The Slot Machine Pay Table
A pay table — also known as a pay schedule or pay chart — is the list of payouts for a specific slot machine or video poker machine. For instance, the pay table shows the ratio between the number of coins bet and how many coins the bettor will win.
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Once upon a time, when slot machines were real, physical objects, the pay schedule was actually printed on each machine, indicating which combinations were needed in order to win money. On video slot machines — and on online slots — the pay table appears when the player presses a button (or touches a square) that says "pay table."
Slot Machines - And Pay Tables - Have Become Complex
On the old 3-reel slot machines, reading a pay table took a few seconds and probably only a cursory glance. The possibilities in video and online slots, however, are almost infinite. Machines have as many as 40 pay lines and you can bet multiple coins on the lines you pick. Winning pay lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal or zigzag. There can be scatter or bonus symbols on the reels. Because of the possible confusion, all video slots come with Help screens that answer all your questions. For instance, the Help screen will tell you how many coins you can bet on each pay line or what symbols need to appear in order to activate the bonus game.
Read the Pay Table Before You Play the Slot Machine
The next screen you want to look at is the all-important pay table that shows how much each symbol or series of symbols pays. Slot machine makers try to make the order of winning symbols easy to understand but, with the more complex multi-lined slots, this can be a tad complicated.
| Some of the games have themes that make the value of the symbols easy to understand; however some of the more esoteric themes can be less obvious so it is always best to check the pay table, before you start. It would be a shame for instance, if you didn't know something as simple and vital as the fact that you have to bet the maximum number of coins in order to win the maximum jackpot. Slots gambling can be a frustrating experience if you don't read the pay table and understand the slot machine rules and conditions from the outset. |
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Playing a slot machine without first consulting the pay schedule is like baking a cake without looking at a recipe. The pay schedule explains the rules and conditions of an individual slots game and in today's age of wild symbols, scatter symbols and bonus games, it's more important than ever to read a pay schedule carefully before putting in any money. In the very least, the pay table will list the number of coins or credit a player will win if certain symbols line up on the enabled pay lines.
On the more complicated slot machines in the online casino (the ones with 40 lines and dozens of ways to win), the pay table will spell out everything about where the symbols must be for the player to get paid. The pay table will also tell players if there are bonus features and if playing the maximum bet will reward them with a top bonus prize. The pay table contains a wealth of information about how to play the slot machine and how to win at the slot machine.
The Onine Slot Machine Calculates Your Winnings for You
For the record, an online video slot will instantly tell you if and how you've won, even if you bet on many lines. You don't have to figure out for yourself whether you've hit the right combination; the computer does it for you. That being said, however, you should still be as prepared as you can when you play an online slot machine — that's why reading the pay schedule is so important.
