10-Line Slots
Online slot games that feature ten paylines are widespread in the online casino world. In years gone by, most slots would either have 3, 9, 15, 20, 25 or 50 paylines. We have seen slots rapidly expand their payline count in recent years, with first 243, then 1,024, and 3,025 lines, before finally, MegaWays games started to deliver hundreds of thousands of lines per spin. However, not every software provider has been eager to churn out games with a surplus of lines.
In some quarters, 10-line slot machines have been stealing the show. They may only offer a single additional payline compared to their nine-line counterparts, but they often come with a greater array of features. For instance, many 10-line slots either pay both ways or are part of the famous Book Slot series of games that are now doing the rounds online.
Best 10-Line Slot Machines
What Does A 10 Line Slot work?
A typical ten-line slot works in much the same way that a nine-line game does. 10-line slot games will naturally feature a series of ten lines spanning five reels. Some of these paylines run horizontally, some run diagonally, and some criss-cross and weave their way up and down various reels. All run from the left to right, and you will need to bag at least three identical symbols on a slot’s payline to score a win.
However, some 10-line slots are notable for coming with added perks. Some games carry a Win Both Ways system, which means that payline combos also run from right to left, as well as left to right. There are also Book Slots that add spice into what many might ordinarily consider to be a rather basic game. This often means stacked and expanding symbols can come into play.
How Do 10-Line Slots Affect the Main Game’s Parameters?
In most cases, slots with ten lines will not radically alter the RTP, variance and volatility, or the hit frequency in games. However, there are those slots that can do this, the aforementioned Book Slots. Let us take a closer look at this below, and we urge you to play 10-line slots free at online casino review sites to get a better idea of what we mean.
- RTP: RTP is described as the amount of each bet the casino makes available to be won by all players over all of time. 96% is the industry standard, with the other 4% being the house edge that the casino keeps for itself. In slots with ten lines, the RTP rates often split based on age. Older ten-line slots typically have RTP rates that fall below 95%, while newer games have RTPs that are more than 96.5%.
- Volatility: Volatility is another thing that is typically split between older and newer ten-line slots. In older games, the volatility is set to relatively low variance – medium at most. This means that you are likely to win regularly, albeit with smaller prizes. In newer games, the volatility level is set to medium. However, if you opt to play the newer Book Slots out there, then you are often looking at extremely high volatility. This means that you are not likely to win often on the lines, but the prizes are usually considerable when you do.
- Hit Frequency: Hit frequency is dependent on the volatility and the number of symbols in a ten-line slot. In older games, the hit frequency tends to be over 30%, which is what we would expect for a low to medium variance game. In Book Slots with ten lines (as most of them offer) you are looking at a low hit frequency. This is despite the use of expanding symbols in bonus features, such as a free spin round. Naturally, in those ten-line games that pay both ways, the hit frequency is magnified.
