Multi Line Slots

When you read reviews of slot machines, you’ll likely see references to the number of “lines” a slot features — for instance, a nine line slot, or a 20 line machine. The number of lines offered on a slot machine makes a significant difference in gameplay options for the player, and is one of the defining attributes of any online slot machine.

Single Line Slots

The simplest type of slot machine is the single line slot. A single line slot machine is any slot which features only one payline, with no options to select additional lines to bet on.

Single line slots are almost exclusively found in the world of three-reel slots. In older style mechanical slots, the single payline was likely a technical necessity; over time, it became traditional that simpler slots would maintain this feature. Many basic slot machines that feature just a few symbols (like bars and cherries) use only a single payline.

The biggest advantage to the single line machine is its simplicity. In the days of mechanical slots, the more complex a game was, the more likely it was to malfunction or be tampered with; keeping games to three reels and a single payline was a way to minimize the risk of a game breaking down. Today, many players still continue to enjoy playing games with just a single line in order to keep things simple and avoid confusion during play.

Multi-Line Slots

Any slot that offers more than a single payline qualifies as a multi-line slot. Many three-reel slots offer multiple lines (though you’ll rarely see more than five lines on a three-reel game, up to 27 paylines are possible), while virtually all five-reel slots would qualify as multi-line games.

On a multi-line slot, players still have the option of playing just a single payline, if they so desire. However, there are also additional lines that give players further chances to win prizes on each spin. In most cases, each line costs the same amount of money to play, and offers the same exact prizes (though some exceptions do exist).

Most five-reel video slots show three rows of symbols on the screen at any one time. The first (or main) payline consists of the center row of symbols. Traditionally, the second and third paylines will consist of the top and bottom rows. After that, the paylines will start to look somewhat unusual, dancing up and down between rows to make new potential winning combinations. Luckily, slot machines automatically note if you’ve won or not, so you won’t need to memorize exactly how each payline works.

It is common for five-reel video slots to offer 20 or 30 paylines, with some games going as high as 50 available paylines. In a theoretical sense, it is possible to make up to 243 unique paylines on a five-reel slot with three rows of symbols; however, most games that use all 243 lines fall under a separate category of games we’ll talk more about below.

Advantages to Playing Multiple Lines

The obvious advantage to playing multiple lines on a slot machine is that you’ll have more chances to win prizes. Of course, this comes at a cost; you must pay for each line you play, so playing the maximum bet on a 20-line slot machine costs 20 times as much as playing a single line.

Playing the maximum number of lines is especially important when playing some progressive jackpot slots. In many cases, you can only win a progressive jackpot if you make the maximum bet on a given machine. In some cases, operators make it so only the “last” payline offers the progressive jackpot prize, while the same combination of symbols on any other payline will pay a fairly large consolation prize.

On most machines, however, there’s no requirement to play every payline in order to get the maximum return from the machine. Many bonus features triggered by scatter symbols will pay out less if you do not bet the maximum on every spin; however, the amount these prizes are reduced is directly proportional to the amount you bet. For instance, if you play half of the paylines, these special features may pay out half as much as if you played every line.

“Every Line” Slots

One particularly interesting form of slot machine that has become more common in recent years is the “every line” slot. This type of game has you pay one flat fee to pay, but allows you to win any time you match symbols from left to right, regardless of exactly where they appear on the reels. The effect of this type of game is to essentially let you play every payline simultaneously — usually 243 lines on a five-reel video slot. These games are great for players who want lots of action on every spin, but don’t like the high cost that comes with paying for dozens of lines.