Win both ways, 243 ways or fixed lines: how a slot decides what you have won

Open three different slots and the first screen of rules sounds as if three different games are on offer: "10 paylines, wins pay both ways", "243 ways to win" and "25 selectable lines". The labels sound like value claims. They are not. They describe how the game reads the symbols after the reels stop, and nothing more. This article walks through each method with the numbers from the games' published pages, then shows why a bigger-sounding count does not mean a better return.

Fixed paylines: the classic method

A payline is a path across the reels, such as the middle row or a zig-zag. The game checks each active line for a run of matching symbols and pays according to the paytable. Great Blue, for instance, lets you play between 1 and 25 lines, with a line bet from £0.01 to £50 and a top total of £1,250 (25 x £50 = £1,250), according to Racing Post's game page. The direction in which a line is read, and whether a win must start on the first reel, are set by each game's rules, so read them rather than assume.

Win both ways: Starburst

NetEnt's own Starburst page lists a 5 x 3 layout with a maximum of 10 play lines, an RTP of 96.08% and a hit frequency of 23.00%. The both-ways part is described by the trade site Casino Beats: the game pays for three or more matching symbols on a payline, from left to right or right to left, across ten fixed lines. Instead of reading each line from one end, the game reads it from both. Up to 20 readings are made on every spin (10 lines x 2 directions = 20).

In principle that makes wins easier to form. Three matching gems on the right-hand side of a line pay as well as three on the left. The page figure of 23.00% hit frequency means a win on about one spin in 4.3 (1 / 0.23 = 4.35). The same page gives a maximum payout of 800 x the bet, which is modest, and it describes the Starburst Wild as an expanding wild that triggers a respin. So both-ways pay makes wins frequent while the top prize stays low. For the game on this site see our Starburst review.

Ways to win: 243 and 1,024

A ways game has no lines at all. A win is formed by matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel, in any row. AskGamblers' review of Thunderstruck II quotes the rule: land 3, 4 or 5 matching symbols and/or wilds on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel. The game has five reels, three rows and 243 ways to win.

Where does 243 come from? A US patent on ways-to-win slots states that the total number is found by multiplying the number of symbols showing on each reel. With three positions on five reels: 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 243. A taller grid gives more. The Games Global title Chronicles of Olympus II - Zeus uses a 5 x 4 grid, which is 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 1,024, and AskGamblers says it needs at least three matching symbols on adjacent reels (that page calls them "paylines", but the arithmetic is the ways count).

The same multiplication shows how one spin can pay several ways at once. Suppose a symbol shows twice on reel 1, once on reel 2 and three times on reel 3. That creates 2 x 1 x 3 = 6 routes for a three-symbol win. In a ways game the multiplication is the point: the more copies of a symbol on the adjacent reels, the more ways it forms. How each route is paid is stated in the game's rules, so check the paytable.

Why more ways does not mean more return

The RTP column above is the clue. Starburst reads lines both ways and sits at 96.08%. Thunderstruck II, which pays 243 ways from the left only, is listed by AskGamblers at 96.65% as its only RTP setting. Different counting systems land within about half a point of each other, because the return is not a result of how wins are counted. The designer chooses the reel layout and the symbol values together to hit a target payback. A method that finds more winning combinations is simply matched with smaller pays for each.

The review site Deuces Cracked puts it plainly in its guide to Megaways, another ways system: the long-term return is determined by RTP, not by the number of ways, and more ways produce more frequent small wins because symbol payouts are set lower to offset it. The same reasoning applies to a both-ways slot. Doubling the directions does not double what comes back; it spreads the same return across more, smaller wins.

The shape of the game does differ, and that is where the real difference lies. Starburst's maximum is 800 x the bet, while AskGamblers lists Thunderstruck II at 8,000 x the bet. At similar RTPs, one is built for frequent small hits and the other for rarer, bigger ones. Remember too that the percentage can change: some games exist at several RTP settings, as we explain in our article on RTP versions.

What to check in the rules before you play

• The direction of evaluation: left to right only, or both ways.
• Where a win must start: the leftmost reel is typical for ways games.
• Whether symbols must be on adjacent reels, and whether wilds substitute.
• Whether you choose the number of lines or ways are always on, since that decides how the total stake is built (see coin value, bet level and total bet).

Some regulators require this to be spelled out. Germany's gambling authority, the GGL, says in its interpretation notes for virtual slots that the explanation of winning combinations must clearly state the direction and the start of evaluation and the requirement that the symbols connect. That is a German rule for German-licensed games. In South Africa, interactive casino games are not licensed under the National Gambling Act 7 of 2004, so no local body sets this wording for the sites you may reach; the in-game help screen is your only guide. Gambling is for adults 18 and over; if it stops being fun, the South African Responsible Gambling Foundation helps on 0800 006 008. You can compare studios on our best slots by studio page.