Pokies mechanics: lines, ways, clusters and bonus rounds

Three ways to read a win

Paylines specify a route across the reels. Ways count eligible symbol combinations on consecutive reels, usually from the left, without a drawn line. Scatter pays counts matching symbols across the board; cluster pays normally requires adjacency. Always use the title’s own minimum-symbol and wild rules.

Megaways changes the reel heights and therefore the number of possible combinations. More displayed ways does not by itself prove a better return: symbol weights, payouts and feature rules still determine the game. A large ways count is not the number of chances at a jackpot.

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What tumbles and held symbols change

With tumbling reels, paying symbols disappear and replacement symbols can create another win during the same paid round. A tumble chain is not a series of new bets. Its displayed total may include several earlier arrangements that are no longer on screen.

Hold-and-spin features usually lock qualifying symbols and grant respins, but reset conditions and prize rules differ. Likewise, a multiplier may reset after a drop, after a spin or only at the end of a feature. Read the reset condition before assuming a value will remain active.

A bonus feature is not a casino bonus

A game feature is part of the game’s rules. A casino welcome bonus is a promotion attached to the account. The word “bonus” appears in both, but the two have different conditions. A game may offer free spins while an account promotion restricts that game or excludes feature purchases.

A feature-buy button charges a stated multiple of the selected stake to enter a feature. Confirm the total cost, not just the stake shown beside the reels. Buying access does not guarantee that the round returns its purchase price, and a welcome promotion may forbid the purchase altogether.

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