Online Pokies Paylines and Ways of Winning
Modern video pokies use a wide array of game mechanics to create winning combinations. To better understand exactly how pokie machines work nowadays, let’s have a look at some of the game mechanics you might come across.
PAYLINE WINS
Paylines are the standard way of winning in a pokie. You can find pokies with as few as one or three paylines, and also pokies having hundreds of paylines. Modern 5-reel video slots tend to have between 20 and 25 paylines stretching from left to right over the reels.
Then, there are some pokies that have paylines in all possible crisscrosses along the reels. In these pokies, you win as long as you have the same symbols on adjacent reels, typically starting with the leftmost reel.
MEGAWAYS™
Megaways™ is a game mechanic created by the Australian game provider Big Time Gaming. But, not only their pokies have this feature, as they are licencing it out to other providers as well. What makes Megaways™ special is that the number of possible winning combinations you may get changes from spin to spin.
For example, in the original Megaways™ pokie launched in 2016, called Bonanza, there are six columns in the base game. Each column will show between 2 and 7 symbols. This particular feature, showing a random number of symbols per column, is the definition of the Megaways™ mechanic. In the Bonanza pokie, there are four additional symbols on top of the six columns. These symbols slide in from right to left over the four middle reels. This gives you a maximum of 117,649 ways to win. In addition to being a Megaways™ pokie, Bonanza also has the Avalanche feature with cascading symbols.
CASCADING WINS
Cascading wins, or the Avalanche feature, is a game mechanic where the pokie does not have spinning reels. Instead, it will have columns where symbols fall down from the top. When you win, the winning symbols will disappear and be replaced by new symbols falling down from the top of the column. This allows you to get a new chance to create more winning combinations.
One of the first pokies that had this feature is the ever-popular pokie Gonzo’s Quest from NetEnt, launched in 2011. This pokie features five columns that each hold three symbols. In addition to having the Avalanche feature, you also multiply your consecutive wins. The second win for the game round gives you a 2x multiplier, while the third win gives you a 3x multiplier. All remaining wins in the game round are rewarded with a 5x multiplier. In Gonzo’s Quest free spins, the multipliers are 3x, 5x, 9x and finally 15x!
WIN ANYWHERE
Win Anywhere is a game mechanic where the pokie does not require you to have symbols in any particular pattern. The symbols can land anywhere on the reels, and as long as you have enough of them, you’ll win. The more of the same symbols you have the greater your win will be. Often, online pokies with this game mechanic also feature cascading symbols.
One of the most popular pokies with the Win Anywhere mechanic is Gates of Olympus by Pragmatic Play. This pokie requires that you have at least eight of the same symbols to create a win. Due to its cascading symbols, you’ll also get the chance to win again and again in the same game round. And, if you’re really lucky, the Greek God will even give you a multiplier – and this can be anywhere between 2x and 500x! During free spins, you’ll even get multipliers that accumulate throughout the bonus game.
CLUSTER PAYS
Cluster Pays is a pokie mechanic where you play on a grid, although some versions might also have spinning reels. To win, you need to have a certain number of matching symbols collected in a cluster. Sometimes, Cluster Pays pokies also come with cascading symbols, so that you get more chances of winning. Although, not having this feature is just as common.
There are multiple popular Cluster Pays pokies, and one of the first ones to hit the market was Twin Spin Deluxe from NetEnt. This pokie does not have cascading symbols, and you play the game on five reels. The game provider Play’n GO is perhaps the one that makes the most Cluster Pays online pokies. You might want to try out Troll Hunters 2 or Reactoons, which are both played on a grid with cascading symbols.