Where Slot Symbols Come From
Some of the most familiar slot symbols date back more than a century. Early machines used playing card symbols, and Charles Fey's Liberty Bell used horseshoes, card suits and a bell. In the early 1900s, some machines added a chewing gum dispenser, and because the gum was fruit-flavoured, fruit symbols such as cherries, lemons, oranges and plums appeared on the reels. The BAR symbol is said to come from an image of a stick of Bell-Fruit Gum.
Classic symbols such as cherries, bars, bells and sevens are still used today, especially in retro-style pokies. Our guide What Are Pokies? covers more of this history.
Standard Paying Symbols
Standard symbols pay when enough of them land in a winning combination, whether on a payline, across ways to win or in a cluster.
Low-Paying Symbols
Low-paying symbols usually make up most of the reels. They often include:
- Card ranks such as 10, J, Q, K and A
- Card suits such as hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades
- Simple gems, fruits or coloured shapes
They land frequently but pay small amounts, often less than your total stake for a three-of-a-kind.
High-Paying Symbols
High-paying symbols usually match the game's theme, such as characters, animals, treasures or artefacts. They land less often but pay more, especially for four or five of a kind. The top symbol in a game often pays many times more than the lowest.
The gap between the lowest and highest values says something about how a game pays. A large gap often points to higher volatility, while a flatter spread usually means lower volatility.
Special Symbols
Special symbols are what make modern pokies varied. The most common types are explained below.
Wild Symbols
Wilds substitute for other symbols to help complete winning combinations. They usually do not replace scatter or bonus symbols. Many games use special types of wild, such as expanding, sticky, walking, stacked or multiplier wilds. See Wild Symbols Explained.
Scatter Symbols
Scatters usually pay or trigger a feature wherever they land on the reels, without needing to be on a line or adjacent reels. Landing three or more often triggers free spins. See Scatter Symbols Explained.
Bonus Symbols
Some games use a separate bonus symbol to trigger a bonus round, such as a pick-and-click game or wheel bonus. Bonus symbols sometimes need to land on specific reels or on a payline. Our guide to slot bonus features explains the most common bonus rounds.
Multiplier Symbols
Multiplier symbols increase the value of wins, for example by two, five or more times. They may apply to a single win, to all wins on a spin or to a running total during a feature. See Slot Multipliers Explained.
Coin, Cash and Money Symbols
Coin or cash symbols show a prize value directly on the symbol. In hold-and-win features, they lock in place during respins, and their values are added together at the end. Some coins show jackpot names such as Mini, Minor, Major or Grand instead of a cash value.
Jackpot Symbols
Some games use specific symbols to award fixed or progressive jackpots, such as landing a full line of jackpot symbols or filling a jackpot meter.
Mystery Symbols
Mystery symbols land as a blank or question-mark design and then all transform into the same randomly chosen symbol, which can create several wins at once.
Collector Symbols
Collector symbols gather the values of coin or cash symbols that land on the same spin, or across a feature. They are common in newer hold-and-win and fishing-themed games.
Symbol Behaviours
Some symbols are defined less by what they are and more by how they behave:
- Stacked symbols fill several positions on a reel at once, increasing the chance of connecting across lines.
- Expanding symbols grow to cover a whole reel when they land, often during free spins.
- Sticky symbols stay in place for a number of spins.
- Giant or colossal symbols take up a block of positions, such as two by two or three by three.
- Split or double symbols count as two of the same symbol in one position, a feature found in some Megaways and ways games.
How Symbol Values Work
Each symbol's value is listed in the game's paytable, usually for three, four or five of a kind. Values may be shown as cash amounts based on your bet, as multiples of your total stake or as credits.
How often each symbol lands is set by the game's design. Low-paying symbols are given more positions on the reels and high-paying symbols fewer. This is known as symbol weighting and is explained in our guide on how slot machines work. The value of each symbol and how often it lands together shape the game's RTP.
Examples From Popular Pokies
- In Book of Dead, the Book symbol acts as both the wild and the scatter, and a special expanding symbol is chosen at the start of free spins.
- In Starburst, wilds on the middle reels expand to fill the reel and trigger a respin.
- In Gates of Olympus, multiplier symbols can land and boost the total win of a tumble sequence.
Our slot game reviews explain the symbols and features of each title in detail.
Common Misconceptions About Symbols
"Seeing lots of a symbol means it is about to pay big."
No. Every spin is independent and decided by a random number generator. The symbols on screen do not signal what comes next.
"Two scatters means the bonus is close."
No. Landing two scatters is simply one of many possible outcomes. It does not make the next spin more likely to trigger a feature. See Pokies Myths Explained.
Playing Responsibly
Knowing what each symbol does helps you understand a game, but it does not change the odds. Set a budget and time limit before you play, 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.