How many reels does a slot machine have?

How many reels does a slot machine have? The quick guide

There is no single number. The answer depends on the type of slot machine, and it has changed as machines moved from springs and gears to screens and software. As a rule of thumb:

So the most common answers are three for classic slot machines and fruit machines, and five for video slot machines. For more short answers, see our slot machine questions hub.

Reels, rows and stops: what the numbers mean

A reel is a vertical column of symbols that spins and stops. A row is a horizontal line across the reels. A layout written as 5×3 means five reels with three visible symbols on each, giving fifteen positions on screen. Each reel also has a number of stops: the positions where it can come to rest. On an old mechanical machine that was the number of symbols and blanks physically printed on the band; on a modern machine it is the length of the virtual reel strip the software uses.

The help screen usually tells you the reels and rows, and how wins are counted: by fixed paylines, by ways, or by clusters. It won't normally tell you the number of stops or how often each symbol appears, which is where weighted reels come in. Our reels and symbols explainer goes deeper.

Why the first slot machines had three reels

The three-reel layout goes back to the machine usually treated as the first modern slot. Charles Fey's Liberty Bell in San Francisco, described in the history of the slot machine (opens in a new tab), used three reels and five symbols: horseshoes, diamonds, spades, hearts and a Liberty Bell, with three bells paying ten nickels. The date is disputed: one account places it between 1887 and 1895, another gives 1898, and a surviving example in the Nevada State Museum's collection dates from 1899.

It wasn't the first coin-operated gambling machine. Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn built a poker-based machine, usually dated to an 1893 design, with five drums holding 50 card faces. That machine paid prizes over the bar rather than in coins, partly because judging every possible poker hand mechanically was too complex. Three reels with a handful of symbols made automatic payouts practical, and the format stuck for decades. See Sittman and Pitt and our history of slot machines.

How the number of reels changes the maths

Each extra reel multiplies the number of possible results. That is why reel count matters to designers even though it doesn't set the payback.

The 256-stop figure comes from the virtual reel idea patented by Inge Telnaes in 1984 (US patent 4,448,419): a random number generator picks a stop on a much longer virtual reel, which is then mapped to a position on the visible reel. That let three-reel machines offer large top prizes without needing bigger physical reels. Read more on virtual reels, 243 ways slots and Megaways.

Why most online slots have five reels

Five reels became the standard for video slots because a screen removed the physical limits. Designers could add more reels and rows without heavier mechanics, and five reels give room for many paylines, scatter symbols that trigger free spins across the reels, and wild symbols that expand down a column. NetEnt's Starburst is a typical 5×3 example with 10 paylines that pay both ways, and Play'n GO's Book of Dead uses the same 5×3 frame with 10 paylines.

Some five-reel games use extra rows instead of more reels. Reel Kingdom's Bigger Bass Bonanza runs on 5 reels × 4 rows, and Push Gaming's Big Bamboo uses 5 reels × 6 rows. Others shape the reels unevenly: IGT's Siberian Storm has a 3-4-5-4-3 layout with 720 ways that pay both directions. Our comparison of 3-reel vs 5-reel slots sets the two formats side by side.

Six reels, Megaways and grid slots

Big Time Gaming's Megaways mechanic, first seen in Dragon Born in the mid-2010s, uses six reels where each reel shows a different number of symbols on every spin. Bonanza Megaways adds a horizontal reel above the main six, and the total ways move between a few hundred and 117,649. Six-reel games with fixed rows also exist, such as Buffalo King with 6 reels × 4 rows and 4,096 ways.

Grid slots go further and stop using reels in the traditional sense. Reactoonz uses a 7×7 grid and Jammin' Jars an 8×8 grid, with wins formed by cluster pays rather than lines. Sweet Bonanza keeps a 6×5 shape but pays for 8 or more matching symbols anywhere. In these games you might still call the columns reels, but the symbols often drop in and cascade rather than spin.

How many reels does a fruit machine have?

A UK pub fruit machine is normally built around three main reels, often with a single win line, plus extra displays such as a number reel or a feature trail board above the reels. The three reels are where holds and nudges act. Category C fruit machines in pubs have a £1 maximum stake and a £100 maximum prize, set by the Gambling Commission's gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab).

Classic British designs such as Electrocoin's Bar-X (opens in a new tab), created in 1981 and in UK arcades by 1983, kept the three-reel format even as the electronics changed. Online versions of fruit machines usually stay with three or five reels; see fruit slots online.

Do more reels mean better odds?

No. The number of reels changes how wins are formed and how often small wins land, but the long-run return is set by the game's maths model and shown as its RTP. A three-reel slot and a six-reel slot can both have an RTP around 96%. What changes is the shape of the results: many-way games tend to give frequent small wins with occasional larger ones, while a single-line three-reel game has fewer wins in total.

Here's the cost side, which doesn't depend on the reels at all. 100 spins at 20p is £20 staked. At 96% RTP, the long-run average cost is 80p; at 94%, £1.20. Any one session can be well above or below those figures. Use our slot cost calculator to try your own numbers, and read about volatility to see how the spread of results differs.

How to check the reels and layout of any slot

1. Open the game's help or information screen (often an 'i' or menu icon).
2. Find the layout line, written as reels × rows, for example 5×3.
3. Check how wins are counted: paylines, ways or clusters.
4. Look for features that add reels or rows, such as expanding reels in free spins.
5. Note the RTP figure on the same screen; it is independent of the reel count.

Our guide to the game help screen shows where these details usually sit.

Slot reel myths

• Myth: you can see the next symbols above and below the reels, so you can predict them. Fact: the result is chosen by the RNG before the reels stop; the visible strip is a display.
• Myth: stopping a reel early changes what lands. Fact: online, slam stops are banned in the UK and wouldn't change the result anyway; see can you stop a slot spin early.
• Myth: three-reel slots are always fairer. Fact: fairness is about testing and RTP, not reel count.
• Myth: a reel that keeps missing a symbol is due to land it. Fact: every spin is independent.

Where to play three-, five- and six-reel slots online

Online casinos list all of these formats, but which titles are available changes, so search the lobby for the game you want. In Great Britain every online slot is limited to £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24, with at least 2.5 seconds per spin and no autoplay.

Our partner offers are listed below. PlayOJO's 80 free spins are played on Big Bass Bonanza, a 5-reel, 3-row game with 10 paylines; they are worth 10p each, have no wagering, and need a first deposit of at least £10. Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p each on selected games after you deposit and bet £10 on slots, with no wagering and 7 days to use them. Ladbrokes gives up to 500 free spins over 10 days after a £10 slots spend. 18+, new customers only, and full terms apply; see our offers hub.

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.