t everything. Online slots that feature ‘both ways win’ mechanic seem to be more lucrative to the player than slots with left-to-right paylines. The ‘all ways win’ slots might be even better than the ‘both ways win’ slots. However, in reality, the probability of scoring is decided by other factors.
If the slot is programmed to have a high house edge, even a thousand ways to win won’t help. So, when choosing a slot to play don’t blindly rely on the number of paylines. Instead, look at RTP, variance and other factors that might influence how the slot works. If paylines mattered so much, nobody would be playing slots with left-to-right paylines anymore. However, some of the favourite online slots implement only the basic payline model. In the end, it’s your personal preference that matters the most.
