Adjustable vs Fixed Paylines Slots + Top 5 Adjustable Slots
Paylines are an inherent part of any slot game. These guys determine when you win and when not, depending on what position on the reels paying symbols have taken. The number of paylines in each online slot varies dramatically, it can be as small as just 1 single line (some land-based legacy slots) or as big as 470,596 lines (modern megaways slots).
However, not everybody is aware that in some slots players can customize the number of active paylines according to their needs. For example, if an adjustable paylines slot has 20 paylines, you can actually set their number anywhere between 1 and 20.
Best Paying (RTP) Online Slots with Custom Paylines
Full list of slots with custom paylines number
Also, a cool part is that players can change the number of paylines in adjustable slots as many times as they want. The only rule - the reels must not be spinning.
So to speak, adjustable paylines slots are the ones where players can set the number of active paylines by themselves, manually.
In fixed paylines slots, on the other hand, there is no way to adjust the number of active paylines. Their amount has already been predetermined by the paytable of the slot, and it can not be changed no matter what.
It is worth mentioning that the absolute majority of online slots fall into the fixed paylines category. So it would be a good guess to say that 99%+ of slots do implement fixed paylines approach.
Top Fixed paylines slots
Speaking about the best fixed paylines slots, you can take a look at this rating (basically each slot there has a fixed paylines system, as we have discussed earlier).
Even if you accidentally come across adjustable paylines slots, just set the number of paylines at maximum level (it is usually already set at maximum by default). That way the slot basically becomes a fixed paylines game.
Best 5 Adjustable paylines slots
Halloween Fortune (Playtech)
Play Halloween Fortune for real money
Halloween Fortune is a best-seller Playtech slot. RTP makes the slot special among others as 97.06% is not what you can usually get. The slot has a classic layout (5 reels and 3 rows), but looks quite modern anyway. I would definitely recommend trying it out at least.
RTP: 97.06% Volatility: Medium Paylines: 20 Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum total win: x10,000 of your stake
Age of Egypt (Playtech)
Play Age of Egypt for real money
Age of Egypt is an Ancient Egypt themed slot produced by a well-known software provider (Playtech). The main advantage of the slot is that it has a pretty high RTP of 97.05% (96-96.5% on average on the market). The graphics looks a bit outdated, though adjustable paylines feature and x10,000 as maximum possible win can definitely make up for it.
RTP: 97.05% Volatility: High Paylines: 20 Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum total win: x10,000 of your stake
Pearl Lagoon (Playngo)
Play Pearl Lagoon for real money (RTP 96%+, not 94, 91, 87 or 84%)
Pearl Lagoon is a quite popular Playngo slot game. It has, as many other Playngo products, nice graphics and sound. However, please be aware that RTP in Playngo slots fluctuates, and can have either of these values: 96%+, 94, 91, 87 or 84% (How to find out correct RTP of Playngo games).
RTP: 96.88% Volatility: High Paylines: 20 Free spins: Yes Multiplier: Yes
Maximum total win: x5,000 of your stake
Captains Treasure (Playtech)
Play Captain's Treasure for real money
Even though Captains Treasure does not look modern at all, it has very high RTP (97.06%), which makes this slot very appealing for players. Also the slot has a good balance between the volatility and the maximum possible win (quite significant x5,000).
RTP: 97.06% Volatility: Medium-High Paylines: 9 Free spins: No Multiplier: Yes
Maximum total win: x5,000 of your bet
Book of Dead (Playngo)
Play Book of Dead for real money (RTP 96%+, not 94, 91, 87 or 84%)
Book of Dead is the most famous Playngo slot so far. The sound and graphics are good, the RTP is decent (96.21%). The only disadvantage is that there is no multiplier.
As usual with Playngo slots, you have to verify RTP in each casino separately (here is an article on how to do so)
RTP: 96.21% Volatility: High Paylines: 10 Free spins: Yes Multiplier: No
Maximum total win: x5,000 of your total bet
A strategy players usually implement in adjustable paylines slots
Let’s consider this example to better understand the concept behind.
Your bankroll management is 10 EUR bet per spin, and you are playing an adjustable paylines slot (the slot has 10 lines). You can either bet 1 EUR per each line (1 EUR x 10 lines = 10 EUR) or you can bet all 10 EUR per just one single line. In case you bet 10 EUR per one line (instead of 1 EUR per 10 lines), you are going to get winnings 10 times less frequently, but 10 times bigger in size.
Although this strategy does not make the slot you are playing profitable, it definitely changes payouts in a big way, making gameplay very different.
How to adjust the number of paylines in online slots
First thing first, you have to figure out if an online slot allows you to do it. In online slots with adjustable paylines there is always a “paylines” (or betlines) section somewhere on the dashboard (often on the bottom). Moreover, there are “+” and “-” switches. By pressing these buttons you regulate the number of active paylines.
Exactly as it is shown on the screenshot below
How does adjustable paylines affect RTP, Volatility, Hit frequency and Maximum win
RTP, Volatility, Hit frequency and Maximum win are the most important parameters of online slots. And some of them are getting affected by adjustable paylines in a big way. Let’s learn how.
Adjustable paylines’ impact on RTP
If you customize the number of active paylines, it does not have any impact on slot’s RTP. This parameter stays exactly the same no matter how many lines you have chosen.
Adjustable paylines’ impact on Winning hit frequency
Adjustable paylines feature has a great impact on Winning hit frequency. For example, let’s say an online slot has 10 adjustable paylines and 30% Hit Frequency (when all 10 lines are active). If you set the number of paylines to be 1, the Hit frequency becomes 10 times less, or 3%, which is a huge difference. So, keep it in mind.
Adjustable paylines’ impact on Volatility
For the same reasons (as it does with Hit frequency) adjustable paylines is a big deal when it comes to Volatility. The less paylines you have set to be active , the higher level of volatility is to be expected.
Adjustable paylines’ impact on Maximum possible win
The more paylines are activated, the bigger the maximum possible win becomes. Why? Because all paylines winnings get summed up. As a result, the more paylines you have set up, the more money you can win, obviously. So to say, adjustable paylines feature has a big effect here as well.
Pros and cons of adjustable paylines slots
Pros:
Let you customize betting mechanics in very flexible way (brings more fun to the table and also changes gameplay very significantly)
Many Playtech products among them, which is a trustworthy software provider (RNG is tested properly by independent labs)
You can basically manipulate the volatility level in adjustable paylines slots
You can win more investing less (though it comes at a cost of increased volatility)
Cons:
Number of paylines is very limited (no more than 40)
Sometimes it is hard to figure out how much you are going to win
Not so many products on the market (on top of that, existing ones look a bit outdated)
Pros and cons of fixed paylines slots
Pros:
Super easy and straightforward as no settings required, just set up total bet and that’s it
Enormous number of paylines become possible (up to 470,596; called megaways)
Maximum total win is a bit larger here, as a rule of thumb
Plenty of fixed paylines slots on the market so it is easy to find slots you will enjoy playing
Cons:
No flexibility in betting mechanics
It is harder to figure out how much you bet per one line when a slot has, for instance, 1,024+ paylines
Final thoughts
Online casinos with adjustable and fixed paylines slots
Should you play adjustable or fixed paylines slots is solely a question of your personal preferences since this feature in place does not make slots more or less profitable. If you would like to increase the volatility of the slot even more (decreasing the Hit frequency), then the adjustable paylines feature is a good choice.
Other than that, adjustable and fixed paylines slots are not much different.
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