Paylines vs. Megaways Slots
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The world of online slots is exceptionally diverse. From a fine selection of games in the early nineties, the gaming world has grown so much that options such as 500 free spins are almost infinite.
Slot machines have evolved massively since the days of one-armed bandits. One of the best-evolved slots is the games that incorporate the Megaways pay line system. Megaways is an innovative winning mechanism developed by Big Time Gaming, and it has become one of the most popular payline systems in the UK. However, the question is how Megaways payline systems differ from the traditional mechanisms? And how do these two systems compare to each other? Let’s find out.
What are Paylines?
Every slot machine has three main components: reels, symbols, and pay lines. Every time you spin the reels, you want to match a certain number of symbols on an active line. The number of pay lines can vary with the slot, but the idea remains the same; match up the similar symbols on an active line to win.
A pay line essentially is a pattern by which the slot analyzes the order of a winning combination. Simply put, a payline is merely a line that determines whether or not a collection of symbols is considered a winning combination. Without them, online slots would simply be a disaster. These lines can be a straight line from left to right (first to last reels) or in any other pattern on the adjacent reels.
In the days of classic slot machines, fruit machines generally had a single pay line that ran down the middle of all three reels. However, with the advancement of technology, game developers have added more pay lines. Today the average online slot machine has between 10 and 100 of these lines.
These lines can either be fixed (the number of active pay lines stays the same throughout the game) or adjustable (players can activate or deactivate pay lines according to their preferences), but there is always a maximum limit.
What are Megaways Lines?
Unlike the fixed-line slot machines, the number of pay lines, reels, and symbols on a Megaways slot isn’t fixed or pre-determined. Instead, the number of lines, reels, and symbols varies for each spin. Players have no idea if the next spin will have 10 pay lines or 1,000 or 6 reels or 7. This variability makes the whole process much more interesting and exciting. Each time you spin, the number of ways to win increases or decreases. The average number of ways to win on a Megaways slot is 117,649. Now compare this number to a fixed-line slot having only 10 ways of winning.
The other advantage of a dynamic set of reels in Megaway Slots is that they offer you more chances of getting a winning combo, and this is the real reason why these slots have become ever so popular.
Paylines Megaways – Which Ones are Better to Play?
After determining how conventional online slot machines work and what Megaways are, we would like to finally give a brief overview of the differences between the two types.
- Fixed & Variable: Traditional online slots generally have a fixed number of pay lines. With Megaways slots, however, the winning opportunities vary with every spin.
- Reels: Megaways slots have an average of six to seven reels, while traditional online slots incorporate only three to five.
So we know the differences, but which one of the two is better? The answer isn’t as simple as yes or no because there are a couple of factors we need to consider. These factors include the RTP, Volatility, Variance, bonus rounds, multipliers, jackpots, and of course, the coins per line. Only after considering all of these aspects, you’ll be able to decide if it would be a profitable slot for you or not.
