Over the past few years, 243-ways-to-win slots have become ever-more popular. We’re seeing game developers produce 243-ways-to-win games at never-before-seen rates, and it’s clear that players love the format. In fact, we’ve even seen software providers take things a step further, with 1024-ways-to-win games and the popular Megaywas engine, both of which were inspired by the 243-ways-to-win format…
But, what exactly are 243-ways-to-win slots – and how do they work? Let’s find out!

243-Ways-To-Win Slots: A Beginner’s Guide

Let’s start at the beginning. Think about classic Vegas-inspired slots – you know, the classic one-armed bandits. These types of games typically had just one payline – meaning you needed to match three (or sometimes five) symbols on the centre reel. Doing so secured a win, and this is where the modern slot machine was born.
Over time, developers realized that players wanted a more vibrant playing experience, and they gradually incorporated more paylines into their games. For example, 3-payline slots soon became prevalent, and it wasn’t long before we saw 5, 10, 20, 50, and even 100 payline games on the market.
However, the thing with paylines is that you need to match symbols on specific win-lines. That’s where 243-ways-to-win are different. 243-ways-to-win slots have a total possible win-ways of 243. Say, for example, you’re playing a slot that pays $1 for a 5-of-a-kind combination of the top symbol. If you landed a full screen of this top-paying symbol, you would be paid 243 X $1 – for a total of $243.
On a 243-ways-to-win slot it doesn’t matter where the symbols are – as long as you form a 3-of-a-kind (or sometimes a 2-of-a-kind) combo, you’ll be paid out regardless of where the symbols are positioned.
So, now that we know what 243-ways-to-win slots are, let’s take a look at some of the major ones available to play online today.

Popular 243-Ways-To-Win Slots

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1. Feb 13, 2020 Slots are currently the most popular casino games. The basic rules of this game haven’t changed since 1899 when Charles Fay assembled the first slot machine. A player bets and spins a set of reels with symbols. Each of these spinning reels stops at a random position.
2. Slot machines are the most popular casino games, and casinos earn a larger proportion of their money from them than any other game Source: PBS. Part of the slot machine's appeal is the simplicity - the player puts in some money, pulls a handle or pushes a button and waits to see the outcome.

How casino slot machines work for most players is that when you press the spin button the reels start spinning and you could win or lose. Slot machines work the same way. Slots usually have three reels but sometimes also have five reels. The reel is the image that spins in the front of the machine. It has multiple symbols on it, and if you line up.

Today, there are well over 100 243-ways-to-win slots for players to enjoy – and below, we’re going to look at some of the most popular.

Thunderstruck II – Microgaming: Thunderstruck II is one of the first super-popular 243-ways-to-win games and it’s based around Norse mythology – based in the ancient city of Asgard. The game is famed for its volatility, and 5 superb bonuses await players. With a total win of a whopping 2,400,000-coins it’s not hard to see why Thunderstruck II has become such a hit with players, and while old, it remains one of Microgaming’s best releases to date.

Game of Thrones – Microgaming: Microgaming have 2 Game of Thrones slots – and by far, the most popular one, is the 243-ways-to-win variant. Based on the hugely-popular TV series of the same name, Game of Thrones – the video slot – is also famed for its volatility. Players can choose one of four free-spins bonuses, where all wins can be multiplied by up to 5X!

Twin Spin – NetEnt: Twin Spin is one of NetEnt’s most successful releases in history, and, as you can probably tell, it’s based around a 243-ways-to-win format. What makes Twin Spin unique, is that it contains a ‘linked reels’ feature. On every spin, anywhere between two and all five of the reels will ‘link together’, displaying identical symbols upon landing. Of course, if you’re lucky enough to get all five reels linked – and they land a premium symbol – it’s possible to get a full screen of just one symbol, making for some huge win-potential!

Sam On The Beach – Elk Studios: Sam on the Beach is one of Elk Studios’ most successful releases so far and it follows the adventures of a quirky beach-lover called… Sam! The game is bright, vibrant, fun – and also utilizes the 243-ways-to-win mechanism we’ve been looking at. Landing 3, 4, or 5 of the scatter symbols anywhere in view will trigger the free-spins bonus, during which all of the premium characters give ‘boosters’ when they form part of a win.

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Fortune Charm – Red Tiger Gaming: Red Tiger are known for their great-looking slots, and Fortune Charm is no exception. What makes it special is that it was one of the developer’s first slots to utilize the 243-ways-to-win mechanism. Based heavily on an Asian theme, Fortune Charm features pictures and imagery from Ancient China, and a soothing, relaxed soundtrack accompanies each and every spin.

Phoenix Sun – Quickspin: The first Quickspin slot to make this list is Phoenix Sun. Based on an Ancient Egyptian theme, the slot offers players fantastic, high-quality graphics, great gameplay and an exciting feature. Each time, during the base-game, that a win is formed using one of the premium red wilds, three additional positions will open up. If you manage to unlock all 9 of the additional symbols you’ll trigger the free-spins round – and this plays out with the reels fully unlocked at 7,777-ways-to-win!

7 Sins – Play’n Go: Play’n Go are known for creativity, and many of their games – Reactoonz, Book of Dead and Moon Princess – have become go-to games for many players. 7 Sins, however, is one of their less-often played games – but it’s capable of producing some mega wins. Of course, using the 243-ways-to-win format wins can be formed anywhere on the screen, and what makes this game really special is the double wilds; this makes it possible to actually hit 10-of-a-kind combinations, despite there being just five reels – and it’s a game that has some monstrous win-potential, too.

Flame Busters – Thunderkick: Thunderkick are also known for their creativity levels, and Flame Busters was a slot that really put them into the spotlight. This fast-paced, action-packed game follows the life of a fireman – and an exciting bonus round can see up to all five of the low-value symbols transformed into mystery symbols. All mystery symbols on screen then reveal themselves into an identical symbol – and naturally, it’s possible to hit a full screen of one symbol here, leading to mega wins!

What Follows 243-Ways-To-Win Slots?

As we mentioned earlier, developers didn’t stop at 243-ways-to-win games. No – they were closely followed by the 1024-ways-to-win slots which are the same format, with an extra row of symbols. Developer’s like Big Time Gaming and Blueprint Gaming took things even further with their Megaways engine. This allows for up to a whopping 117,649-ways-to-win on each spin… and, as you can imagine, the win-potential is unlike anything else in the world today!
243-ways-to-win slots are fun, different, and – usually – can offer up some pretty insane win-potential too. Let us know in the forums what your favourite 243-ways-to-win games are!

Slot machines are easy to play for the average gambler. But at the same time, their inner workings can seem super complex. This is what gives them their mystique and it makes us feel more at peace with the fact that we don’t have the ability to control the outcome. But the truth is that the mechanisms behind our favorite casino games are actually quite straightforward. Discover how slot machines work and solve the mystery that has been haunting gamblers for ages.

After reading this article, you’ll know all of the slot machine secrets, and how to make the most winnings off of this wily game.

Mechanics of the slot machine

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When you think of slots, you may picture a stereotypical machine – three reels painted with 7s, cherries, and the occasional pot of gold. You pull a big lever and the reels start spinning until one by one they come to rest, hopefully right on the jackpot symbol. This is the original design for slot machines: reels, levels, pulleys, and springs working together to make the internal mechanisms move.

It seems almost intuitive that your chances of winning are equal to your chances of losing. We tend to trust analog equipment in that a wheel (the reel) is equally likely to land on any point because of it’s shape. But casinos have always been smart about the odds. These reels are weighted differently for each symbol so you are more likely to get worthless pieces and the jackpot will remain an elusive prize.

Slot machines have come a long way since then. With the rise of modern technology, the traditional slot machine has given way to newer, more advanced mechanics. Inside each machine is a computer that operates on a code or mathematical equation. This slot machine algorithm works as a random number generator, also known as an RNG. These numbers are constantly generated, and depending on the exact moment you click “spin”, you will get different results. Once you spin the slots, numbers that correspond to positions on the reels are recorded, the reels will then land on those spots. So instead of weighting the reels, there are just more numbers that are assigned to blank spots.

The game chooses a random number for each reel and then displays that number onto the position on the reel (with physical machines, before video slots or online slots it meant that the reel actually stopped at that place). What this actually means is that the machine knows what will be displayed even before it displays in front of the player. Again this is also the way that online slot machines work. Therefore, we can understand that there aren’t different cycles and your odds are the same for each spin on each slot machines. The rest is really up to lady luck.

Playing the odds

The RNG that modern slot machines operate on makes the game completely randomized. This may seem less ideal, but in reality it’s a much better system because it prevents cheating both by the player and by the casino. But it’s also important to know that despite the computer being in complete control, it is programmed to give you a very small chance of winning. On a three reel slot machine, for example, the generator selects three numbers between 1 and 64 which correspond to the positions on the reels. This much you already know. But what you may not be aware of is how about half of the numbers relate to blank spots, and only one number matches the jackpot. Mathwise, that looks like 1/64 x 1/64 x 1/64. In other words, your chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 262,144.

So now that you know your odds, it’s time to debunk a hugely popular myth of how slots work. You have probably heard that slots can have hot or cold cycles, and that a particular slot is due for a win. The truth, unfortunately, is that with this computerized mechanism slots reset after each and every spin. So there are no cycles, as slot machines don’t retain memory of any previous spins. Sometimes it can be hard to believe this because we, as humans, try to look for patterns. These cycles are simply a perception, though. Your chances of winning or losing are the same for every spin.

The final important lesson to remember when playing slots, or any casino game for that matter, is that the casinos will always have the edge. The “payout percentage” or “return percentage” is lower than the actual odds of winning. Slot machines are programmed to adhere to a specific return percentage. Usually this number is around 90 – 95% meaning that however much money a player puts into a machine, they will, on average, receive only 90 – 95% of it back. For a single player on a single round, this isn’t exact. But over the course of eternity, the machine would abide by this percentage. It’s pretty easy to see why slot machines are such a large source of profit for casinos.

While casinos provide thrills and entertainment, it is extremely important to remember that a casino is still a business, and its priority is making money. Namely, off of people who gamble and *ehem* maybe those who play slots.

Making the most of it

Unlike other games where you can understand your odds based on the different betting combinations – here it’s really all random so you can’t learn specific strategies. That being said, it doesn’t mean that there is no skill involved. For example, knowing which slot game to play is an essential skill for every player. Some slot games (especially online) have better bonus rounds which provide more opportunities to win. Some bonus rounds are easier to trigger than others. Plus, learning the paytables and getting comfortable with the game itself will definitely help you win.

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Also, remember that the higher the coin denomination, the better the odds are. So, it’s better to play, for example, one coin per line on a 10-cent game than 10 coins per line on a 1-cent game. Because the stakes and wages are higher, the payout or return percentage usually works more in your favor than low denomination machines that pose little risk.

Now that you know all there about how slot machines work, it’s time to try it out for yourself. Click “spin” and see where lady luck takes you!