Royals meaning in slots: ‘royals’ is player and reviewer shorthand for the playing-card symbols, usually 10, J, Q, K and A (sometimes 9), that act as a slot’s low-value symbols. They fill most reel positions, pay the smallest amounts and rank in card order, with the ace normally paying most.
Royals are card-rank symbols (9 or 10 up to A) used as low pays.
They usually rank in card order: A and K pay a little more than J, 10 and 9.
Card symbols on slots go back to 1890s poker machines with drums of card faces.
A ‘royal-heavy’ game has many low pays, which tends to mean frequent small wins.
Term
Royals
Symbols
9, 10, J, Q, K, A
Role
Low pay symbols
Usual order
A ≥ K > Q ≥ J > 10 ≥ 9
Origin
Card-based poker machines of the 1890s
What royals mean in slots
When a review says a game has ‘five premiums and five royals’, it means five themed high pay symbols and five card ranks doing the work of low pay symbols. The word borrows from poker, where a royal flush is 10 to A of one suit, and it stuck because those are exactly the ranks most slots use. A 9 is sometimes added when a game needs a sixth low pay.
Royals are styled to suit the theme: carved in stone for an Egyptian game, made of ice for a winter one, or drawn as plain letters on a classic. Our card royals symbol page shows the common designs; this entry focuses on the term and the maths behind it.
Where royals on slot machines came from
Card symbols are older than fruit. The Sittman and Pitt machine from Brooklyn, dated to 1893 in the Wikipedia history of the slot machine (opens in a new tab), used five drums holding 50 card faces and was based on poker. It didn’t pay out itself; bars handed over prizes such as drinks or cigars. Its makers took the ten of spades and the jack of hearts out of the deck, which doubled the odds against a royal flush. Our Sittman and Pitt page covers the machine in detail.
Charles Fey’s Liberty Bell kept card suits, spades, hearts and diamonds, next to horseshoes and the bell. Fruit symbols arrived later with gum-vending machines, and card ranks returned in force with video slots, where they sat comfortably beside themed art. Video poker machines took the card idea in another direction: real five-card hands, explained in the Wizard of Odds video poker guide (opens in a new tab).
Why slot studios use royals as low pays
Instant ranking. Everyone knows an ace beats a ten, so the paytable order needs no explanation.
Readable at a glance. Simple letters stay clear on a phone screen and in fast-moving grids.
Contrast with the theme. Plain card ranks make the themed premiums stand out when they land.
Design budget. Artists can spend their effort on the characters and features rather than on ten low-value icons.
Not every game uses them. Fruit-themed and gem games swap royals for cherries or stones, and many classic slot machines use bars and sevens instead. The term ‘royals’ applies only when the low pays are card ranks.
How royals rank and pay: a worked example
Royals normally come in pairs of equal or near-equal value. The illustrative paytable below is for a 10-line game at 50p a spin, so each line carries 5p. Check the real values in the game’s paytable.
Illustrative royal pays on a 10-line game at 50p a spin (5p a line)
Royal
3 of a kind
4 of a kind
5 of a kind
A
25p (5×)
£1.00 (20×)
£5.00 (100×)
K
25p (5×)
£1.00 (20×)
£5.00 (100×)
Q
15p (3×)
50p (10×)
£2.50 (50×)
J
15p (3×)
50p (10×)
£2.50 (50×)
10
10p (2×)
35p (7×)
£1.75 (35×)
Three of any royal on one line returns less than the 50p stake in this example, so it is a net loss even though it counts as a ‘win’. UK online slots haven’t been allowed to celebrate such results since 31 October 2021; see the losses disguised as wins rule. Five aces on a line, at 100× the line bet, is a 10× return on the total stake.
What ‘royal-heavy’ means for volatility
Reviewers call a game royal-heavy when card ranks fill most of the reel strips. That usually means a high hit frequency built on small wins, and a gentler swing in the base game. When a feature removes royals or upgrades them into premiums, the result is the opposite: fewer, larger wins. Neither changes the long-run RTP; they change how the return is spread, which is what volatility describes.
Where to play slots with royals
Card royals appear in a large share of the video slots in any UK lobby, from Egyptian book games to fishing slots. If you want to try a new site, Coral Casino’s new-player offer (18+) is 100 free spins for depositing and betting £10 on slots; they’re 10p spins on selected games, you have 48 hours to accept and 7 days to play them, winnings aren’t subject to wagering, and payments via PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don’t count. Ladbrokes Casino gives new customers (18+) 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 at 10p each, after a £10 slots spend, with no wagering. Both are Entain sites, so check the terms; game ranges change.
Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International Limited (Entain). If you already hold an account with one Entain brand, you may not be able to open a new account with another; check the terms before signing up.
Significant terms: 18+. New players only. Offer runs 01/10/2026 to 01/02/2027. Deposit (certain types excluded) and bet £10+ on slot games to get 100 free spins (selected games, £0.10 each, 48 hrs to accept, valid 7 days). No wagering on free spin winnings. Deposits by Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards do not qualify. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. GamCare.org.uk
Read the Coral reviewLicence: LC International Limited, UKGC account 54743. Offer checked 5 October 2026.
Significant terms: 18+. New customers only, from 14/11/25 until further notice. Certain deposit methods excluded. Deposit and spend £10+ on slots for 50 free spins a day during the first 10 days after first deposit and registration (max 500, £0.10 each, selected games, claim before 23:59 each day, valid 7 days). No wagering. Prepaid cards, PayPal, Paysafe, Neteller, Skrill and Moneybookers deposits do not qualify. Restrictions and T&Cs apply. GamCare.org.uk
Read the Ladbrokes reviewLicence: LC International Limited, UKGC account 54743. Offer checked 5 October 2026.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What are royals in slot machines?
Royals are the playing-card symbols, usually 10, J, Q, K and A and sometimes 9, used as a slot’s low-value symbols. They appear more often than the themed pictures and pay less, normally ranked in card order with the ace or king at the top. The term comes from poker’s royal flush. See the low pay symbol entry for how these symbols behave and the glossary for related slot terms.
Why do slots use playing card symbols?
Because card ranks are instantly understood, easy to read on a small screen and leave the themed artwork to the premium symbols. There’s also history: some of the earliest gambling machines in the 1890s were poker machines built around drums of card faces, and Fey’s Liberty Bell used card suits. Our pages on Sittman and Pitt and card royals trace that line from cards to modern video slots.
Which royal pays the most?
In most games the ace pays the most, often tied with the king, then queen and jack, then ten and nine. The pairs often match, which usually reflects a similar number of copies on the reel strips. Some games break the pattern, so always check the paytable at your stake. Our guide to the paytable explains how to read it, and the symbol pay entry covers the wording.
Are royals the same as low pay symbols?
Royals are one kind of low pay symbol. Low pay describes the role, the common, cheap symbols at the bottom of the paytable, while royals describes the picture, card ranks. A fruit or gem game has low pays but no royals. In most modern video slots the two overlap completely. Compare with high pay symbols and the gems symbol page, which covers a common non-card alternative.
Why do royal wins often feel like losses?
Because they frequently are. A royal line win is priced against the line bet, so three tens on a 10-line game might return a fifth of your total stake. UK-licensed online slots haven’t been allowed to celebrate returns equal to or below the stake since 31 October 2021, so these results are now shown quietly. Read the losses disguised as wins rule and why slot machines are absorbing.
Do royals appear on UK pub fruit machines?
Less often. Pub and arcade fruit machines mostly keep the traditional fruit, bell, bar and seven symbols, and card ranks are more typical of video slots in casinos, bingo halls and online. Whatever the symbols, a Category C pub machine is limited to a £1 stake and a £100 prize. See our guides to the fruit machine and pub slot machines for what to expect on a UK machine.
Is a slot with lots of royals better for a small budget?
It can feel that way, because frequent small wins slow the rate a balance falls, but it doesn’t change the house edge. A royal-heavy, lower-volatility game spreads results more narrowly; a premium-heavy one swings more. Either way, losses are likely over time. Pick a stake and a limit before you start. Our guides to the best slots for small budgets and the bankroll guide work through examples.
Gambling can be addictive. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133. Visit GamCare.org.uk and GamCare, or block yourself from all UK-licensed gambling sites with GAMSTOP.
This site contains adverts. We may earn commission when you sign up through our links. Advertiser disclosure.
We use no tracking cookies. We store one item in your browser to remember this notice. Casino sites may set their own cookies after you follow an advert link. Cookie policy
