Win Ways – going beyond traditional paylines
A month ago, I wrote about how to read and understand slot paylines and payouts. That post primarily focused on traditional (standard) slot paylines. In other words, slots with a set number of win lines (e.g., 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, etc.) that you can bet on. If pay symbols land correctly on one of your active paylines, you receive the corresponding payout.
For some slots, the paylines are adjustable, allowing you to pick how many you’d like to play (bet) per spin. For others, the paylines are fixed, meaning to spin the reels, you’ll need to cover the cost of betting on each payline. For instance, if the minimum bet per payline is 1 cent and there are 20 fixed paylines, the minimum bet is $0.20 per spin.
But, as I also mentioned in my previous blog post, not all slots have traditional paylines, nor do they all payout the same way. This week, I want to focus on one of these non-standard types. Specifically – Ways to Win slots.
What are Ways to Win Slots?
Traditional payline slots typically run from left to right across a screen of 5 reels and 3 rows in various patterns (e.g., horizontal, vertical, zigzag, etc.). However, Ways to Win slots – also called “Win Ways” slots or “Ways” slots – don’t have a distinct win line pattern.
With Ways to Win slots, there are no fixed or adjustable paylines. Symbols simply need to land on adjacent reels to create winning combinations. Wins are calculated based on the longest combination from left to right.
The most common Win Ways slot is 243 ways to win. Microgaming (acquired by Games Global) is unofficially credited as the pioneer of the 243 win ways concept. That’s because the Isle of Man-based software company popularized it in the online gaming world in 2010 with its hugely successful Norse mythology-themed online slot, Thunderstuck II.
With that said, while 243 Ways to Win slots are the most common, other popular win ways slots include: 720 ways to win, 1024 ways to win, 3125 ways to win, and 4096 ways to win.
👩💻 Mia’s Note: Some Win Ways slots are also All Ways slots. This means that they pay in every direction, not just from left to right. That said, not all Ways to Win slots are All Ways slots. If you’re not sure what payout rules apply to the Ways game you play – check the paytable.
How do Ways to Win slots work?
The easiest way to explain how Ways to Win slots work is to use the most common slot – 243 Ways to Win – as an example.
Essentially, as the name states, there are 243 possible ways that you can create a winning combination each time you spin the reels.
The 243 ways to win are not paylines in the traditional sense. Instead of symbols needing to line up on a pattern across the reels and rows, symbols in Ways slots only need to be on adjacent reels to match. Any combination of 3 or more matching symbols – starting from the first symbol and going left to right – is a win.
How can a slot payout a possible 243 ways? Basically, it’s got to do with the number of reels and rows of symbols on those reels. For 243 ways slots, these machines have 5 reels and 3 rows of symbols. This equals to 3x3x3x3x3 (multiplying 3 to the power of 5) = 243.
Slots with a greater number of win ways than 243 have a bigger reel grid. As such, the calculation works differently. For instance, a game with 1024 ways to win has 5 reels and 4 rows of symbols. For this Ways game it would be 4x4x4x4x4 (multiplying 4 to the power of 5) = 1024.
The long and short of Win Ways slots is this: If you match up 3 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels, you’ll be a winner, and the bigger the grid, the more ways to win.
What about betting, RTP, volatility, and features?
Ways to Win slots – betting
Unlike tradition payline slots, with Ways to Win slots, you don’t bet on each line. The bet per spin is a flat rate, with the amount varying from one game to the next. Like all slot machines, there is a minimum and maximum bet amount per spin.
It’s not uncommon for a minimum bet amount to be anywhere from $0.20 – $0.50 (e.g., for the vampire-themed Immortal Romance slot, the minimum bet in Ontario is $0.30). Of course, the size of minimum and maximum bets also depends on the rules of your jurisdiction.
On the whole, betting is straightforward, there’s no need to adjust paylines. This makes Win Ways games popular among less experienced players and those who play with smaller bankrolls (like me!) 😁
Ways to Win slots – RTP
The increased ways to win doesn’t really affect RTP. As is the case with all other online slots, return to player (RTP) is the theoretical return players can expect from playing over a long period of time. Like traditional slot machines, you’ll find Win Ways games with high RTPs (96%+) and those with lower or higher RTP percentages.
In short, don’t expect your winning luck to change RTP-wise, simply because you choose to play a Ways to Win slot.
Ways to Wins slots – Volatility
While volatility, also called variance, does impact a game’s hit frequency (how often a winning combo lands), as a general rule, Ways to Win slots are not more volatile than a standard online slot. A slot’s volatility (low, medium, high) is decided by the game maker and can be applied to any type of slot machine.
That said, it’s not uncommon for Win Ways games to be high volatility games. The higher a game’s volatility, the greater the risk. This is due to higher variance games having a lower hit frequency but awarding a higher payout when a win does land.
This is worth keeping in mind if you prefer games with less risk.
Ways to Win slots – Features
Beyond having hundreds or thousands of ways to win, slot machines with this payout mechanic almost always have two or more bonus features to add to the fun.
For instance, you can pretty much guarantee there will be at least one wild symbol and a free spins bonus feature. Some games also have features that trigger at random, such as Thunderstuck II’s Wildstorm, where it’s possible to win up to 8,000x the bet.
In-game jackpots (and sometimes progressive jackpots) can also be thrown into the mix as well.
In my experience, all the Ways to Win games I’ve played have been engaging and feature rich.
Examples of Ways to Win Slots
243 Ways to Win Slot – these games have 5 reels and 3 rows (3x3x3x3x3)
Examples of 243 Ways games are:
- Immortal Romance (Microgaming/Games Global)
- Thunderstruck II (Microgaming/Games Global)
- Game of Thrones 243 Ways (Microgaming/Games Global)
- Barbarossa Doublemax (Peter & Sons)
720 Ways to Win Slot – these games have 5 reels and 3-4-5-4-3 rows (3x4x5x4x3)
Examples of 720 Ways games are:
- Fire & Roses Joker (Triple Edge Studios/Games Global)
- Siberian Storm (IGT)
1024 Ways to Win – these games have 5 reels and 4 rows (4x4x4x4x4)
Examples of 720 Ways games are:
- Wheel of Fortune Power Wedges (IGT)
- Full Moon White King (Playtech)
3125 Ways to Win – these games have 5 reels and 5 rows (5x5x5x5x5)
Examples of 3125 Ways games are:
- Reel Rush (NetEnt)
- Brick Snake 2000 (Nolimit City)
4096 Ways to Win – these games have 6 reels and 4 rows (4x4x4x4x4x4)
Examples of 4096 Ways games are:
- Raging Rhino (Williams Interactive)
- Gold Blitz Extreme (Fortune Factory/Games Global)
Are Megaways slots and Ways to Win slots the same?
No. The main difference between Ways to Win slots and Megaways slots is that with Ways to Win games, the layout and structure of the base game doesn’t change with each spin. In other words, with every spin, the number of symbols on each reel stays the same. So, for a 243 ways slot, there is always 243 ways to win.
With Megaways games however, the number of ways you can win changes each time you spin the reels. That’s because the number of symbols on each reel changes with every spin. A Megaways reel can have anywhere from 2 to 7 positions on any spin. As such, each time you hit the spin button, it could generate hundreds, thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of ways to win.
Some Megaways games also feature a horizontal reel at the top of the grid. This type of Megaways game can generate up to 117,649 ways, such as BTG’s slot, Bonanza (which – fun fact – popularized Megaways after it was first featured in the slot Dragon Born, in 2016). Today, there are Megaways games that have win ways lower or higher than the 117,649 ways.
Curious to know more about Megaways slots? I intend to write about this slot mechanic in greater detail in a future post. 😁
Should You play Ways to Win Slots? Pros & Cons
As is the case with all online casino games, every game has an upside and a downside. It’s up to you to decide if Win Ways slots are worth the risk to play. Still, here’s the gist of what makes these slots great and not-so-great to play.
Ways to Win Slots Pros
- There are hundreds (or even thousands) of ways to win every spin.
- Most games are affordable as minimum bets tend to be around $0.20 – $0.50 per spin.
- These games often have loads of bonus features like free spins and randomly triggered perks.
- There are plenty of different themes to choose from.
Ways to Win Slots Cons
- Win Ways slots often have high volatility, which means a lower hit frequency.
- Many Ways slots are often copycats of one another in both structure and bonus features.
- Some players find these slots misleading because they think that since there are more ways to win, this means they will win more often.
Ways to Win Slots FAQ
🎰What are Ways to Win slots?
They are slots without paylines. To win, you need to match 3 or more of any identical symbols on adjacent reels, regardless of where they might appear on those reels.
🎰What does 243 ways to win mean?
It means that there are 243 possible ways to land a winning combo.
🎰What are popular win ways slots?
Examples of popular Ways to Win slots include Immortal Romance (243 Ways) Thunderstruck II (243 Ways), Fire & Roses Joker (720 Ways), Full Moon White King (1024 Ways), Brick Snake (3125 Ways), and Raging Rhino (4096 Ways).
🎰What is 243 ways to win RTP?
The return to player for 243 win ways games vary. There is no one set RTP for these slots. Many have RTPs of 96%, but they can also be lower or higher. It all depends on the game provider, the online casino, and the jurisdiction.
🎰Are Ways to Win slots and Megaways slots the same?
No. With Ways to Win games, the number of symbols on each real remains the same with each spin. For Megaways games, the number of symbols on each reel changes each time you spin, changing the number of ways you can win, up to a max amount.
Mia’s Final Thoughts on Ways to Win Slots
With the exception of the super high volatility Win Ways slots (like Brick Snake, for instance) I generally enjoy playing these games.
Immortal Romance, Immortal Romance II, Thunderstruck II, and Fire & Roses Joker are among my favourite online slots.
Their themes are immersive, the features are engaging, and it doesn’t typically take long for some type of action to happen when playing these games.
What about you? Are you a Ways to Win slots fan? What are your favourites?
Until next time, good luck, and have fun.
Mia 👩💻
*I’m not affiliated with anyone.
**All links and images in this post are for informational purposes only.
***All opinions are my own. If you choose to gamble, take care, and please play responsibly.
