When it comes to playing online slots as a regular customer, a player should stick to money management techniques and have consideration for the different game types and possibilities out there. This can seem daunting at first, from the lingo that surrounds slots descriptions to the very first steps in choosing the correct game – try and play Big Bad Wolf slot.
Before you dive into things like variance, RTP and so on, we advise you to look into paylines and how they work in different slots games. We cover these things in this article, and also provide some insight into fixed paylines specifically.
What is a payline?
In order to win at slots, a player must land winning combinations on the reels. Winning combinations are not universal to all slot games, every slot has different ones. This means that a diagonal line across the reels might pay out in one game, but not in the other, all depending on the paylines used. In other words, a payline is a shape in which the matching symbols need to land in order to win and it is specific to every game.
It is true that some paylines are mutual across a range of games, such as a simple and straightforward line from left to right. But the numbers of paylines that slot games use range from 1 to 256 and upwards, so it is important to keep in mind that paylines are different in every game.
Fixed payline slots
This is a type of slot where all the possible paylines are always active, irrespective of the size of your bet. Most modern slots have fixed paylines as it is the most popular game type across all the countries where slots are legal.
In many people’s opinions, fixed payline slots have a clear advantage over adjustable payline ones. In the latter category games, you will need to bet higher to activate more paylines, which can put pressure on the players to bet too high for their own good and deplete their bankrolls very fast. That is why fixed payline slots are clearly greater in numbers and are more popular.
The only competition to fixed payline slots is posed by Megaways slots. This is a yet another type of game where the amount of paylines depends on the amount of symbols on the reels. In Megaways, every reel can have from 2 to 7 symbols.
What are the advantages of fixed payline slots?
- Reliable gameplay where you always have the maximal chance to win on all the possible paylines in the game.
- In fixed payline slots, you can have complete flexibility of your bet. Whether you stake 10p or £10 on a single spin, you can be sure that you will always have the same chance of landing a winning combination.
- Fixed payline games are often the ones with interesting, unique and profitable bonus features. Adjustable payline games limit bonus features due the possibility of massive payouts when the player bets high amounts on minimal paylines. Fixed payline games normally have a lower potential in that vein, so they reward the player with bonus features.