What Is a Payline?
A payline is a line that runs across the reels, passing through one symbol position on each reel. When matching symbols land along an active payline, in the right order, you win.
Early machines had a single payline straight across the middle of the reels. Modern pokies can have dozens of lines, each following its own path:
- Straight lines across the top, middle or bottom row
- V shapes and upside-down V shapes
- Zigzags that move up and down across the reels
- Steps that move from one row to another
Every game's paytable includes a diagram showing the path of each line.
How Payline Wins Are Counted
Most payline games follow the same basic rules:
- Wins pay from left to right. Matching symbols must start on the first reel and continue on consecutive reels along the line.
- Symbols must be consecutive. If the run of matching symbols is broken, the win stops at the last matching symbol before the break.
- Only the highest win per line is paid. If a line could form more than one winning combination, the most valuable one counts.
- Wins on different lines are added together. If several lines win on the same spin, you receive the total of all of them.
Example: On a 20-line game, you land three Kings on line 1 and four Queens on line 7. You are paid for both wins, added together.
Wild symbols can complete combinations along a line by substituting for other symbols. Scatter symbols are different: they usually pay or trigger features wherever they land, regardless of paylines.
Games That Pay Both Ways
Some games read each line from both ends, paying for matching symbols from left to right and from right to left. The line paths stay the same, but more combinations can win. The paytable will say if a game pays both ways.
Fixed vs Adjustable Paylines
Fixed Paylines
In a fixed-line game, all paylines are active on every spin. You choose your stake, and it is spread across all of the lines automatically. Most modern online pokies use fixed lines. Starburst, for example, has 10 fixed paylines.
Adjustable Paylines
In an adjustable-line game, you can choose how many lines to play, such as anywhere from 1 to 10. Book of Dead, for example, has 10 paylines and lets players activate fewer than all of them.
If you play fewer lines, each spin costs less, but any winning combination that lands on an inactive line does not pay. Playing fewer lines does not make the game more generous. It simply reduces both your cost per spin and the number of ways you can win.
How Lines Affect the Cost of a Spin
In many payline games, the cost of a spin is:
Number of lines × bet per line = total bet
Example: A game has 20 lines, and you bet $0.05 per line. Your total bet is 20 × $0.05 = $1.00 per spin.
Lines and Credits on Venue Pokies
Many pokies in Australian pubs and clubs use credits rather than dollar amounts. The cost of a spin depends on three settings:
- The denomination: the value of one credit, such as 1 cent
- The number of lines played
- The credits bet per line
Example: On a 1-cent machine, playing 25 lines at 2 credits per line costs 50 credits per spin, or $0.50. Increasing to 10 credits per line on the same 25 lines costs 250 credits, or $2.50 per spin.
Small denominations can make a machine look cheap, but the total cost of each spin can still add up quickly. Always check the total bet shown on the screen.
Paylines vs Other Win Systems
- Paylines: symbols must land on set paths across the reels.
- Ways to win: matching symbols pay on adjacent reels in any row, with no fixed lines.
- Megaways: a ways system where the number of symbols on each reel changes every spin.
- Cluster pays: matching symbols win when they touch each other on a grid.
No system is more generous by default. The game's overall return is set by its RTP.
Common Misconceptions About Paylines
"Playing more lines improves my odds."
More lines can make wins more frequent, but each spin costs more. The house edge does not change. Many of the extra wins may be smaller than the total stake. See Pokies Myths Explained.
"A win on several lines means I came out ahead."
Not always. If your total bet is spread across many lines, several small line wins can still add up to less than you staked.
"Paylines can be changed to make a game pay more."
The rules of a game, including how its lines pay, are set by its design. Every result is decided by the random number generator.
Playing Responsibly
Lines, credits and denominations can make it hard to see what a spin really costs. Check the total bet before you play, set a budget and a time limit and stop when you reach them. Our guides on setting gambling limits and recognising gambling harm explain practical steps, and Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential support 24/7 on 1800 858 858.