1024 ways slots explained

What are 1024 ways slots?

A 1024 ways slot is an online or video slot machine with a five-reel, four-row window that pays any left-to-right run of matching symbols, whatever row each one lands in. Nothing is drawn across the screen: if a symbol appears on reels one, two and three, it is a three-of-a-kind win. With four positions on each of five reels, there are 1,024 different routes the game checks after every spin.

It belongs to the ways-to-win slot machines family listed in our slot machine types hub. Think of it as the taller sibling of 243 ways slots: same rule for reading wins, one extra row, and four times as many routes.

The result itself is decided the same way as on every licensed online slot. The game’s random number generator chooses where each reel strip stops before any animation plays, and the Gambling Commission’s RTS 7 standard on random outcomes (opens in a new tab) forbids online games from adjusting outcomes to chase a target return. The ways rule only changes how the stopped symbols are read.

From 243 to 1024 ways and beyond: the ways ladder

Every fixed ways count is simply the number of visible rows on each reel, multiplied together. Once you know that, any figure on a lobby tile can be checked in seconds. The examples are slots in our verified data.

Two things stand out. Adding a reel multiplies the count by the number of rows, so the jump from five to six reels of four is ×4, from 1,024 to 4,096. And odd shapes, like the diamond-style 3-4-5-4-3 grid, are just as easy to work out. Games that change reel heights every spin, the Megaways slot machines, use the same multiplication with a fresh set of heights each time.

What the fourth row really changes on a 1024 ways slot

A taller window shows more of each reel strip, so any given symbol is more likely to be visible. That raises how often runs form, and the designer has to pay less per way to land at the same return. The figures below use a deliberately simple, hypothetical reel to show the size of the effect; they are not the hit rates of any real game.

In this toy model, a five-crown run becomes roughly four times as likely just by adding a row. If the paytable stayed the same, the RTP would soar, so in practice the per-way values on 1024 ways slots are lower and the reel strips carry fewer premium symbols. The upshot for players is simple: more ways change the rhythm of wins, not the long-run price. Real games publish an RTP and, sometimes, a hit frequency in the help screen; our hit frequency explainer explains how to read one.

How a 1024 ways win is worked out

The steps below follow the standard left-to-right rule. A few titles add twists, such as Hacksaw Gaming’s StackWays, which can stack several matching symbols into one position, so read the game rules before relying on them.

1. Find every symbol on reel one; each is a possible starting point.
2. Look for the same symbol, or a substituting wild, anywhere in the four positions of reel two.
3. Carry on to reels three, four and five until one has no match; the run length picks the paytable value.
4. Multiply the number of matches on each reel in the run to get the ways paid, then multiply by the per-way value and your total stake.

Example on a 50p spin

Say a mask symbol lands three times on reel one, twice on reel two, once on reel three and twice on reel four, with none on reel five. That is a four-reel run paid 3 × 2 × 1 × 2 = 12 ways. If the illustrative paytable gives four masks 0.1× the stake per way, each way pays 5p and the win is 60p, a profit of 10p on the spin. Change reel two to one mask and the ways halve to 6, so the return falls to 30p, below the stake. UK rules mean that second result cannot be dressed up with win celebrations, because it is a loss; the slot game design rules explain why.

1024 ways slot examples and their key figures

Four games in our checked data start on a 1,024-ways grid. Max win figures are listed only where our checked data confirms them.

Stick ’Em is the cleanest example of the format, with a medium rating. Rage of the Seas plays its free spins on 5,488 ways with random modifiers, so most of its upside sits in the bonus. San Quentin 2 is a Nolimit City sequel, and its 200,000× ceiling shows how a 1,024-ways base can sit under an extreme maths model. Mayan Stackways pushes the count past 1,024 whenever stacks land.

4,096 ways: the six-reel cousin of 1024 ways slots

Add a sixth reel to a four-row grid and the count reaches 4,096. These games are often grouped with 1024 ways slots in casino lobbies, and several are better known than any five-reel example.

• Buffalo King by Pragmatic Play: 96.06% default RTP, high volatility, 93,750× max win.
• Raging Rhino by WMS (Light & Wonder): 95.91% RTP, high volatility, released 2015.
• Iron Bank by Relax Gaming: 96.2% RTP, high volatility, 49,999× max win.
• Danger High Voltage by Big Time Gaming: 96.22% RTP, medium-high volatility, 15,746× max win.

Notice that every one of these is rated medium-high or high. A 6 × 4 grid gives the designer plenty of room to hold back return for a feature, and many studios use it that way. The comparison of high and low volatility slots explains what that means for a session.

What 1024 ways slots cost to play

With no lines to select, the cost is set entirely by your stake per spin and the game’s RTP. The table uses Stick ’Em’s published 96.1%, so the long-run average cost is 3.9% of everything staked. Real sessions swing well above and below these averages, and that swing gets wider as volatility rises.

The time column reflects the UK rule that an online slot spin must take at least 2.5 seconds; in practice features and animations make most sessions slower. The £5 and £2 caps come from the government decision announced in 2024 and set out in GOV.UK’s announcement of the £2 maximum stake for under-25s (opens in a new tab). For a budget that fits you, the slot budget planner is a good start.

Max win on 1024 ways slots at UK stake limits

Max wins are multiples of the total stake, so the pound value moves with your bet. Casinos may apply a lower overall cap in their terms, and a game’s top figure usually depends on a rare stack of features.

Figures like these are mathematical ceilings, not expectations. The bigger the ceiling, the more of the RTP is usually tied up in very rare outcomes, which means a typical session returns less than the RTP suggests. Our max win caps page explains how studios and casinos limit them.

Do land-based slot machines use 1024 ways?

Four-row video games are found on casino-floor cabinets as well as online, but in Great Britain a land-based machine’s prizes are capped by its category however many ways it has. A Category B1 casino machine allows a £5 stake and a £10,000 top prize; B3 machines in betting shops, bingo halls and adult gaming centres allow £2 and £500. Online slots have no statutory prize cap, which is why their max wins can reach six figures.

Pub fruit machines in Category C, at £1 and £100, follow a different design tradition built around a win line, holds and nudges. If you want the details, our gaming machine categories explained page lists every category, stake and venue.

Pros and cons of 1024 ways slot machines

1024 ways slots suit players who like the activity of an all-ways grid but want a little more on screen than a 5 × 3 game. Anyone who prefers calmer sessions should look for a medium or low rating as well as the ways count; our medium volatility slot machines page lists options.

Common myths about 1024 ways slots

• “1,024 ways beats 243 ways.” Not on value. The maths model sets the RTP; the ways count only shapes how often and how much each win pays.
• “A screen full of one symbol is due.” Each spin is independent, and no online game remembers past results; see do slot machines remember past spins.
• “Higher stakes switch on more ways.” On standard 1024 ways games every way is active at every stake; only the size of each pay changes.
• “More symbols in view means the RNG favours you.” The RNG picks reel positions; the window size is fixed and already priced into the paytable.

Where to play 1024 ways slots online in the UK

1024 ways and 4,096 ways titles are spread across many studios, and lobbies change often, so use the casino’s search box rather than assuming a game is there. The three offers below are the closest fits on our site; all are for new customers aged 18+, and terms apply.

At Coral, deposit and bet £10+ on slots to get 100 free spins worth 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours and valid for 7 days, with no wagering on winnings; the offer runs from 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027, and some payment types (including PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, Paysafe and prepaid cards) don’t qualify. At Ladbrokes, play £10 on slots to receive 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500 in total, again 10p each on selected games with no wagering, claimed by 23:59 each day and valid 7 days. Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, LC International Limited, so one person may not qualify for both. PlayOJO gives 80 no-wagering free spins on Big Bass Bonanza after a first deposit of £10 or more; that game uses 10 paylines, not 1,024 ways.

Whichever site you choose, set a deposit limit before your first spin. If gambling stops being fun, GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) blocks all UK-licensed gambling sites at once, and the National Gambling Helpline is free on 0808 8020 133.

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.