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Often in life, we don’t take the opportunity to celebrate the little wins. Instead, we’re fixated on the big prize: no matter how difficult, or low probability, attaining it is.
In online slot gaming, players seek out the highest-paying combinations, free spins, bonus rounds and jackpots, as these are the most satisfying (and not to mention profitable). But we shouldn’t overlook the little victories of low-paying symbols either. That’s a metaphor for life, too.
In the end, it’s these symbols that players see most often, as they have the highest chance of landing. Of course, if you place a large number of bets or use 100 or 150 free spins from a bonus, you may encounter more than just the lowest-paying symbols, but that doesn’t happen every time.
Let’s crunch the numbers in this celebration of the most uncelebrated slot game symbols.
What are Low Paying Symbols in Slots?
The majority of slot games use three types of symbols:
· Generic, lower paying symbols
· Higher paying ‘character’ symbols (usually linked to the game’s theme)
· Special symbols (wilds, scatters, bonus etc)
The latter two categories of symbols pay the bigger prizes and can trigger unique features; the wild will substitute for all base game symbols, while the scatter can unlock a free spins round.
The lower-paying symbols generally take the look of playing card icons: ace, king, queen and jack. They can also incorporate numbers, typically nine and ten.
In other games, particularly those inspired by the fruit machines of yesteryear, the lower paying symbols can take the form of cherries, lemons, oranges, watermelons and so on.
Match three or more of these low paying icons on a payline and you will win a prize, however that will be small change compared to if you match five of the higher paying character symbols.
That said, it’s important that players don’t underestimate the importance of the lower paying symbols in terms of bankroll maintenance.
Slow and Steady Gains
Let’s imagine you played 50 spins of Rainbow Riches from Barcrest for a total cost of £50.
Ideally, you’d want to land this particular slot’s best paying symbols: Road to Riches, Wishing Well and Pots of Gold.
However, this isn’t always possible. And, without the lower paying symbols, you could burn through that £50 with no return whatsoever.
Now, let’s consider the paytable for those lower paying symbols in Rainbow Riches:
· 10, J and Q – 3x = 0.25, 4x = 0.50, 5x = 5.00.
· K and A – 3x = 0.50, 4x = 2.50, 5x = 7.50
Let’s imagine that 20 of your 50 spins are winners featuring these low paying symbols. It’s not impossible that you could recoup around £25 from these symbols alone, which would reduce your losses by half.
So while they may not be attached to the most glamorous of prizes, these low-paying symbols do offer a vital function: they help to protect against big losses in a single session, while keeping some funds flowing into your bankroll.
Maybe next time you’ll win more, and you’ll have the lower paying symbols to thank in your previous session for providing you with some stake money to do so.
Wild Wins
The lower paying symbols play an important role in conjunction with the more exciting wild symbol, too.
The wild symbol generally has the function of substituting for all other base game symbols. So, if it appears on a payline with two or more matching symbols, it can be the missing piece that completes a line win.
But, of course, without lower paying symbols, the role of the wild is pretty much redundant.
These lower paying symbols appear on your reels more frequently than their higher paying counterparts. So, they are the most likely to form a winning partnership with the wild symbol when it appears on your reels.
In this sense, lower paying symbols can be profitable, with the aid of the wild.
Celebrate the Little Victories
Cherishing those little wins – both in slots and in life – is a skill that we could all improve upon.
In a classic slot like Big Bass Splash, there are around ten main game symbols: five are lower paying, others are medium and high paying.
So the probability of landing a lower paying win is much greater than the other possibilities. This is something we should enjoy, while remembering that these small but frequent payouts play a key role in the upkeep of our bankroll.
