2023-11-09

What Are Paytables in Online Slots?

What You Need To Know About Slot Paylines

The first fruit machine was manufactured in the late 1800s, and although the style and nature of slot machines have changed over the past century or so, the manner in which players can win during their gaming has remained pretty much the same.

When you spin the reels on a slot, the object is to match three or more of the same symbol on a payline. The paylines themselves have changed in the digital age, from basic, fixed, left-to-right lines to more complex patterns and combinations determined by Megaways. However, the aim remains the same. The more symbols you match on a payline, the more you can win – how much, specifically, is determined by each game’s unique paytable.

Readily accessible within each game’s controls, the paytables of these online slots reveal how much you can expect to win when matching three, four or five (and sometimes more) symbols within a combination. Each of the symbols is detailed clearly, so you can find out exactly what to expect with full transparency.

In this article, we’re going to outline where to find a slot paytable, how to read them, and what the information contained within the table tells you about that particular game.

Where to find a slot paytable

When you begin playing your chosen online slot game, you will be met with a screen that, generally, looks very similar across the board. Dominating the action will be the reels, which you will see in the centre of the screen. Around the reels is normally an array of buttons. The circular arrow is the spin button, while the coin icon enables you to modify your stake and (sometimes) change the number of paylines in play.

You will find your slot paytables hidden behind the information (i) button, or sometimes via an icon bearing three horizontal lines – you may recognise this as the menu button on many websites and mobile devices. Tap this button and you will be transported to the paytable, where you can find out how to win, what each combination of symbols pays, what the special symbols do, and more.

How to interpret a slot paytable

Once you have your slot paytable on the screen, you will be presented with all of the key information you need in order to understand the action on your reels.

The most pertinent is the payout information for each winning combination. This can look confusing at first, so let’s walk through the paytable of the classic slot Starburst as an example:

Purple Gem – Three = 5x, four = 10x, five = 25x
Blue Gem – Three = 5x, four = 10x, five = 25x
Red Gem – Three = 7x, four = 15x, five = 40x
Green Gem – Three = 8x, four = 20x, five = 50x
Yellow Gem – Three = 10x, four = 25x, five = 60x
7 – Three = 25x, four = 60x, five = 120x
BAR – Three = 50x, four = 200x, five = 250x

So, what does this tell us? The multipliers (e.g., 5x) reveal how much our stake per spin will be multiplied by to calculate our win. Let’s say that we’ve landed three Purple Gem symbols at £0.50 per spin – our calculation is £0.50 multiplied by 5x, which gives us £2.50. If we landed five of the biggest-paying symbol, BAR, the math would be £0.50 multiplied by 250x, giving us a prize of £125.

Sometimes, a slot paytable will detail monetary payouts based upon your bet amount, rather than the multiplier. So, for five BAR symbols on Starburst, it would say 125.00 rather than 250x. This is an important distinction to make.

The paytable will also detail the role that wild and scatter symbols have within the game, while others will show you the various paylines and ways to win. You can try to memorise these patterns and lines if you want, but you can always refer to the paytable throughout the game.

Wilds, scatters and mystery symbols in slot machine paytables

It would be fair to say that most new slots have a wild symbol, scatter symbol or both, that can appear on your reels. These special symbols often play a different role from the base game icons, so it’s well worth referring to the paytable for more information about their roles.

As a general rule, the wild symbol will substitute for all other basic symbols, occasionally creating winning combinations as a result. The scatter symbol, on the other hand, can act as the trigger for any free spins or bonus rounds in the game. There can also be a designated bonus symbol that triggers a special feature. So, be sure to check the paytable to learn the function of these additional symbols and how much they pay when they appear on your reels.

The best slot machine paytables

The best slot machine paytables are those that are comprehensive in the information they provide to players and are easy to read.

One such example is The Goonies, which is based on the ever-popular 80s film of the same name. Each of the winning combinations and their respective payouts are clearly defined, while the reward for landing wild and scatter symbols – in this case, monetary prizes and access to the One-Eyed Willy’s Riches bonus round – is explained well.

The paytable for Money Train 2 is another good example. This game features not only basic symbols but also ‘character’ symbols, with each symbol offering a different outcome when landed on the reels. The paytable does a good job of explaining this on another page away from the base game prizes.

One of the key jobs performed by the paytable in Route 777 is to outline the rules of the Fortune Wheel bonus game, which holds the key to the slot’s best prizes. Players can let the wheel spin and hit the stop sign when they are ready – knowing this is vital to those who would rather lock in an earlier payout.

Slot machine paytable FAQ

What is a paytable in slots?

The slot machine paytable provides all of the key information about a game that players need to know about, from the different payouts available to the combinations of symbols needed to trigger them, and, in many cases, where the different paylines and winning patterns can be found on your gameboard.