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Whether online, or the land-based slots machines, they have one common, yet a different factor, which is the games’ paylines. While the number of paylines varies from one slot game to another, players often believe, more the paylines, higher the chances of winning. How accurate is this statement? Let’s find out.
An Overview on Slots Payline
Simply put, a payline is any line crossing through a symbol on each reel, which evaluates the winning combination. While the classic slot machines typically may have up to nine paylines, video slots may have up to 100 or more paylines.
Paylines are determined using various patterns like horizontal, oblique, zig-zag, etc. that make a winning combination. For instance, the traditional, one-armed bandit slot machines in the land-based casinos have a single payline and only three reels. Here, a horizontal pattern, which aligns identical symbols on all the three reels, is the winning pattern. On the other hand, games like Mega Moolah, for instance, have 25 paylines with five reels.
While paylines evaluate the winning combinations, it is the amount placed as the bet, which determines the payouts received by the player.
Do more paylines mean higher wins?
While more paylines equal greater wins for specific slot games, the opposite may be right for others. Let’s consider Royal Masquerade, slots game. In this game, if you consider maximum paylines to win €250,000 with maximum paylines, you must bet €50 spins to qualify for payouts. On the other hand, for a single payline in the same game, while the maximum win is €50,000, for payout, you must bet €5. In other words, every time you cut down one payline, the maximum payout is reduced by 5X, while the maximum bet is also reduced by 10x.
The bottom line is lesser the paylines, as in the case of a single payline, it decreases your expenditure by 10x. Nonetheless, there are also games where the opposite is true. Thus, irrespective of the paylines, it is the game that you select with a maximum win, which matters.
Conclusion
The wins are generally bigger when you play with a single payline for a maximum bet, where the payout is over 20x more for a three-symbol winning combination.
