When it comes to 21st century slot machines, there sure are a whole lot of variables. Slot machines both physical and digital, which is found on slot sites like Wizard Slots have a variety of parameters such as the special offers they provide, the maximum jackpot, and the number of reels and paylines.
What are paylines, and is there an ideal number of them that a slot machine should have? Well that all depends – read on to find out more!
What is a payline?
Paylines, otherwise known as ‘a betting’ or ‘winning’ line is a horizontal line of symbols that match together to result in a win. Back in the day, slot machines only had a single pay line – you would have to match three cherry symbols in a row, for example. If you matched these symbols, you’d hear the ‘ding ding’ signalling a win along with the glorious clatter of coins! However, over the years the slot machine community has seen a whole bunch of changes to our favourite machines, and this includes paylines. These days you’re unlikely to find a single-payline slot machine – the minimum tends to be three, and you’re likely to find one including:
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– 5 Paylines
– 9 Paylines
– 20 Paylines
If you can believe it, there are even slot machines that feature 243 and even 1024 paylines, but these are pretty uncommon. Plus, it’s all relative – just because you have 1024 paylines does not mean you are 1024 times more likely to win, because the rest of the slot machines features will scale up with the number of paylines.
So how many paylines should I aim for?
Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question – it all depends on the style of your session. It’s very important to keep an eye on money management and your slots strategies, and for this reason many people choose to keep their paylines to a maximum of six. There are several reasons for this:
– The slot machine will be less volatile
– You will be more likely to win a small amount of cash
– The risk will generally be lower
However, this isn’t for everyone – many hardcore slots fans are hugely into what is called ‘progressive jackpots’, meaning that every time somebody loses a bet their stake gets added to the overall pool of the jackpot. For these people, a common tactic is to instead find a slot machine with the highest number of reels. In a 1024 payline machine, not all paylines have to be activated, but the more that are activated the higher the stake, risk and potential jackpot.
Payline Prizes
Ultimately, it all comes down to risk. If you want an easy slots experience with the potential to earn a few quid, keep the paylines low. If you’re willing to risk some cash for the chance of winning big – large paylines are what you’re going to want! The best way to decide is to have a few spins on a low and a high payline slot machine to compare – this way you can figure out what you are more comfortable with!