Ways win slot machines use a different method of generating winning combinations than traditional payline slots. “Ways Win” is shorthand for “___ ways to wins”, with the number indicating how many different winning combinations exist in the game.
The first of these games were the “243 ways to win” games, like Choy Sun Doa Slots from Aristocrat Leisure and the Dark Knight Rises from Microgaming.
When Charles Fey designed the original slot machine, Liberty Bell, the game had one single payline. If the symbol on all three reels which landed on the payline matched, then the gambler won.
This remained the basic game mechanic for decades, because of the limitations of mechanical slot machines. When electronic slot machines began to appear in the late-1970s and 1980s, game designers were able to program multiple paylines into the game.
In the decades since, game designers have added more and more paylines. The 5-reel, 9-payline game once seemed exotic. Then the 15-payline, 20-payline, and 25-payline game hit the market. Eventually, it was not surprising to see 50-line or even 100-line games.
Slot Machines with 720 or 1024 Ways to Win Slot machines that offer 720 ways to win or 1024 ways to win are different than the typical slot machine because they do not have dedicated pay lines. Instead, you have a certain amount of reels and tiers, and each spot in the game is a 'possible win.' In a '720 ways to win' slot machine, you will.
The first 100-payline slot machine was Cashapillar Slots from Microgaming, which debuted in 2008. Yet game designers at the online casino software developer stayed within the same mindset — if they wanted to draw attention, add more paylines.
In 2009, the game designers at Microgaming introduced something entirely new: Burning Desire Slots. Burning Desire dispensed with paylines entirely. Instead, the game simply has 243 different winning combinations, regardless of whether those patterns appeared on a continuous line or not. That freed developers to greatly increase the number of winning results.
Burning Desire was both popular and revolutionary. Within the next few years, most of the top online slot machine developers introduced their own “243 ways” slots. Microgaming still has the largest number of titles in the category, but gaming companies like Net Entertainment and Aristocrat Leisure have scored huge successes with their own version of these games.
Microgaming 243 Ways Slot Machines
By my count, there are 186 different video slots which have the 243 ways design. The list below is only a small fraction of the full list. The ones I’ve listed are those which are found in the most online casinos. I’ve included the slot machine title, its designer, and the year it was introduced.
243 Ways Slots from Other Designers
Virtually every gaming software company has their own 243 ways slot machine. Companies as obscure as BOG, Saucify, Genii, Playtika, GAN, NuWorks, and Amuzi Gaming all have their versions.
Once game designers had so much success with the 243 ways slots, it was only a matter of time before someone found a way to top the concept. The next step was the “1024 Ways” slot machine, which has a whopping 1024 winning combinations.
This is really starting to push the limitations of a 5-reel slot machine, at least with a number of reel symbols limited enough to make jackpot wins possible. At the moment, only 35 of these gaming machines exist. Players wanting the latest in video slots design — or the biggest number of ways to win — need to play these machines.
1024 Ways Slots from IGT Interactive
For whatever reason, IGT Interactive, the online division of International Game Technology, has produced more 1024 ways slots than Microgaming. That isn’t so surprising, since IGT is the largest slot machine manufacturer in the world. IGT knows what it’s doing, so the 1024 Ways Slots might eventually be the leader in the industry.
More 1024 Ways to Win Slot Machines
Many other gaming companies have designed their own 1024-ways slot machines. This includes top companies like Microgaming, Amaya (PokerStars), WMS Gaming, and Bally Technologies. As you’ll see, there are several companies you might not know.
Notice how many games have the word “Buffalo” in them. The various companies wanted to copy the success of Buffalo Slot from Aristocrat Gaming, the Australian game designer also known as Aristocrat Leisure. Buffalo Slots is likely to be the most successful game ever produce by Aristocrat, which has been around since the 1950s.
Eventually, someone will find a way to increase the number of ways to win in a “Ways Win” slot machine. For the time being, the lists above are the ultimate in ways-to-win online slot machines. You’ll have a lot of choices, so choose wisely.