How Online Slots Lines Work

September 27, 2017

Canada is known for a lot of things, such as its beautiful scenery, friendly locals, and, of course, its love of all things slot machine. Slots have been an important part of the country for decades, and when slots made their way on to the online scene, it proved to be a bigger success than anyone could have guessed. Today, there are endless sites offering some of the best Canadian slots available, and it doesn’t take long to find the perfect slot to suit just about everyone.

Slots have long been associated with casino floors: namely flashing lights, plenty of sound effects, and the appeal of making tons of money. This means that your average slot has retained many of these features, and while they may seem simple and skin-deep in many ways, there are a lot of systems that are running behind the scene, out of sight. The fact of the matter is that there are multiple mechanics that run a slot, with some of these including the reels, the random number generator, the symbols, and the paylines.

Slot Lines

Each one of these mechanics need to run together in order for the slot machine to function properly, and paylines are an incredibly vital part of the process. Every slot contains a certain number of reels, which usually numbers between 3 and 5, and each reel spins when the player starts a round. Once the reels come to a stop, a number of symbols will be displayed across the reels, and each one of the symbols lands at random, using the RNG system.

This is where the paylines come into play. Each line is set across the reels in a number of combination pre-sets, which can range from straight lines going both up and down, as well as diagonally. The best way to check how the lines are configured is by opening the help tab that most online slots have as a selectable button. Here, you will be able to see the paylines structure and how much you can earn for each one, if the right combinations are landed.

How Slots Lines Work

The symbols that land on the reels have an inherent value, no matter which symbol they are. In order to turn this value into tangible winnings, the symbols need to line up in special combinations once the reels have come to a stop. Paylines are what the system uses to firstly determine whether the symbols are in the right place, and secondly, if the symbols are in the correct combination order, how much that specific combination is worth.

Many slots also allow their players to customise the number of paylines that are active during a game, which is usually indicated by the small numbers found on either side of the reels. The more paylines active, the better the chance of landing a combination, which in turn means a better chance of winning. This comes at a price, however, and every spin using more paylines will also cost more, and it is up to the player to decide whether the risk is worth it.

Paylines are the part of the slot that can give you an idea of the kind of winnings you can potentially earn, which makes understanding how they work that much more important to making your online slot experience smoother and profitable.