Cluster Pays Slots

How Does It Work?

The first impression about Cluster Pays slots is that they resemble cluster pays slots. Cluster pays games work in the same way Candy Crush works. They have a fixed grid and to form a winning combination, you have to land a cluster of matching symbols in either direction (horizontally or vertically). With cluster pay slots, forming a winning combination is quite easy albeit the low payouts. 

With Cluster Pays, the ideas from the cluster pay system are borrowed and added an extra layer of thrill and entertainment. Cluster Pays will also work with grid slots meaning the slots will use rows and columns but not paylines as in the case with traditional slots. Triggering the feature will start as it would on cluster pays. Winning combinations will be formed via a cluster of 5+ matching symbols. Keep in mind that the clusters can appear anywhere on the grid and do not need to land in adjacent columns or start on the first column.

When Do They Appear

Whenever a winning cluster is created anywhere on the grid, an action is taken. The winning symbols will disappear and this is where the uniqueness of Cluster Pays gets in. Instead of a single symbol replacing them as they would in cluster pays, or Candy Crush, every winning symbol will have four (4) smaller symbols replacing them. From this, multiple ways of forming winning combinations will be achieved. If a winning combination is formed from the smaller symbols, they will disappear with others replacing them and the process continues until no further winning combination can be formed.

An example of a Cluster Pays slot is Star Clusters that features a 4×4 grid and 16 symbols on each spin. When a winning cluster is formed, four more small symbols are created on each symbol increasing the grid of the game to 8×8. In the bonus game, this can be expanded further to 16×16 giving up to 256 Cluster Pays.

Features of Cluster Pays

There is more to Cluster Pays slots than the grid and symbol expansion. Some of the features they boast include:

• Avalanche – Also called cascading reels. The feature is activated after matching symbols on the grid are formed and the reaction happens. They disappear and new symbols drop into the grid to replace them. Remember with Cluster Pays, each symbol will be replaced with four mini-symbols.
• Free Spins – Activated after hitting at least five (5) avalanche wins in succession. 2 free spins are awarded and an addition of one more is made on every successive avalanche win. They help expand the grid and may also come with an additional bonus feature – a multiplier. 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Cluster Pays

The reasons to love Cluster Pays include:

• Bonus features – Cluster Pays games come with other in-game features that benefit players including free spins, avalanche, and wild multipliers.
• Huge payouts – From the expanded grids and addition of symbols, the chances of huge payouts are high on these slots.
• Unique feature – As opposed to traditional slots, the first winning combination formed will payout and extend further to payout from the other small symbol combinations formed.

The reasons you should reconsider Cluster Pays include:

• Hard to keep up with your wins – The setup on these games is somehow complex. Remember, you can have winning combinations formed vertically, horizontally, sometimes diagonally, and the features such as avalanche making it a task to track the wins.
• Hard on smaller screens – As the grids keep expanding and new symbols being formed, the positions get smaller and viewing some of these symbols may be tough on your eyes if you are using a smaller screen.