Slots Symbols, Features, and Paylines Explained

Slots are easy games choked with excitement, which is why you’ll often see players tapping the ‘Spin’ button. But have you ever wondered what’s really going on behind the reels? In this article, we’ll pull back the curtain and dig deep into the essentials of slot machines — from symbols and features to paylines. Get ready to hit the ground running next time you play!

Common Slot Machine Reels, Rows and Paylines

Understanding the essential components of slots is key to mastering the game. Each element plays a crucial role in determining how combinations are formed and how payouts are triggered.

Rows

Rows of slots run horizontally across the reels, forming a vital part of the game’s layout. Typically, video slots feature 3 rows and 5 reels, a standard design for both payline slots and those with 243 ways to win. Paylines cross these rows and reels, and most titles require at least 3 matching symbols on the first 3 reels to trigger a win.

Reels

A reel is a vertical column on the screen that spins as you hit the ‘Spin’ button. Based on the number of reels, there are numerous categories of slots. The old classic games have 3 reels, and video slots moved them up to 5, while modern titles today can have many more.

	3-Reel Slots Also known as classic slots, these have a single payline and don’t come with any bonus rounds other than a wild symbol. Yet, they are fun and can pay big because of their rich paytable.
	5-Reel Slots These games come with a modern design, a bigger number of paylines and a plethora of bonus rounds. Video slots have exciting bonus rounds, great visuals and the potential for massive payouts.
	10-Reel Slots Such modern slot games offer advanced designs that can feel overwhelming with many symbols, but they remain popular for their fun gameplay and exciting bonus rounds.
	Cascading Reels These are common in slots with over 5 reels. When you win, the symbols disappear, allowing new ones to fall into place and giving you another chance to succeed. Often, this feature comes with a multiplier that increases with each cascade.

Paylines and Paytables

Paylines are imaginary lines that go across the reels and rows on the screen. You need matching symbols to land on a payline from left to right to land a win. However, modern games offer various payline structures. Moreover, they can be fixed (meaning you must bet on all lines) or adjustable (allowing you to choose how many lines to bet on).

The most common types of paylines include:

• Left to right: It is the most common format, paying out when matching symbols line up from the left.
• All ways: Every combination of symbols pays.
• Cluster pays: Wins are triggered by groups of symbols touching each other.

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Tip:Games with fewer or adjustable paylines are great for beginners seeking consistent small wins. More paylines increase winning odds but often require larger bets.

X-Ways Slots

These activities are popular among players because you don’t need the matching symbols to land in order on a payline. Instead, they just need to be on the first 3 reels. This design was first made famous by 243 ways to win slots like Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck II. After that, 1,024 ways to win titles appeared, followed by Megaways games.

Common Slots Special Symbols

Slot symbols are usually divided into two categories. The regular symbols are the ones that form the payouts. They are typically the lowest-paying card icons, 9-A, followed by medium and high-paying attributes based on the game theme.

The second category is special symbols, which trigger the features in the game. These include:

• Wild
• Scatter
• Bonus
• Multipliers
• Jackpots

Scatter Symbols

In most slots, the scatter activates the free spins round. Typically, you need at least 3 of them anywhere on the screen to trigger this feature, as their position doesn’t matter. For example, you could have one scatter on the first reel, another on the second, and a third on the last reel. They also offer payouts, regardless of their location. In some games, landing 5 or more scatters can lead to significant rewards. For instance, 5 Scatters grant a massive payout of 2,000x your stake in Dead or Alive.

Wild Symbols

This attribute, also called the Joker symbol, replaces other icons on the screen. It is beneficial as it helps create winning combinations on the screen. In many slots, the wild also has the highest payout, so landing 5 of them on a payline is an automatic mega-win. Wilds can take various forms, like the ones stated below.

	Sticky Wild It remains in place for several spins, increasing chances of success.
	Colossal Wild This one comes as a big wild symbol covering various positions on the screen. Depending on the game, it can be anywhere from 3×3 up to a 5×5 grid or even more. You can land a Colossal Wild covering the entire screen on some slots.
	Stacked Wild It comes stacked on top of one another, covering multiple positions on a reel. They can range from covering 2 positions to filling an entire reel. When you land several Stacked Wilds on adjacent reels, it can lead to substantial gains.
	Expanding Wild Such expands to cover the entire reel, creating more opportunities to catch the payout.
	Spreading Wild It spread across the reels, turning nearby icons into wilds.
	Random Wild This wild is added to random positions on the screen. In some games, you can get many random wilds per spin, helping form many victory combinations.

Multipliers

This valuable feature pumps up the payouts by multiplying your winnings. It can take various forms, the most common being a win multiplier during free spins. In this case, every win during the feature is multiplied by a set number.

Multipliers can also be tied to wild symbols or even combined with free spins multipliers. For example, if a free spins feature has x3 multiplier and a wild carries x2 multiplier, any gain involving that wild will benefit from a total multiplier of x6, maximising your payout earnings.

Bonus Symbols

These have the same function as the scatters. They are used to trigger a bonus round, but this is a side feature in most slot machines. Typically, this is a ‘pick-and-win’ extra, where you choose items on the screen to reveal cash prizes. In some games, however, the bonus symbol may trigger the primary feature, depending on the game’s design.

Progressive Jackpots

In these games, a portion of the bet goes toward the jackpot prize, which is pooled over a network of games or casinos. There are many jackpots, and the way to win them varies from one title to another. What they have in common is the life-changing prizes.

Common Slots Features

Modern slot machines have a range of elements that increase gaming quality. Let’s consider some of them in detail.

Tip:Special features like free spins can dramatically increase your chances of landing a winning combination, making them essential to any player.

Autoplay

To set the reels of a slot into action, you need to hit the ‘Spin’ button. But if you play longer, the ‘Autoplay ‘option is your ally. Here, you can set to play a number of auto spins, usually 10, 20, 50, 100, all the way up to 1,000 or even an infinite number of spins.

Gamble Feature

It was first made famous on video poker machines but is pretty popular on video slots today. After a win, you can double your payout by taking on a quick challenge, typically by guessing the red or black card. You have a 50% chance of winning the bet, but a few lucky guesses can lead to high payouts. In some slots it is called a Risk Game.

Free Spins

It is the most common extra on slots. You can trigger the free spins bonus by landing 3 or more scatters and get several additional costless rotations, frequently 10. On many slots, the more scatters you get to trigger the bonus, the higher the number of no-cost spins is. The feature has some perks, like a win multiplier, sticky wilds, expanding symbols and many other great features.

In-Game Extra Features

Slots can have extra in-game features in addition to the classic bonus rounds. These make the gameplay more exciting and can bring some great payoffs to the screen.

How to Choose the Slots with the Best Features

There are thousands of slots to choose from at online casinos. So finding the ones with the best features is not an easy task. But there are a few pointers you can follow to make your search easier:

1. Always read the paytable info: Here, you will find all the information about the payouts, rules, and features.
2. Try the game in demo mode: Free play is a great way to see how the game works and what kind of payouts you can expect. You can also test the bonus buys and see if they are worth the cost.
3. Play popular titles: Time-tested slots are popular for a reason. These games are played daily and come with great features and the potential for big payouts.
4. Pick games from reputable providers: The best gaming content in the industry comes from the leading providers. Their designers put in a lot of work to create a great activity that will catch users’ attention.