A payline in slots is a particular pattern on the reel grid where winning combinations can occur. Most online casino slots require you to match 3 or more symbols, starting from the leftmost reel, along a payline to form a win. Nowadays, there are many different ways you can create a winning combination.
In slots, paylines can be fixed or adjustable. But what does that mean? Are fixed payline slots better than adjustable payline slots? In this blog post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about fixed and adjustable payline slots to help you understand which one may be a better fit for you.
What Is a Fixed Payline Slot Machine?
The majority of modern online slots are set to fixed paylines by default. A fixed online slot machine is a slot machine that has a set number of paylines that cannot be altered. It means that when you play a fixed payline slot, all of the paylines are activated and will remain activated throughout your whole slot gaming session.
When you play a fixed payline slot, you are betting on every possible combination of symbols. So, for example, if you bet £1 per spin on a slot with 25 paylines, you would essentially be betting 4p per payline with every spin.
£1 = 100p
100p/25 paylines = 4p per payline
4p x 25 = 100p = £1
With a fixed payline slot, every possible winning combination is activated, therefore giving you the best possible chance of potentially scoring a winning combination. The only thing you can adjust on a fixed payline slot is the size of your bet per spin.
There are many reasons why players may choose fixed payline slots. Firstly, you can’t select the number of active paylines, as all of them are already active, hence the term ‘fixed’. The betting range can be pretty broad, which may appeal to various slot players.
Some may also think that fixed payline slots are easier to play as you don’t have to worry about adjusting the number of active paylines.
An example of a fixed payline slot is Rainbow Riches Pick ‘n’ Mix by Barcrest. Rainbow Riches Pick ‘n’ Mix has 5 reels and 20 fixed paylines. You can play Rainbow Riches Pick ‘n’ Mix from a minimum of 20p per spin up to a maximum of £5 per spin.
What Is an Adjustable Payline Slot Machine?
An adjustable payline slot machine is a slot where you can change the number of active paylines. Players can manually choose how many paylines they want to be active. The fewer active paylines you have, the less you can bet per spin. You can wager more per spin if you activate all paylines in adjustable payline slots. For example, if you were playing on a slot with 25 adjustable paylines, and the min bet per payline was 1p, you could wager anywhere from 1p up to 25p per spin (1p = 1 active payline, 25p = 25 active paylines).
Adjustable payline slots can be much more flexible as you can choose how many paylines you want to bet on. That is because you can reduce or increase the number of active paylines.
An example of an adjustable payline slot is Fluffy Favourites. Fluffy Favourites has 5 reels and 25 adjustable paylines. The minimum bet you can make is 1p, and the maximum bet is £5 per spin. If you decide to place the minimum bet of just 1p per spin, you will be playing with only 1 active payline. The possible top win in Fluffy Favourites is an incredible 5,000x your stake.
Which Type of Slot Machine Is Best?
Fixed online slots are not necessarily better than adjustable payline slots. Likewise, adjustable payline slots are no better than fixed slots. What is best is all down to what you want to get out of your slot gaming experience.
The majority of online slots have fixed paylines. So, when choosing a slot to play, you can guess that almost 99% of the time, it will have fixed paylines. This makes it easier for you as you don’t have to adjust the paylines; place your bet and spin!
One of the best things about fixed payline slot machines is that you don’t have to adjust any settings. There is no additional step to alter the paylines. This is different to adjustable payline slots as you have to adjust the paylines manually. This could perhaps be more confusing to new players.
A significant disadvantage to adjustable payline slots is that there are not many to choose from. If you prefer to play adjustable payline slots, unfortunately, there’s not as wide of a variety to choose from. However, there are lots of fixed payline slots available to play.
One good thing about adjustable payline slots is that you can potentially make your gaming experience last longer. If you want to place small bets, you may prefer adjustable payline slots as you may be able to bet on just a few lines or set to the minimum bet to suit your personal preferences.
Are More Paylines Better In Slots?
Whether more paylines are better in slots is a personal preference. If you prefer the chance for small potential wins or perhaps have a smaller budget, playing with adjustable paylines might be the best option for you. On the other hand, if you want to bet bigger, you may prefer to play slots with fixed paylines.
The paytable of a slot remains the same whether you activate just one payline or all of them. However, you are potentially lowering your chances of hitting a winning combination by reducing the number of paylines. Because of this, many players prefer fixed payline slots. You’re automatically betting on all lines when you play fixed online slots.
How Many Lines Should You Play on a Slot Machine?
There are many types of fixed and adjustable payline slots. Each type of slot offers a different kind of slot gaming experience. Let’s take a look at the various slots available.
One Payline Slots: One payline slots are traditional slot machines that resemble the classic fruit slot machine. They have one fixed payline, where wins are made by matching 3 symbols across the reels. One payline slots do not usually have any bonus features, so they are nice and straightforward to play. They are the perfect slot games for beginners or someone who loves nostalgic popular classic fruit machines.
Pay Both Ways- Typically, winning combinations are made one way - starting from the leftmost reel. However, with pay both ways slots, you could score a win from both directions; whether you land matching symbols starting on the left or right, both count as a win. This type of slot gives you two separate ways to win, which could potentially increase your chances of forming a winning combination.
Multi-Payline Slots - Multi-payline slots are the most common type of modern slot you will find in an online casino. These slots usually have more symbols across the reels, exciting themes, high-quality animations, and fun bonus features. Including wilds, scatters, and free spins. Most online slots typically have 20 or 25 paylines, but they can have many more. So, for example, a multi-payline slot could have between 10 and 100 paylines.
Megaways: Megaways slots are a relatively new addition. When you play a megaways slot, there is a chance that the reels could expand, increasing the number of paylines, and, therefore, you have more opportunities to get a potential winning combination. The paylines may change at random or during a bonus feature. At Wizard Slots you will find some of the best megaways slots online.
*All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to these slot games are subject to change at any time.
