Getting Started with Multi-Line Slots: What Are They?
Since their introduction in the late 19th century, slot machines have continued to evolve. These days, one can find a variety of slot games that come with sophisticated themes, use top-notch graphics and have numerous in-game bonus features.
One slot game type that has gone mainstream in the past few years and is now enjoyed by millions of players is multi-line slots. In this article, we touch down on the basics of multi-line slots and explain several other things you need to know about them.
What are multi-line slots?
Before explaining to you what multi-line slots are, let’s have a look at some basics. Each slot machine you’ll come across at both land-based and online casino sites features a set number of symbols and reels. The gameplay round starts as soon as you press the ‘Spin’ button to set the reels in motion. The reels then eventually come to a stop in a particular fashion. After that, the result of the game is determined.
At this point, the potential pay line is the thing that’s used to decide whether you’ve formed a winning combination or not. If you’ve managed to get the required number of symbols on that pay line, you’ll receive a payout as per the pay table of the game. Besides the potential winning combination, the pay line is used to check whether you’ve triggered a bonus round or any other reward on offer.
Back in the day when one-arm bandits and classic Blackjack games were all the rage, slot machines usually featured horizontal pay lines. But today, slot pay lines can come in several different shapes, including horizontal, vertical, oblique and zigzag. And multi-line slots are the ones that come with more than one pay line. To give you an idea, the pay lines in multi-line slots can range anywhere between 20 and 1,000 depending on your chosen slot game.
Types of multi-line slots
When playing slots online, you can find several different types of multi-line slot games. Below we take a look at the most common ones:
Adjustable paylines
As the name implies, the paylines in this type of slot game are adjustable. Here, players have the chance to set the number of paylines they want to be active before initiating the spinning round/s. This, in turn, gives much more flexibility as compared to other slot games. Adjustable paylines go great with players who
Fixed paylines
This slot machine type comes with a fixed set of paylines that you need to mandatorily wager on. While they may not offer the same flexibility as the adjustable ones, wagering on fixed payline slot games means you don’t have to miss out on any potential winning combination. Fixed paylines are usually suitable for players with decent bankrolls.
Win Both Ways
If you’ve played classic slots at an online or mobile casino before, you’d be knowing that most of these games tend to pay from left to right. However, win both ways multi-line slots allow you to win from both left to right and right to left. That way, you have increased chances of forming a winning combination.
243 ways to win
In this multi-line slot game type, getting a combination of three or more matching symbols makes you eligible for receiving a payout. Also, the position of the symbols doesn’t really matter here, you just need to get them on adjacent reels. While the overall structure of 243 ways to win slot games may seem a bit sophisticated at the start, playing a few rounds will make you realize that it’s pretty simple.
Megaways
Megaways are one of the latest additions to the world of online slots. They were originally developed by renowned software developer Big Time Gaming in 2015. What makes them unique from other slot types is the fact that they come random reel modifier that changes the number of symbols that appear on the reels.
Why you should play multi-line slots?
Just like Roulette and Poker, there’s something about multi-line slots that makes them so popular among online slot players. Below we’ve listed some of the reasons why you should try your hands at multi-line slots:
A variety of themes available – Gone are the days when slot players had to confine themselves to the same repetitive theme and graphics. Multi-line slots come with several exciting themes, ranging from popular TV characters and movies to fantasy and several other genres.
Increased chances to win – With multi-line slots, players have increased chances to form the right winning combination.
Additional features – From triggering bonus rounds to being able to participate in mini-games, multi-line slots have several additional features that players can take advantage of.