Online Casino Slot Paylines Explained: How to Turn Spins into Wins

You can only turn spins into wins if you know what slot paylines are. One of a slot machine’s three core components, paylines unlock cash prizes from popular slot games such as Book of Dead, Age of the Gods, and Big Bass Bonanza.

I’ve spun countless reels in my time and even won a prize or two, so I know how paylines work. I even know that some slots don’t have paylines. I’ll explain why that’s the case and a whole lot more right now.

What Are Slot Paylines?

Paylines pass through the reels of slot games and provide a framework for symbols to form winning combinations.

Those of you who are new to online slots might still be unsure as to what paylines are because my answer includes some in-game elements you may not be familiar with. Therefore, to fully explain what slot machine paylines are, I need to take a step back.

Online slots contain three basic elements: paylines, reels, and symbols. We’re here to discuss what slot paylines are, so I’ll circle back to this in a moment. Before I do, here’s how reels and symbols factor into the equation:

• Reels: Every slot machine has a set of reels (usually three or five) that spin after you hit the bet button

• Symbols: The reels contain a selection of symbols (images) that complement the slot’s theme

The aim, when you’re playing slots, is to create winning combinations by matching the required number of symbols. To do that, you spin the reels. Once the reels stop, the software checks to see if the minimum number of symbols (or more) are aligned.

How do you know if they’re aligned? That’s where slot paylines come into the equation. Symbols must line up across a payline to be classed as a winning combination.

There are nuances to this that I’ll discuss in the next section. The point to remember right now is that all three parts of a slot play into each other. Matching symbols marked on each reel must align across a slot machine’s paylines to unlock prizes.

That’s how slots work. In many ways, this makes paylines the most important part of online slots, including hits such as Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, and Mega Moolah. Without them, symbols would be spinning freely, and there wouldn’t be any way to make winning combinations.

How Do Slot Paylines Work?

Symbols must align across an online slot’s payline to release prizes. The way they align depends on the game you’re playing.

The standard payline structure for online slots is left-to-right. That means a winning combination needs to start at the leftmost reel (aka the first reel) and move to the right. For example, a three-symbol combination will line up on the first, second, and third reels.

Some online slots, including NetEnt’s Starburst slot, have a dual (aka bothways) payline structure. This means winning combinations can be formed from left to right and from right to left. To simplify that, combinations can start at the first reel and spread across to the right, or they can start at the last reel and move across to the left.

Where Can You Find Slot Paylines?

Slot machine paylines pass linearly through the reels horizontally and diagonally. This means a single set of reels can be dissected by dozens of paylines.

Back in the day, slot machines had a single payline that crossed horizontally through the center of the reels. Today, modern online slots can have thousands of paylines that cross every part of a reel both horizontally and diagonally.

Types of Slot Paylines: Static, Adjustable, and Dynamic

Slot machine paylines have evolved over the years. Originally, there was a single static payline that was always active.

Over time, more paylines were added to the mix. However, the fundamental mechanic remains in place, i.e., the number of paylines is fixed throughout the game.

This structure is still used for the majority of slots you’ll find at the best US online casino apps, including BetMGM and Hard Rock Bet.  

Adjustable Paylines

As mechanical one-armed bandits evolved into digital spinners, players were given the option to manually adjust the number of active paylines.

For example, if a slot machine had a maximum of 10 paylines, players could choose to activate between one and 10 paylines. Each additional payline costs a coin. So, let’s say you set the coin value to $1 and activate a single payline.

The cost per spin in this scenario would be $1. If you activated a second reel, that would cost an additional dollar, taking the total cost per spin to $2.

This applies all the way up to a maximum of 10 paylines, at which point you’d be paying $10 per spin. Although adjustable paylines are more common in land-based casinos, some online slots, including Fruit Fortune and BGaming’s Burning Chilli X, have this structure.

Dynamic Paylines

The final type of slot machine payline structure is dynamic. It’s known as a dynamic structure because the number of active paylines changes each time you spin.

You don’t have any control, which adds to the game’s unpredictability. The first dynamic payline structure to catch fire was called Megaways.

Developed by Big Time Gaming, this mechanic allows you to have upwards of 117,000 active paylines.

Do Slot Machines Need Paylines?

No, online slot machines don’t need paylines. Even though it’s the most popular mechanic, some slots, such as Sugar Rush from Pragmatic Play game developer, use a system known as clusters.

As the name suggests, winning combinations are formed when matching symbols land in a cluster. A cluster is a collection of adjacent symbols.

Basically, if the symbols are in a connected group, it’s a cluster. If there is a minimum number of symbols or more within the cluster, you win a prize.

What’s interesting about clusters is that they often trigger a secondary mechanic known as cascading wins. A cascading win is when the symbols within a winning cluster are removed.

The spaces left behind get filled with new symbols. If these symbols form another winning combination, the process starts again.

This means you can turn a single bet into a succession of prizes because cascades only stop when the new symbols fail to make a winning combination.