Adjustable vs Fixed Paylines Slots + Top 5 Adjustable Slots

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

(Players from United States are welcome)

Thrones of Persia Online Slot Logo
RTP: 98.8% (Great!)
Max win: x5,470
Custom Paylines: Yes
Kitty Cash Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.9% (Great!)
Max win: x750
Custom Paylines: Yes
Fruit Box Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.8% (Great!)
Max win: x200
Custom Paylines: Yes
Dollars Down Under Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.7% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Goldbeard Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.5% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Crystal Waters Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.5% (Great!)
Max win: x4,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Coyote Cash Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.5% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Domnitors Deluxe Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.3% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Domnitors Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.3% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Lucky Lady's Clover Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.3% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Hawaii Cocktails Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.3% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Book of Pyramids Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x9,999
Custom Paylines: Yes
Slotomon Go Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Scroll of Adventure Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Disco Slot 80 Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x2,500
Custom Paylines: Yes
Princess Royal Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x9,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Diamond Bonus Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x1,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Halloween Fortune Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Captains Treasure Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Age of Egypt Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.1% (Great!)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Gods of Egypt Online Slot Logo
RTP: 97.0% (Great!)
Max win: x3,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Book of Fruits Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.9% (Good)
Max win: x500
Custom Paylines: Yes
Fire Lightning Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.9% (Good)
Max win: x1,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Pearl Lagoon Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.9% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Lucky Beans Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.8% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Pharaoh's Temple Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.7% (Good)
Max win: x3,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Fantasy Park Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Amazonia Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x2,500
Custom Paylines: Yes
Rise of Merlin Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Planet Rocks Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x218
Custom Paylines: Yes
Crystal Lotus Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x1,503
Custom Paylines: Yes
Arabian Spins Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.6% (Good)
Max win: x350
Custom Paylines: Yes
Golden Dunes Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.5% (Good)
Max win: x7,500
Custom Paylines: Yes
Hello Easter Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.5% (Good)
Max win: x1,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Mission Atlantis Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.5% (Good)
Max win: x7,500
Custom Paylines: Yes
Xmas Magic Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.5% (Good)
Max win: x4,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Kawa the Neon Samurai Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.5% (Good)
Max win: x17,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Shaolin's Tiger Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.4% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Dragon Egg Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.4% (Good)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Savannah King Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.4% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Dark Mystic Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.4% (Good)
Max win: x25,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Ocean Rush Online Slot Logo
EGT
RTP: 96.4% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Mr.Luck Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Salmon Catch Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x10,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Book of Truth Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x15,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Dragon Hot Online Slot Logo
EGT
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x3,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Blackbeard's Quest Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x5,000
Custom Paylines: Yes
Fruits on Ice Online Slot Logo
RTP: 96.3% (Good)
Max win: x3,000
Custom Paylines: Yes

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.

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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)

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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

full review

Age of Egypt (Playtech)

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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

full review

Pearl Lagoon (Playngo)

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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

full review

Captains Treasure (Playtech)

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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

full review

Book of Dead (Playngo)

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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

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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.