The paytable is the one place where a slot tells you exactly what it pays — but it uses three different units, hides the most important numbers in a separate help screen and rarely explains either. Read it the wrong way and a “500” can mean 500 times your bet or 20 times it. This guide shows how to read a paytable in five steps, with real examples from games we have reviewed.
Last updated: 22 October 2026
Step 1: find the unit
Every paytable value is a multiple of something. There are three common bases:
| Unit | What “×10” means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Total bet | 10 times your whole stake | The Dog House: five top dogs pay 37.5× the bet |
| Line bet | 10 times the stake on one line | Better Wilds: five Red 7s pay 500× the line bet |
| Currency at your stake | The amount shown changes when you change the bet | Many newer games show money amounts for the stake you have set |
If the paytable changes when you change the bet, it is showing money at your stake. If it does not, look for the words “line bet” or “total bet” in the help screen.
Step 2: convert line bet to total bet
Line-bet values look much bigger than they are. Divide by the number of lines:
- Better Wilds has 25 lines, so the line bet is 1/25 of the total bet.
- Five Red 7s pay 500× the line bet.
- 500 ÷ 25 = 20× the total bet.
The headline 500× is reachable only when the best symbols land on many lines at once. A paytable in total-bet units, like The Dog House‘s, needs no conversion: 37.5 means 37.5 times your stake.
Never compare line-bet values from one game with total-bet values from another. 500× in Better Wilds and 37.5× in The Dog House are not 13 times apart — the first is 20× in total-bet terms.
Step 3: check how many symbols pay
- Usually three or more on a line, starting from the leftmost reel.
- Some premium symbols pay for two. In Better Wilds two Bells, Red 7s or Wilds pay 5× the line bet; in Burning Wild only the seven pays for two.
- Clusters and scatter pays list counts instead — 4+ touching gems in Merge Up, 8+ anywhere in Gator Hunters. How these systems differ is in our pay systems guide.
Step 4: read the special symbols
Below the regular symbols, the paytable lists the Wild and Scatter rules. Look for four things:
- which reels they can land on (Wilds in The Dog House: reels 2–4 only);
- whether the Wild carries a multiplier, and whether several are added or multiplied;
- how many Scatters start the bonus, and whether more Scatters give more;
- whether the Scatter also pays cash.
Step 5: open the help screen for the real numbers
The paytable shows what symbols pay. The numbers that decide what a game costs are usually one screen further, in the rules or help section:
- RTP — and the version your casino runs. Studios often offer several; our RTP versions guide explains why.
- Maximum win — and whether a bonus round ends when it is reached (how caps work).
- Feature rules — retriggers, buy prices, what happens on disconnection.
A quick checklist
- Unit: total bet, line bet or currency?
- If line bet: how many lines?
- Minimum symbols for a win, and any two-symbol pays?
- Wild reels and multipliers; Scatter count and prizes.
- RTP and max win in the help screen.