How do Megaways slots work?

Megaways slots explained

Published by: Lewis

Reading time: +/- 10 minutes

Last updated: 20/07/2020

Image explaining how megaways slots work

Table of contents

Megaways slots are awesome and the mechanics behind it are even more impressive. Megaways slots can have up to 117,649 ways to win and can produce wins of more than 100,000x the size of your bet! That’s massive, but how is that even possible? While classic slots have only a few pay lines and maximum wins are capped at 1,000x the size of your bet. So how is it possible that Megaways slots have so many more ways to win? And so much bigger wins? So, how do Megaways slots work? With the help of images and example we will answer the following questions about Megaways slots:

the first question we will answer How do Megaways slots work?
the second question we will answer How can Megaways slots give you so many ways to win?
the third question we will answer How can Megaways slots pay you so much money?
the fourth question we will answer How to calculate the potential of Megaways slots?

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How to win in Megaways slots?

In Megaways slots there are no traditional pay lines. The traditional pay lines are replaced by “ways to win”. Any symbol of the same kind anywhere on connecting reels starting on reel 1, will give you a win. For example if you hit 10’s on reel 1, 2 and 3 it will give you a 3 of a kind win of 10’s. Let’s give you an example of a non winning pay line and a winning pay line:

how not to win in megaways slots — Example 1: symbols are not connecting since there is no matching symbol on reel 3.

how to win in megaways slots — Example 2: On each reel there are matching symbols and thus this is a 6 of a kind win with 8 matching symbols.

The Megaways slots mechanics explained

Megaways slots are a beautiful addition to online slots and online casinos, but they are also very difficult and complicated to understand. How can Megaways slots have tens of thousands, even hundred of thousands of ways to win, while the classic slots only have 5 or 9 pay lines? In order to understand the Megaways, we need to understand the reels and rows. The reels and rows give you a certain amount of pay lines. In order to calculate the amount of Megaways, you need to multiply the amount of symbols you can get on a single reel by the total amount of reels. Let’s give you an example on the 2 most common amount of Megaways.

117,649 ways to win

The maximum amount of Megaways you could potentially get is 117,649. In order to get this amount of Megaways, the slot needs to have 6 reels. Usually the slots come with an additional reel above reels 2 to 5. Each reel alone should be able to have up to 7 symbols which will give a total of 117,649 ways to win. The calculation of the Megaways will look as follow:

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649 ways to win

On reel level the calculation will look as follow:

Reel 1: 7 symbols (total of 7 Megaways)
Reel 2: 7 symbols (total of 7 x 7 = 49 Megaways)
Reel 3: 7 symbols (total of 49 x 7 = 343 Megaways)
Reel 4: 7 symbols (total of 343 x 7 = 2,401 Megaways)
Reel 5: 7 symbols (total of 2,401 x 7 = 16,807 Megaways)
Reel 6: 7 symbols (total of 16,807 x 7 = 117,649 Megaways)

Impressive he? Obviously it’s relatively difficult to hit the maximum amount of Megaways in a slot. Luckily there are Megaways slots where you could secure a minimum amount of Megaways including the maximum 117,649 ways to win! Safari Gold Megaways is a good example. Let’s give you an example of the more common Megaways and the maximum amount of Megaways:

more common amount of megaways in a megaways slot — Example 1: 3 x 2 x 6 x 2 x 3 x 2 = ‭432‬ Megaways.

maximum amount of megaways in a megaways slot — Example 2: 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649 Megaways.

15,625 ways to win

Beside Megaways slot with a stunning 117,649 ways to win, there also quite some Megaways slot which have “only” 15,625 ways to win. These slots will have 6 reels in total and each reel alone will have up to 5 symbols. The maximum amount of Megaways are 15,625 when you multiply the symbols with the reels. The calculation of the Megaways will look as follow:

5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 15,625 ways to win

On reel level the calculation will look as follow:

Reel 1: 5 symbols (total of 5 Megaways)
Reel 2: 5 symbols (total of 5 x 5 = 25 Megaways)
Reel 3: 5 symbols (total of 25 x 5 = 125 Megaways)
Reel 4: 5 symbols (total of 125 x 5 = 625 Megaways)
Reel 5: 5 symbols (total of 625 x 5 = 3,125 Megaways)
Reel 6: 5 symbols (total of 3,125 x 5 = 15,625 Megaways)

Gods of Olympus Megaways is a good example of a slot with 15,625 ways to win. Let’s give you an example of the more common Megaways and the maximum amount of Megaways:

how to get megaways — Example 1: 2 x 3 x 2 x 2 x 4 x 5 = 480 Megaways.

how to get the maximum amount of megaways — Example 2: 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 15,625 Megaways.

How to calculate your winnings?

Did you manage to get a big win by connecting multiple premium symbols? But you have no idea how your win is being calculated? Let us help you with this! Calculating the winnings is as difficult as the mechanic behind calculating the amount of Megaways. In order to calculate your winnings, you would first need to know how much the symbols are worth in particular Megaways slots. You can find the value of the symbols in the pay table. Once you know the values, you need to use the following calculation to understand your winnings:

Amount of winning lines x value of symbols x bet size

Still not very clear how you calculate your winnings in a Megaways slot? Let’s give you some examples with the help of images and pay tables.

paytable of 3456 megaways slot — Example 1: Pay table of Diamond Mine Megaways.

5 euro win on 3456 megaways — Example 2: €/$/£ 5 win on a €/$/£ 5 stake and 3,456 Megaways. How is this win being calculated? First you need count the amount of winning lines and thus you need to have a look at the winning symbols and connected reels. In this example we have 3 connecting premium symbols (gold miners) on reel 1, 2 and 3. So the total amount of winning lines are: 1 x 1 x 1 = 1. If we have a look at the pay table in example 1, we know that 3 connecting reels of the gold minors symbol have a value of 1. The winning lines multiplied by the value of the symbols is thus 1 x 1 = 1. The last step we need to do is multiply this number with the bet size which is €/$/£ 5 in this example. So our winnings are 1 x 1 x 5 = €/$/£ 5.

10 euro win on 7200 megaways — Example 3: €/$/£ 10 win on a €/$/£ 5 stake and 7,200 Megaways. In this example we have 7 connecting symbols (7’s) on reel 1, 2, 3 and 4. So the total amount of winning lines are 1 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 8. If we have a look at the pay table in example 1, we know that 4 connecting reels of symbol J have a value of 0.25. The winning lines multiplied by the value of the symbols is thus 8 x 0.25 = 2. The last step we need to do is multiply this number with the bet size which is €/$/£ 5 in this example. So our winnings are 8 x 0.25 x 5 = €/$/£ 10.

13 euro win on 11340 megaways — Example 4: €/$/£ 13 win on a €/$/£ 5 stake and 11,340 Megaways. In this example we have 2 different connecting symbols: the gold miner and the 9. We hit 5 connecting gold minors symbols on reel 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 1 winning line). We also hit 3 connecting 9’s symbols on reel 1, 2 and 3 (1 x 1 x 1 = 1 winning line). If we have a look at the pay table in example 1, we know that 5 connecting reels of the gold minors symbols have a value of 2.5. The winning lines multiplied by the value of the symbols is thus 1 x 2.5 = 2.5. For the 9’s it’s 1 x 0.1 = 0.1. This is a total of 2.5 + 0.1 = 2.6. The last step we need to do is multiply this number with the bet size which is €/$/£ 5 in this example. So our winnings are (1 x 2.5 x 5) + (1 x 0.1 x 5) = €/$/£ 13. Or 2.6 x 5 = €/$/£ 13.

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FAQ about how Megaways slots work answered

Megaways slots are one of the most complex slots that exist. The mechanics behind Megaways slots are difficult to understand. After searching the internet, we’ve noticed that there are many questions about Megaways slots and how they work. We will answer the most frequently asked questions in our FAQ. If you still have questions after reading our FAQ, please feel free to get in touch with us.

🧐 Who invented Megaways?

Megaways are already around for quite some years now. They really started to become popular in the last couple of years. Since then new Megaways slots are released almost weekly. Megaways have been invented by Big Time Gaming and since 2018 they are selling licenses to other gaming providers including Blueprint Gaming.

⚡ What is the maximum amount of Megaways?

On the day of writing, the maximum amount of Megaways is 117,649. We’re sure there will be Megaways slots released with more ways to win in 2020.

🎰 How do Megaways slots work?

In order to calculate the amount of Megaways, you need to multiply the total amount of symbols on each and every reel. If you’re for example playing a 6 reel Megaways slot and you get 5 symbols on each reel, the total amount of Megaways is 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 15.625.

🤔 How long will it take a slot to calculate Megaways?

The answer on this question is instant. Even before your spin has finished, the amount of Megaways and the outcome of the game round already have been calculated. If anything goes wrong with your game round or you accidentally close the slot you’re playing, the outcome of the game round is registered at the online casino you’re playing. So you never miss out on potential winnings because of an error or tiny mistake.

Our conclusion

Megaways slots make use of a fairly unique mechanism calculating the many ways you can win. It may be all new to you, but it’s not rocket science. With the help of examples and images, we’ve explained everything you need to know about Megaways slots. The main important thing to remember is that the number of Megaways are possible because of the many rows and symbols on each and every row.

What is your experience? Have you already tried your luck on Megaways slots? Why or why not?

About the Author – Lewis

Lewis is the co-founder and a regular contributor at BlueprintMegaways.com. He’s an expert in the fields of gambling, online casino, online slot machines and Megaways slots in particular. If you have any questions or feedback about Lewis’s articles, please feel free to get in touch with him via info@blueprintmegaways.com.

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