Slot machines are the most popular game in the casino industry due to their simplicity, variety, and opportunities for a quick win. But, how exactly do you win on slots? Here, we discuss how to interpret a standard payline to give you a better perspective.

Introduction to Basic Paylines

In the 1800s, slot machines, or one armed bandits as they were known, only had one payline – a straight line that showed three symbols. Each position where a symbol landed was, and still is, called a slot. To win, you had to land three matching symbols on that line. Today’s machines are no longer limited to a single payline, with the typical slot now having more than ten paylines. What this means is that there are more ways to win – in a slot machine that has 5 reels and 3 rows, there are 15 slots where 15 symbols can land. Out of these 15 slots, there are many possible positions and patterns that symbols can form. Let’s look at some below, using the number 7 as a symbol.

 

 

 

 

If the same symbols land on those exact spots, you win. but this is only one example. Each game developer sets the accepted positions that constitute a win, and the number of symbols you need to land, which can sometimes be as low as two or three. Simply put, a payline is a pre-set order of symbols in a slot machine that constitute a winning combination. Every standard payline pays out for as long as the same symbols appear there.

How to Benefit

One thing to remember is that most slots pay only one way, and only start to count from the leftmost reel. Take a look at our example again. If number 7 landed on reels 2 to 4 on the exact spots where they needed to be but reel 1 had no number 7, you would not win anything. So, how does this help you? Many slots allow you to stop the spinning reels manually. With this feature, you can time the reels and stop them as you see the symbols roll through. There are also slots that let you “hold” symbols, which is where you can choose some symbols to stick in position and let the remaining symbols spin.
Use this knowledge to your advantage and strategize how you can maximize your bets on our fantastic slots today – happy spinning!