Paylines

Paylines are the fixed patterns across a slot's reels that matching symbols must land on to form a win. A classic three-reel game might have one line through the middle; a modern video slot often has 10, 20 or more, each tracing a set route across the grid.

What paylines are

A payline is a list of positions, one per reel. Line one is usually the middle row. Others run along the top and bottom rows, or zigzag in V shapes and steps. The game's paytable or info screen shows a diagram of every line. A win needs the same symbol, or a wild standing in for it, on consecutive positions of one line, normally starting from the leftmost reel.

Paylines are the older of the two main pay systems and go back to mechanical machines, where the only line was the one you could see through the window. The alternative is ways to win, which ignores rows altogether.

How it works, step by step

1. Set the stake. On most modern games you choose a total stake and it is split across all lines. On older or adjustable games you pick a stake per line and the number of lines, and the total is the two multiplied together: for example, 10p a line on 20 lines is £2 a spin.
2. The reels stop. The game checks each active line in turn.
3. Matches are counted from the left. Three or more of the same symbol from reel one along that line forms a win. A gap breaks it.
4. Highest win per line. If a line could pay for more than one combination, most games pay only the highest.
5. Line wins are added together with any scatter wins, which usually pay wherever they land.

Common variations

• Fixed lines: all lines always play. Most current online slots work this way.
• Adjustable lines: you can play fewer lines for a lower stake, but a winning pattern on an inactive line pays nothing.
• Pays both ways: lines are read left to right and right to left.
• Single line: traditional fruit machines and classic-style slots, often paired with nudges and holds.
• Line multipliers: some games apply a multiplier to the whole line when a wild is involved.

What it does to the maths and the feel

A game with few lines tends to have a lower hit frequency: many spins land nothing at all, and when a win comes it is a larger multiple of the stake. A game with many lines lands something more often, with smaller amounts per line. Neither changes the long-run return, which is fixed by the RTP. At 96%, the theoretical long-run return is £96 per £100 staked.

Playing fewer lines on an adjustable game does not improve the odds per pound staked. It simply buys fewer chances per spin. The paytable values per line do not change, and the house edge does not change either.

Rules in Great Britain

Payline slots are available on GB-licensed sites and follow the same stake limits as any other online slot: £5 per spin for players 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24 year olds. On an adjustable game the limit applies to the total stake for the spin, not the stake per line. The game design rules from 31 October 2021 apply as well, including the 2.5 second minimum spin time.