117,649 ways: the multiplication behind a Megaways screen

Where the number comes from

On these games the number of symbols on each reel is drawn randomly each spin, typically between two and seven. The total ways to win is the product of those counts across all reels. On a six-reel game the maximum is therefore:

7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649

That is the entire derivation of the figure the genre is named after. A more ordinary spin — say reels showing 3, 4, 2, 5, 3 and 4 symbols — produces 3 × 4 × 2 × 5 × 3 × 4 = 1,440 ways. Both numbers are correct descriptions of the same game on different spins, and the second shape is far more common than the first, because the maximum requires all six reels to land at their ceiling simultaneously.

Wins are evaluated on an all-ways basis: matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right pay regardless of their vertical position. That is why no payline graphic exists — there is nothing fixed to draw.

Why more ways does not mean more value

Think of the return budget as fixed. Whatever the game’s theoretical return is, the paytable has to distribute it across however many combinations the mechanic creates. Spread the same budget across 117,649 ways and the pay per way must fall; concentrate it on 20 paylines and each line pays more.

This is why comparing a 243-ways game with a 117,649-ways game tells you about volatility and the texture of a session, not about generosity. The genre’s own FAQs make the same point: the long-term return is determined by the return percentage, not by the number of ways.

Some titles push the count far past the six-reel maximum by adding reels or horizontal expansions — figures around a million appear in a few games. The same logic applies at every scale, and the counter grows faster than the value behind it.

Three mechanics that are routinely confused

• Paylines. Fixed patterns across the grid. A win requires symbols on specific positions of a specific line, and the number of lines is constant from spin to spin.
• Ways to win. Adjacent-reel matching with no fixed positions, so the count is recalculated per spin from the symbols showing. This is the Megaways family and its many licensed variants.
• Cluster pays. Wins come from groups of touching symbols anywhere on the grid, usually with a minimum cluster size. There are neither lines nor "ways" to count.

A player who knows which of the three they are playing can read the help screen in seconds; a player who does not will misinterpret both the counter and the paytable.

What the counter is useful for

Two things, honestly.

Reading a near miss. On a high-ways spin, a long run of matching symbols is more likely to be hit somewhere on the grid, which is why these games produce frequent small wins interleaved with the long dry stretches the genre is known for. The counter is a decent proxy for how busy a spin will look.

Sizing expectations on feature rounds. Where a bonus round locks reels at their maximum height, the ways count rises and stays there. That changes what the round pays relative to the base game, and the help screen states the rules that apply to it.

The practical reading

Treat the counter as scenery and the return figure as the specification. If two games have the same return, the one with more ways will feel busier and pay smaller amounts more often, and the one with fewer will do the opposite. Neither is better value; they are different distributions of the same long-run number, which is exactly the trade covered in what a 5,000x cap means.

For the figure that does matter and where to find it, see one slot, several RTP builds and the 83% floor and the jackpot inside it. For what is available where, start at the casino hub and the new games page.