Video Slot Features
Video slots are among the easiest online casino games to understand and play. Set your wager for each spin, press the ‘start’ button, and let the game take it from there.
The RNG takes over, animations get under way, and the slot technology behind bonus rounds, winning combinations and other features automatically displays and pays winning multipliers. Even when the software runs the show, it’s reasonable to wonder what pays, where it appears, when it triggers and why.
Understanding the technology behind online slots can help you make a more informed game choice. That’s the aim of this guide. It explains some of the more confusing slot mechanics used by major developers such as BTG, Yggdrasil, Pragmatic Play, Microgaming and others, so you can recognize the mechanics in a video slot you’re considering.
Ways-to-Win – (Adjacent Reels No Paylines)
Video slots without paylines are among the most commonly misunderstood examples of iGaming technology. Microgaming is generally credited as the first software provider to move away from paylines. The now-defunct Lord of the Rings Jackpot slot introduced the 243-ways-to-win format without paylines. These games kept a 5x3 reel layout but used ‘adjacent reels’ to form winning combinations—a system that’s simple once you understand the rules.
- For a combination to win, its first symbol must appear on reel 1
- Each following symbol must appear on the next consecutive adjacent reel
- A 2-symbol win requires matching symbols on reels 1-2.
- A 3-symbol combination win requires matching symbols on reels 1-2-3
- The same sequence applies to 4-, 5- and 6-symbol combination wins
- A symbol’s position on its reel does not matter (top-middle-bottom)
Since the introduction of the no-payline 243-ways-to-win format, there are now…
- 1024-ways-to-win: After the 243-ways-to-win concept caught on, developers introduced the 1024-ways-to-win format, with 5x4 reels offering more possible winning routes.
- 4096-ways-to-win: By adding a 6th reel and using a 6x4 layout, developers created games with 2000 possible winning ways, including the familiar 4,096-ways format featured in Playtech’s Buffalo Blitz virtual and live slots.
- 117,649-ways to win: Megaways slots keep the no-payline approach and its ‘adjacent reels’ rules for making winning combinations, but introduce an important variation…
Megaways
Although BTG patented ‘Megaways’, Microgaming still deserves credit for the earlier no-paylines concept. BTG expanded ways-to-win games with its ‘Shape-Shifting Reels’. Some descriptions portray Megaways slots as a 6x7 grid, but that’s not quite accurate, for the following reason…
- On any spin, a reel may show 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 symbols
- A spin could show 2-4-7-6-4-6 symbols across 6 reels, or it could show 7-7-7-7-7-7 symbols
- The number of Megaways changes from spin to spin, depending on the number of symbols visible
- To reach 117,649 ways to win, all 6 reels must show 7 symbols each: 7-7-7-7-7-7
That’s how Megaways slots can offer so many ways to win, and why they’re known as ‘shape-shifting reels’. Other formats exist too, including Tiki Infinity Reels X Megaways, which changes between 2 and 5 symbols while offering unlimited Megaways because…
Infinity Reels
When this was first written, the ‘Infinity Reels’ feature was relatively new, with only a handful of titles. The original review anticipated more releases in the years ahead. As the name suggests, the slot can keep adding reels. In the example here, Tiki Infinity Reels X Megaways starts with 3 reels.
- If the 1st spin produces a 3-symbol win, the game adds a new 4th reel
- Only the newly added reel spins
- If the 3-symbol win becomes a 4-symbol win, the game adds a new 5th reel
- Only the newly added reel spins
- If the 4-symbol win becomes a 5-symbol win, the game adds a new 6th reel
That’s the basic idea. The sequence can continue indefinitely, creating ‘Infinite Reels’ and, as a result, no fixed limit on the number of Megaways.
Cluster Wins, Also Known as Cluster Pays
Slots built around ‘Cluster Pays’ or ‘Cluster Wins’ offer a different kind of play. Gemix 2 is one example. Instead of using paylines or adjacent reels, these games form winning combinations in a ‘Tetris’-style layout. The groups are called ‘clusters’, not combinations.
- A cluster is formed by symbols in adjacent positions, not merely on adjacent reels
- Symbols may connect above, below, left, right or diagonally
- Clusters can form squares, rectangles or other shapes
- Clusters commonly require at least 5 symbols
- Some clusters may combine 25 symbols
- Clusters can appear anywhere in the visible area of the slot
Rolling Reels or Cascading Reels
Most Megaways games, nearly all cluster-pay games and some payline and ways-to-win slots use cascading reels. On Microgaming Slots: Features, RTP and Jackpot Games, this feature is also called rolling reels.
- The game removes the symbols in a winning combination from the reels
- New symbols fall into the empty positions
- A new combination does not necessarily pay
- Any new wins are added to the winnings from the current spin
- The reels continue cascading until no more wins appear
Win Both Ways
When a slot pays both ways, as Starburst, does, winning combinations can run left to right or right to left. The adjacent-reels principle used in no-payline games can also apply to payline slots. For a right-to-left win, the first symbol still has to start on reel 1 and continue across consecutive reels; with the ‘Both Ways’ feature, the reverse direction starts on reel 5 and runs across consecutive reels.
- Combination wins can pay from left to right (Reels 1-2-3-4-5)
- Combination wins can pay from right to left (Reels 5-4-3-2-1)
A Round-Up of Slot Technology
This guide to video slot technology has covered several elements that can make modern online and mobile slots seem confusing. These explanations give newer players a foundation for understanding the mechanics behind technical terms used to describe a video slot’s main functions. For more information, see:
