Lines, ways and twins: reading a reel game

Reel games look alike at first glance, but they count wins in quite different ways. Knowing which method a game uses tells you a lot about how it will feel.

Paylines

Lantern Walk and Volt Triple use fixed lines. A line is a path across the reels, one cell per reel. Lantern Walk has twenty such paths and splits your stake evenly between them; Volt Triple has a single line across the middle. A win needs matching symbols along a path starting from the left reel. Line games are easy to read: the highlighted cells show exactly which path paid.

Ways

Summit Surge and Twin Tide count ways. Instead of fixed paths, any matching symbol on neighbouring reels counts, whatever row it is in. With three rows and five reels there are 243 possible ways; with six reels, 729. If a symbol appears twice on one reel, every win through it is made twice. Pay tables for ways games show small numbers per way, because one spin can pay many ways at once.

Twins and growing reels

Twin Tide adds twin symbols that count twice on their reel. Summit Surge makes its reels taller during bonus spins, so the number of ways grows from 729 up to more than a hundred thousand. Both features move returns towards the bonus rounds, which is why those games feel quiet in between.

Pace and swing

Each game page shows pace, swing and depth. Swing is the useful one here: a high-swing game spends long stretches returning little and then occasionally returns a lot. Neither style is more generous in the long run. Pick the one that suits your evening, and set your session length before you start.