Internet Jackpots

Buy-a-Pay and Multiple Payline Slot Machines

Buy-a-Pay Slot Machines

Now take a deep breath because if you thought that trying to understand multipliers on slot machines was difficult, wait until you hear about this next group of multiple coin machines. It is my opinion that the buy-a-pay machine confuses more customers and results in more dissatisfaction than any other slot machine invented. Of course, if I owned a casino I'd probably love these machines because, as you will see, it is easy to not win on a buy-a-pay even when you hit the jackpot.

Usually nothing is written on the outside of the machine to identify it as a buy-a-pay. You must know what you are looking for, or it could be too late by the time you hit the jackpot. Very simply, buy-a-pay slots accept three or more coins, but the maximum number of coins must be inserted if you want to win on all the possible symbol combinations. It may be helpful to refer to the sample buy-a-pay award glass illustration during the following explanation of a buy-a-pay slot.

In a buy-a-pay slot, the first coin inserted allows you to be paid only for cherries. The second coin, depending on the individual machine, allows you to be paid for oranges, plums, and bells either by themselves or in combination with a bar, you also will be paid for winning cherry combinations that your first coin purchased. It is not until the third coin is inserted that the jackpot symbols, bars, or bars and 7s, are in play. So, if you only insert one or two coins and pull the handle, and three bars line up on the center line, you wouldn't win anything.

You must be willing to play three coins at a time if you want to be paid when you hit the jackpot on a buy-a-pay machine. I don't want to tell you not to play these machines because many people who play slots regularly feel buy-a-pays are very good machines. I will advise you, however, to be careful. Unless you have really great hunches, you would be well advised to always play the maximum coins possible.

Multiple Payline Slot Machines

Simply stated, multiple payline slot machines offer more than one way to win with each pull of the handle. Instead of a single or center payline only across the front of the reel glass, these machines have several paylines, usually three or five. The five-line machines are easily identifiable because the fourth and fifth paylines run on a diagonal across the glass. This slot is nicknamed a five-line criss-cross machine. You can choose by the number of coins inserted how many paylines you want to play at one time. The first coin inserted activates the first payline, the coin inserted plays the second payline as well as the first, and so on.

Like the machines already discussed, there is more to playing multiple-payline slots than first meets the eye. Many multiple-payline machines are set up to encourage you to always play the maximum possible number of coins on each pull of the handle. This is done by offering a larger jackpot on the last coin's payline than on the other paylines. In other words, three 7s lined up on the second coin's payline of a three-line quarter machine might pay $50. The same three 7s lined up on the third or last coin payline on the same machine would pay you $250, provided all three coins had been played.

So you can see that you are probably better off playing the maximum coins possible when your multiple-line machine offers a jackpot bonus. But there is, as always, a big "however": Not all multiple payline slots pay a bonus for the last payline jackpot. Be sure to check this out first because there is no benefit to playing the maximum coins possible unless you can receive a big bonus for doing so.