How to Read Slot Machine Lines
Written by: Filip Gromovic Reviewed by: Nashon Khamala
Read time: 10 minutes
Someone encountering traditional casino games for the first time may define slot machine lines as the reels that spin once triggered. However, a pro or anyone familiar with spinning knows that a slot machine is just as good as its number of paylines. It tells you the direction or ways to win the game. For anyone with eyes on the jackpot, the more paylines a machine has, the better. It can be vertical on one slot, horizontal on another, or even zigzag. The mix and match add to the unpredictability of the spins.
Introduction to Slot Machine Lines
In a layman’s understanding, paylines are the directions on slot games you must match a particular symbol (mostly two and above) to win. The matching symbols can be arranged vertically, horizontally, zigzag, heart, star or in whatever shape the software developer deems fit. Some titles can have from below 10 to over 100 paylines.
Just like spies stay hidden, slot machine paylines sit hidden in the background and will only be triggered when you match slot symbols on them after every spin. The number of winning options on any machine is usually disclosed on the paytable—and you should study them before placing your first bet.
Types of Paylines
The traditional gambling casinos featuring 3×3 reels started with horizontal paylines. Each of them runs from left to right, starting from the first reel—and it has remained the most popular to date. Although games with different themes and larger reels and rows have emerged over the years, horizontal paylines have remained at the core of slot mechanics.
Digital machines have made it possible for software developers to have winning combinations arranged in more ways than was previously impossible with brick-and-mortar games. Some titles feature special bonus rounds that allow players to win by aligning symbols in more shapes not present in the base game.
Horizontal Lines
They remain the staple of slot machines, like potatoes on the plates of American families. You will hardly find a title without winning when icons align horizontally. Back in the day, some games had only one payline in the middle of the slot which was red from the first reel on the left to the right (some machines pay from right to left or both). Today, some machines pay horizontally from the top to the bottom rows, like in games with a 5×5 grid.
Vertical Slots Lines
While not easy to see, there are games that allow you to win when you match three or more symbols vertically on a single reel. It is almost impossible to see such titles in traditional casinos using mechanical slots. However, it is easier to find such games when you visit online casinos. The flexibility of online software allows developers to add more combinations instead of the limited space found on physical boxes.
Diagonal Lines
This is becoming a popular feature in newer titles and offers players more ways to win. Here, punters must match symbols from the top of the first reel on the left to the bottom of the last reel on the right. This particular feature means that a player can have more than one winning match per spin—especially if the bottom row is also a payline. For gamblers, such games are comparable to national treasures.
Zigzag Lines
This is where software developers unleash their creativity. While winning lines still run from left to right, some choose the V-shape configuration while others will choose W-shape, or both. It is almost impossible to find this in traditional gambling houses with slots without an updated payline definition. The exact payout configuration for each combination will be provided on the paytable. These new configurations are what we find more exciting in newer games of chance.
How to Understand Paylines
The first thing to understand is that the higher the number of paylines a machine has, the better—because it expands your chances of winning. While we have already discussed how matching symbols in different directions can earn you a payout, all the different icons on the machine are not equal in how much they pay. There are usually three categories of signs; the basic, the specials, and the wild symbols. How much you will get for matching basic symbols is usually nothing compared to what you stand to gain by matching special characters. Understanding the differences will take us to the paytable.
Reading the Paytable
Call the paytable the manual for understanding slot paylines, and you won’t be wrong. But just as not many people make time to read the manual of a new product, most players simply jump right into the titles without caring to look at the paytable. Since it is a game of chance, you can’t really blame them because there is still nothing they can do to influence their outcome. But, yes, the paytable tells you the different winning configurations and by how much your bet would be multiplied when you match 2, 3, 4, or 5 of the same symbols. They sometimes include illustrations, where texts can further complicate things.
Winning Combinations
When you head to the paytable, you will see every payout combination. For 3-reel games, the winning combination will usually start by matching two of the same symbols on a machine payline per spin, while for 5-reel slots the winning lines usually start by matching three of the same icons on a payline. In very rare cases, you may find two symbols forming a victory combination on a 5×3 reel slot. What landing a payout combination does is that it multiplies your bet size by a predetermined amount. Therefore, the larger your bet size, the bigger your win when you land a winning combination—this is a pro top we’ve just dished out for free.
Betting on Paylines
Let’s assume you have understood how to read slot machine lines, the next big concept that leaves a lot of newbies scratching their heads as if they have been infested with lice is how to bet on paylines. So, for you to win a payout, you must bet on that configuration. For example, if you land a winning combination but you unfortunately didn’t bet on that line, you will get nothing. Therefore, in most guides, punters would usually recommend that you bet on all paylines to avoid finding yourself in such an unfortunate situation.
Choosing the Number of Lines
The total value of your bet or how much every spin will cost is your coin size multiplied by the number of paylines. For example, if you are playing a slot with 25 paylines and the minimum bet is $1, if you choose to bet on all options, your bet size would be $25. However, you can choose not to bet on all configurations to conserve the funds in your payroll, but that is never a good strategy. For recreational players conscious of their balance, there is a way around. This is where you will clearly see the difference between newbies and high punters.
Cost Considerations
One of the priceless strategies players may get, regardless of the types of slot they play, is that it is crucial to set a budget. Right before your first spin, decide how much money you want to spend in each session and build the discipline to back off, even when the odds are not going in your favor. Only place maximum bets when you can afford to or when spinning on games that offer additional bonuses to gamblers who crank their bets to the maximum. Recreational players on a slim budget should always play the minimum possible bet since it allows them to extend their play session.
Casinos Where You Can Use New Knowledge
Special Payline Features
Slot machine lines explained above did not account for the special symbols, even though we hinted about that—and that is deliberate. We believe the special icons deserve an entire section on their own. Most themed slots have special symbols picked from an item from the theme. For example, in Wild Panda, the special symbol is the image of a black and white panda. Some machines have both wilds and scatters while others will either have one of the two. These unique icons further expand a player’s winning chance. In some games landing a certain number of them in a spin unlocks the bonus round.
Wild Symbols
They are one of the special characters that you would find in most modern free slot machines. What the icon would be will likely be picked from the game’s theme. What makes them unique is that they can substitute other symbols on the reel to form a winning combination. For example, if you have landed a symbol on the payline of the first third and fourth reels, a wild landing on the second reel will complete that symbol and equate to landing four of a kind. In cases where landing a certain number of wilds on the payline earns the player a reward, it usually has higher payouts compared to regular icons.
Scatter Symbols
When a certain number of these symbols appear, they can trigger free spins or bonus rounds. Unlike the other icons, scatters do not follow any alignment. As long as the specified number is on the screen after a spin, the bonus round will be triggered regardless of how they are arranged. Payouts from bonus rounds are usually the game-changer, especially when it comes with free spins and multipliers. The reason is that in this round, players have the chance to earn extra prizes without using their real money. It is the icing that sweetens the experience of dedicated punters.
Tips for Playing
Knowing how to read slot machine payouts is one thing, but learning how to play strategically is another—and the latter is probably the most important of the two. The first step is knowing the rules of the game, including the various paylines. Then, know the return to player (RTP) offered by the machine. This is simply a term that describes how much the slot will return to punters as winnings. For example, an RTP of 96% means that for every $ placed as a bet, the machine will return $96 as the player wins. It is no no-brainer that you should aim for games with higher RTP.
Responsible Gambling
Chasing losses can be the quickest way to bankruptcy. Reputable casinos usually provide their members with tools that help them to manage their play and expectations. For example, some gambling sites have tools that let users set limits to their deposits, which helps them control how much they spend.
Bankroll Management
Since real money slots only let players enjoy the game after they have made deposits, it is important to know how to properly manage your bankroll so that you will get the most out of your deposit. We always advise recreational gamblers who are not in it for money to play the minimum bet allowed every time.
Where To Get Help
Australia
Contact: 1800-858-858
Contact: 13-11-14
Contact: 1800-858-858
Canada
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Contact: 1-800-661-HELP
Contact: 1-855-222-5542
Contact: 1-800-GAMBLER
New Zealand
Contact: 0800 664 262
Contact: 0800 654 655
Contacts: 0800-654-655
United States
Contact: 1-800-662-HELP
Contact: Refer to the website for local numbers.
National Council on Problem Gambling
Contact: 1-800-522-4700
United Kingdom
Contact: National Gambling Helpline 0808-8020-133
Contact: 0808-8020-133
Frequently Asked Questions
Filip Gromovic is a senior slots reviewer here at FreeSlots99 with over five years of experience evaluating the latest drops in the world of iGaming.
Being a slot fan himself, Filip approaches slot ratings just the way we like it – professionally, but also from a player’s standpoint.
That enables him to give his unbiased take on the slot’s features, gameplay and design, while only recommending top-tier releases to our readers.
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Having served FreeSlots99 for more than 5 years as a senior content editor and reviewer, Nashon Khamala has extensive knowledge in game slots and iGaming.
His membership in the Editorial Freelancers Association helps him deliver content that reaches both editorial excellence standards and an engaging information level.
By using his expertise in slots games combined with player-focused analysis, Nashon delivers a professional evaluation of slot features and player experiences in his reviews.
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