A payline is a fixed path across the reels that matching symbols must land on to pay, while ways to win pays matching symbols on adjacent reels in any position, so every route across the grid counts. Cluster pays and pay anywhere games go further and drop the idea of a path altogether.
These are just different rules for deciding which symbols on the screen form a win. None of them changes the house edge on its own. This guide sets out each system, how it is counted and what it means for your stake.
Paylines
A payline is a line drawn across the reels, usually starting on the leftmost reel. If enough matching symbols land along that line, reading from left to right, it pays the amount in the paytable. The earliest machines had one line across the middle; video slots commonly have anything from 5 to 50 or more.
Lines are not always straight. They zigzag, form V shapes and step up and down. The game’s rules screen has a diagram of every line, numbered.
Fixed paylines
Most modern games have fixed lines: every line is always active, and the total stake covers all of them. You choose the stake, not the lines.
Adjustable paylines
Some games, often older ones, let you choose how many lines to play. Each line costs a set amount, so fewer lines means a cheaper spin. The catch is obvious: a winning combination on a line you have not selected pays nothing. Some games also state that certain prizes or features need all lines active. Read the rules before cutting lines to save money.
Our paylines feature page shows common line patterns in more detail.
Ways to win
Ways to win games do away with lines. A win needs matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, but each symbol can be in any row.
The number of ways is the number of visible positions on each reel multiplied together.
| Layout | Calculation | Ways |
|---|---|---|
| 5 reels × 3 rows | 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 | 243 |
| 5 reels × 4 rows | 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 | 1,024 |
| 6 reels × 4 rows | 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 | 4,096 |
How a ways win is counted
Suppose a 243 ways game lands two cherries on reel one, one on reel two and two on reel three, and none on reel four. That is a three-of-a-kind win, and the number of ways it forms is 2 × 1 × 2 = 4. The game pays the three-cherry prize four times. Paytables for ways games are priced with this multiplication in mind, so individual symbol prizes are usually small.
The ways to win feature page has more examples.
Megaways
Megaways is a mechanic created by Big Time Gaming. It works like ways to win, but the number of symbols on each reel changes on every spin, so the number of ways changes too.
On a six-reel game where each reel can show between two and seven symbols, the number of ways ranges from 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 64 up to 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649. Some versions add an extra horizontal reel above the grid, which changes the count. The exact range for any game is in its rules screen.
Many Megaways games pair the mechanic with cascading reels, where winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, allowing several wins from one spin.
Big Time Gaming has licensed Megaways to many other studios, which is why you see the name across games from different suppliers. A related idea from other studios, where the grid can grow or shrink, is covered on our xWays and infinity reels pages.
Cluster pays
Cluster pays games use a grid, often 5 × 5, 6 × 6, 7 × 7 or larger, and pay for groups of matching symbols that touch each other horizontally or vertically. A typical rule is that five or more connected symbols form a win, but the minimum varies by game.
There are no reels in the traditional sense and no left-to-right rule. Cluster games almost always use cascades, so a win removes the cluster and new symbols fall into the gaps.
Pay anywhere
Pay anywhere games, sometimes called scatter pays, pay when enough matching symbols appear anywhere on the screen, touching or not. A game might pay for eight or more of the same symbol in any positions. These games also tend to use cascades and often add multipliers during features.
Comparing the systems
| System | What forms a win | Where the rules sit |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed paylines | Matching symbols along a set line, left to right | Line diagrams in the rules screen |
| Adjustable paylines | As above, only on lines you have selected | Line diagrams plus stake per line |
| Ways to win (243, 1,024…) | Matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, any row | Ways count and paytable |
| Megaways | Ways to win with a changing number of symbols per reel | Range of ways in rules screen |
| Cluster pays | A group of touching matching symbols | Minimum cluster size in paytable |
| Pay anywhere | A set number of matching symbols anywhere | Symbol counts in paytable |
Does the system change your chances?
More lines or ways usually means wins land more often, which raises hit frequency. But the game’s designers price each system so the long-run return comes out where they intend. A 117,649-way spin is not better value than a 20-line spin; the prizes per way are simply much smaller.
What genuinely differs is the feel. Line games can produce more obvious near-misses along a line; ways and cluster games produce lots of small, frequent returns, many of them less than the stake. Volatility, explained in our volatility guide, is a better way to compare how games behave than counting lines.
Wild and scatter symbols work across every system, though the details differ. A wild substitutes within a line, way or cluster; a scatter usually pays or triggers a feature regardless of position.
The short version
- Paylines pay matching symbols along set paths, left to right.
- Ways to win pays matching symbols on adjacent reels in any row: 243 ways on a 5 × 3 grid, 1,024 on 5 × 4.
- Megaways, from Big Time Gaming, changes the number of symbols per reel and therefore the ways on every spin.
- Cluster pays wins on groups of touching symbols; pay anywhere wins on a count of symbols anywhere.
- More lines or ways means more frequent wins, not a better return.
Questions people ask
Are more paylines better?
Not in themselves. A game with more paylines or ways tends to produce more frequent wins, but its payouts are priced to match, so the RTP is not higher because of the line count.
What does 243 ways to win mean?
It means a five-reel, three-row slot pays for matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right in any row position. There are three positions on each of five reels, and 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 243 possible paths.
Should I play all paylines on an adjustable slot?
Playing fewer lines lowers the cost of a spin, but wins that land on lines you have not selected do not pay. Check the paytable, as some games price things so the return differs by line count, and many modern games simply fix the number of lines.
Who created Megaways?
The Megaways mechanic was created by the Australian studio Big Time Gaming and has since been licensed to many other studios.
Next guide: Random Number Generators in Slots: How the RNG Works