The triple bar slot machine symbol is three stacked BAR blocks, and it is normally the most valuable of the bar icons on a classic reel game. It pays more than single or double bars because it is placed on the reels far less often. Below we work through the odds on real reel designs, the history behind it and how to find its value in any game.
Triple bars usually top the bar family, paying more than doubles and singles but less than sevens or the logo.
Their value reflects rarity: on a 64-stop virtual reel model with 4 triples per reel, three land about once in 4,096 spins.
Virtual reels, patented by Inge Telnaes in 1984, let makers make top symbols rarer without making the physical reel look sparse.
Online classic slots in Great Britain follow the 2.5-second spin rule and the £5 and £2 stake limits.
No amount of watching the reels predicts when three triple bars will line up.
Symbol
Three stacked BAR blocks
Usual rank
Highest of the bars
Typical neighbours
Sevens above, doubles below
Common on
Three-reel classics and fruit machines
Odds set by
Reel strip or virtual reel weighting
UK online stake cap
£5 (25+), £2 (18–24)
What is the triple bar slot machine symbol?
Three rectangular BAR blocks stacked on top of each other form the triple bar. On a traditional three-reel game it is the senior member of a family that also includes the single and double bar. The more blocks a bar has, the fewer times it appears on the reels and the more it pays when three line up.
Most paytables put the triple bar just below the premium symbols. Above it you typically find the lucky seven, sometimes a bell, and on many games a branded logo or jackpot icon. Below it come doubles, singles and fruit. Our hub of slot machine symbols maps the whole traditional set.
Triple bar history: from a gum wrapper to a rank of three
Every bar symbol descends from the single BAR. Published histories, summarised on Wikipedia’s slot machine article (opens in a new tab), say that the Mills Operator’s Bell carried a picture of a stick of Bell-Fruit Gum, and that this picture is the origin of the bar symbol. The same machine’s fruit-flavoured gum explains why cherries, lemons, oranges and plums joined the reels.
When the triple bar first appeared is not recorded in the sources we have checked, and we would rather say so than guess a year. What is clear is the logic: makers wanted more paying ranks without adding unfamiliar pictures, and stacking one, two or three bars gave players an instant visual scale.
The bigger change came with electronics. In 1984 the Norwegian mathematician Inge Telnaes received US patent 4,448,419 for using a random number generator to select reel stops. That idea, known as the virtual reel, let a triple bar appear on the physical reel as often as any other picture while being chosen much more rarely. The slot machine timeline places this alongside other milestones.
How rare is the triple bar slot machine symbol? Odds on different reels
The table compares three simplified designs. The symbol counts are illustrative, chosen to show the method; real games keep their reel layouts in confidential par sheets.
Chance of three triple bars on one line (illustrative reel counts)
Reel design
Triple bars per reel
Total outcomes
Three triples, on average
Mechanical, 22 stops
1
10,648
1 in 10,648 spins
Mechanical, 22 stops
2
10,648
1 in 1,331 spins
Virtual, 64 stops
4
262,144
1 in 4,096 spins
Virtual, 256 stops
8
16,777,216
1 in 32,768 spins
The working is simple: multiply the triple-bar count on each reel, then divide the total outcomes by that number. For the 256-stop design, 8 × 8 × 8 = 512 winning outcomes out of 16,777,216, which is 1 in 32,768. That is the power of the virtual reel: the maker can make a symbol as rare as the paytable needs.
What a triple bar pays, and why
A symbol’s prize multiplied by its chance of landing gives its share of the game’s return to player. Designers juggle these shares so that all the symbols together add up to the advertised RTP.
Worked example: the triple bar’s share of RTP
Take the 64-stop design above, where three triple bars land once in 4,096 spins. If the line pays 50 times the stake, the triple bar returns 50 ÷ 4,096 = about 1.2% of everything staked. If it paid 100 times, the share would be about 2.4%. The rest of the game’s return comes from sevens, other bars, fruit and any feature.
Illustrative triple bar prize at different UK stakes (one-line game paying 50× the stake)
Stake per spin
Prize for three triple bars
Note
10p
£5
Typical low-stake classic
£1
£50
Same as the Category C maximum stake
£2
£100
Online limit for players aged 18–24
£5
£250
Online limit for players aged 25+
This is why the triple bar matters to a game’s feel. It is rare enough to stand out and frequent enough to be seen in a long session, which places it between everyday fruit wins and the top prize. How that spread of prizes shapes a session is covered in our volatility explainer.
Triple bar vs seven: which symbol pays more on a slot machine?
On most classic games the seven wins. Red, blue or flaming sevens usually sit above every bar, and three of them are often the game’s headline prize. Three triple bars are normally the next step down. Some games break this rule, for example by using a logo as the top symbol, or by giving a mixed ‘sevens and bars’ line its own small prize.
Advantages
Triple bars land more often than top sevens on a typical classic layout
Simple to read: more blocks, more value
Often part of a cheaper ‘any bar’ line too
Drawbacks
Lower prize than the seven or jackpot symbol
Rare enough that long runs without one are normal
Pays vary widely between games, so assumptions mislead
Triple bars on British fruit machines
Bars are a familiar sight on British fruit machines, which were regulated as amusement-with-prizes machines under the Gaming Act 1968 until the Gambling Act 2005 regime took over in September 2007. Today’s pub machines are usually Category C, limited to a £1 stake and a £100 prize and restricted to adults aged 18 and over, as the Gambling Commission’s gaming machine categories guidance (opens in a new tab) sets out. Within that cap, triple bars might pay a fixed cash amount, move you along a feature trail or count towards a ‘hold’ offer.
Many British machines are compensated rather than purely random, and must say which they are. A compensated machine adjusts towards its target percentage over time, but you still cannot tell from the screen when a triple bar line is more likely. A hold or nudge used sensibly avoids missing a win the machine is offering; it cannot beat the machine’s built-in payout percentage. Our history of nudges and holds explains how those features developed.
Triple bars in online three-reel slots
Online versions copy the look of the old reels but run on software. Every outcome comes from a certified random number generator, and the game must follow the Gambling Commission’s responsible product design standard (opens in a new tab): at least 2.5 seconds per spin, no autoplay, no slam-stop and no celebration of a win that returns no more than the stake. Your balance and net position must stay on screen.
Stakes are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for players aged 18 to 24. With prizes usually set as multiples of the stake, those caps directly limit the cash value of a triple bar line. Our pages on classic slot machines and retro slot machines cover the games that still use bar ladders.
How to find the triple bar’s value in any game
Set your intended stake first, since cash prizes in the paytable scale with it.
Open the paytable and find the bar symbols, usually grouped together.
Compare three triple bars with three sevens and three doubles to see where it ranks.
Look for an ‘any bar’ or mixed line that the triple can also count towards.
Read the game rules for the RTP and whether lines pay left to right only.
On a land-based machine, read the pay card and the displayed return percentage.
Triple bar myths that do not hold up
Triple bar beliefs compared with how slots work
Myth
Reality
Two triple bars on the line means the third is close
The third reel is decided at the same moment as the first two
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Frequently asked questions
What does the triple bar mean on a slot machine?
This paying symbol of three stacked BAR blocks is usually the highest-ranked bar on the reels. Three on an active line pays more than three doubles or singles, though normally less than three sevens. On many classic games it also counts towards a smaller mixed-bar prize. It is rarely a wild or scatter, so check the rules. Our double bar page covers the middle rank, and the symbols hub shows the full traditional set.
How often does a triple bar line land?
That depends on how many triple bars each reel carries, which only the maker knows. As an illustration, a 64-stop virtual reel with 4 triples per reel gives three triples about once every 4,096 spins on that line, while a 256-stop reel with 8 per reel gives about once in 32,768. Averages hide long gaps, so going thousands of spins without one is normal. See hit frequency for how often wins of any size come.
Is a triple bar worth more than a seven?
Usually not: on most classic paytables three sevens pay more than three triple bars, and the seven or a logo is the top prize. Triple bars commonly sit one rank lower. A few games break the pattern, so the paytable is the only reliable guide. Comparing the two lines also shows you how the game spreads its return between rare and less rare symbols. Read our lucky seven page for why sevens became the classic jackpot symbol.
Who invented the triple bar symbol?
No checked source names an inventor or gives a year for the first triple bar. What can be documented is the parent symbol: the plain BAR is credited to the gum stick pictured on Mills’ gum-vending Operator’s Bell, whose fruit-flavoured gum also put cherries and lemons on the reels. Two- and three-block versions read as a later way of adding ranks to that one design. Our page on why slot machines have fruit symbols and the BAR symbol page cover the documented history.
Why do triple bars appear above and below the line so often?
Because what is shown around the line is part of the display, not a clue to the next result. On machines with virtual reels the random number generator picks stop positions on a long hidden list, and a picture of a triple bar can sit beside many of those stops without being picked for the line itself. This creates near misses that look meaningful but are not. Our explainer on slot machine near misses and the guide to weighted reels explain the mechanism.
Does betting more make triple bars land more often?
No: on almost every slot your stake changes the size of a prize, not how often a symbol appears. Three triple bars at £2 a spin land just as often as at 10p, but the cash prize is twenty times bigger, and so are your losses on losing spins. A few games change features at higher stakes, which the rules must explain. Our answer to should you bet max looks at the rare cases where stake level matters.
Are there triple bars on UK pub fruit machines?
Many British fruit machines use bars, often including a triple bar, though every machine has its own symbol set and pay card. Pub machines are normally Category C, with a £1 maximum stake and a £100 maximum prize, and only adults aged 18 and over may play them. A triple bar line might pay cash, add feature progress or set up a hold. Our pub slot machines guide explains what you will find in British pubs and how many machines a pub may have.
What is the most I can win from triple bars online?
That is set by the game’s paytable and your stake. In Great Britain online slot stakes are capped at £5 a spin for players aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds. If a one-line classic pays 50 times the stake for three triple bars, the prize would be £250 at £5 and £100 at £2. Multi-line games pay per line, so check the line stake. Our page on the maximum stake on a slot machine sets out every limit.
Are triple bars used in online fruit slots?
Yes, many online fruit and classic slots keep the bar ladder, including a triple bar, alongside cherries, bells and sevens, because they copy the look of traditional reel machines. Others drop bars and use only fruit or gems, so it depends on the game. Online versions follow UK remote rules rather than machine categories, including the 2.5-second minimum spin time and no autoplay. Our page on fruit slots online explains how these games differ from pub machines.
Do triple bars affect a slot’s volatility?
Yes, a little: the bigger the gap between a rare triple bar prize and everyday fruit wins, the more uneven the game’s results feel. On a classic slot, though, the seven or jackpot symbol usually does more to set volatility than the bars do. Bars, especially mixed-bar lines, tend to smooth a session by paying modest amounts fairly often. Our guide to high volatility slot machines shows how bigger, rarer prizes change the experience and the budget you need.
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