Payway meaning in slots

Payway meaning in slots, defined

A payway is a path through the reel window that the game checks for winning symbol combinations. If enough matching symbols sit along that path, usually starting on the leftmost reel, you are paid the amount the paytable lists for that combination. The word covers two systems that developers use interchangeably: fixed paylines drawn as lines across the grid, and ways to win, where every adjacent combination counts.

You will see the term on game info panels as “10 payways”, “243 ways” or “up to 117,649 ways”. All of them answer the same question: how many separate routes can a win travel along on one spin? Early three-reel machines, covered in Wikipedia's slot machine article (opens in a new tab), paid on a single centre line; multi-line and ways designs came with electronic and video machines. It sits alongside related entries such as win line in our glossary of slot terms.

Paylines versus ways: how payways are counted

On a payline game, the designer draws a fixed set of patterns. Line 1 might run straight across the middle row, line 2 across the top, and others zigzag. A win needs matching symbols on consecutive reels along one of those patterns. Symbols that match but sit off any line do not pay.

A ways game drops the drawn patterns. Any symbol on reel 1 links to any matching symbol on reel 2, then reel 3, and so on, as long as each reel in the chain contains the symbol somewhere in view. The total number of ways is simply the visible positions on each reel multiplied together. Our explainer on ways to win slot machines shows the variants.

Payway example: counting a ways win step by step

Take a 243-ways game and suppose the following lands: reel 1 shows two crowns, reel 2 shows one crown, reel 3 shows two crowns, and reel 4 shows none. The crown combination runs across three reels, so it pays the three-of-a-kind amount. The number of ways it pays is 2 × 1 × 2 = 4.

1. Find the first reel with no matching symbol. Here it is reel 4, so the combination is three of a kind.
2. Count the matching symbols on each reel in the chain: 2, 1 and 2.
3. Multiply them: 2 × 1 × 2 = 4 payways.
4. Multiply the paytable value by the number of payways. If three crowns pay 0.5 times the total bet, the win is 4 × 0.5 = 2 times the bet.
5. At a 20p stake that is 40p back, a net gain of 20p on the spin.

On a 10-payline game, the same screen might pay nothing at all if none of the crowns lined up on a drawn line. This is the practical difference between the two systems, and why ways games show small wins more often. For a deeper look at the 243 model specifically, read what 243 ways means.

Do more payways mean better odds on a slot machine?

No. The number of payways changes how often small wins appear, but it does not change the return to player. A designer balances the paytable so that a 117,649-way game and a 10-line game can both return around 96% over the long run. Extra payways usually come with smaller individual prizes for each combination.

The table below uses figures from developers' published game sheets.

Look at Book of Dead and Starburst: identical payline counts, very different volatility. The payway count says little about how a game feels; the paytable and features say much more. That is also why hit frequency and payway count are separate ideas.

Payways and wins smaller than your stake

Games with many payways frequently return less than the stake on a winning spin: a 20p spin might pay back 8p. Since 31 October 2021, UK-licensed online slots must not celebrate a return equal to or smaller than the stake with win sounds or animations. The Commission's online games design decision (opens in a new tab) set out the reasoning, and our page on the losses disguised as wins rule explains how it shows on screen.

A 'win' of 8p on a 20p spin is a 12p loss. Many games now show your net position for the session, which makes this easier to keep track of.

Megaways, both-ways and other payway variants

Megaways slots change the height of each reel on every spin, so the payway count moves between a few hundred and 117,649 (7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7). Big Time Gaming debuted the mechanic in Dragon Born, and Bonanza Megaways made it widely known. Pay-both-ways designs, as on Starburst, check each line from either end, which our win both ways page covers. Some studios add reels mid-feature, such as Nolimit City's xWays symbols, which can enlarge a reel and add payways for a single spin.

Grid games built on cluster pays or pays anywhere rules, such as Sweet Bonanza, do not use payways. A player looking for the payway count in their help screens will find a minimum symbol count instead.

Playing payway and ways slots at UK casinos

The welcome offers shown here apply to slots whatever their payway system. At Coral Casino, new players aged 18+ who deposit and bet £10 or more on slots get 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings. Ladbrokes gives new customers aged 18+ up to 500 free spins at 10p each after they deposit and spend £10 on slots: 50 a day for 10 days, claimed before 23:59 each day, no wagering. Certain payment methods are excluded and full terms apply.

Because the free spins are fixed at 10p, a 10-line game and a 243-ways game both cost the same per spin; only the way wins are counted differs. Both brands belong to the same operator, so read the terms on holding accounts at each.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.