paylines

A payline is a line across the reels of a slot machine that defines a winning combination. In classic three-reel machines there was typically one fixed payline running left to right. Modern video slots often have many paylines, which may be fixed or selectable, or they may use a ways-to-win system in which wins are not tied to a specific pattern but to symbols appearing on adjacent reels.

Paylines are usually arranged patterns on the grid, such as horizontal rows, diagonals, vertical lines, or more complex shapes like V or zigzag patterns. The number of active paylines varies by game; some slots offer a fixed set (for example, 25 paylines on a 5-reel slot), while others let players choose how many lines to activate or use all-ways mechanisms that effectively provide hundreds or thousands of winning patterns.

A win is awarded when the required symbols appear on a paid line (or on a valid pattern, in ways-to-win formats) according to the game’s paytable. Most games pay from the leftmost reel to the right, with matching symbols on the specified line producing the payout. Wild symbols and scatters can affect payments by substituting for other symbols or by paying separately, regardless of paylines in some cases.

Betting and paylines are linked: the total stake is typically the bet per line multiplied by the number of active paylines, though ways-to-win formats may use a single bet that covers multiple patterns. Paylines influence both the volatility and potential payout frequency of a slot.