Pokie paytables are the rulebook for any machine you sit down at, yet most players skim them for a few seconds and hit spin. That habit costs money. A paytable tells you the return-to-player percentage, the volatility, the wild and scatter rules, and exactly what each symbol pays at every bet level. Learning to read one properly takes about five minutes and can change how you choose machines entirely. This guide breaks down every section of a modern paytable so you can assess a game before risking a cent. Check out additional details at best skrill casino.
The Core Numbers: RTP, Volatility and Paylines
Every regulated pokie publishes a return-to-player figure, usually between 85% and 97%. That percentage describes the average return over millions of spins, not your session. A 96% RTP machine returns $96 for every $100 wagered across its lifetime, meaning the house edge sits at 4%. Small differences matter: moving from a 92% game to a 96% game cuts the house edge in half.
Volatility is the second number to check. Low-volatility pokies pay smaller amounts frequently, while high-volatility games can go 50 or more spins without a win before landing a large payout. Paytables rarely label volatility directly, but you can infer it from the symbol values. If the top symbol pays 500x your stake, expect long dry spells.
Paylines matter too. A 243-ways or cluster-pays machine works differently from a fixed 20-line game, because winning combinations form in far more positions. Check whether wins pay left to right, right to left, or both. Some games pay anywhere on the reels, which changes your hit frequency dramatically.
Symbols, Wilds and Scatters Explained
The symbol table is the heart of the paytable. It lists every icon alongside its payout at each matching count, usually three, four and five of a kind. Compare the lowest-paying symbol to the highest. On a typical 96% RTP game, the premium symbol might pay 50x your line bet for five of a kind, while the lowest card symbol pays 2x. That ratio tells you where the value sits.
Wilds substitute for standard symbols to complete winning lines, and many games attach multipliers to them. A wild with a 2x multiplier doubles any line it completes, which compounds quickly on multi-line bets. Some wilds expand to cover an entire reel, and others stay sticky for a set number of respins. The paytable will state which type applies.
Scatters are the trigger symbols, usually paying anywhere on the reels and launching free spins or bonus rounds. Three scatters might award 10 free spins, five might award 25 with a 5x multiplier attached. Read the bonus terms carefully, because some games restrict which symbols appear during free spins or apply a different RTP inside the feature.
- Wild: substitutes for other symbols, sometimes with a multiplier
- Scatter: pays anywhere and triggers features
- Bonus symbol: often launches a pick-a-prize round
- Stacked symbol: fills an entire reel for bigger combination chances
Bet Levels, Max Wins and House Edge in Practice
The bet table shows coin denominations, bet-per-line options and total bet ranges. This matters because many pokies pay line bets rather than total bets. If a symbol pays 10x and you are betting $0.50 per line across 20 lines, the win is $5, not $50. Misreading this is one of the most common errors new players make.
Check the maximum win cap. Modern pokies often advertise wins of 5,000x to 50,000x your stake, but that ceiling only applies on maximum bets in some games. The paytable will confirm whether the cap scales with your stake or stays fixed.
Finally, use the paytable to compare machines against each other. Two pokies side by side might both look identical, yet one runs at 94% RTP with medium volatility and the other at 96.5% with high volatility. Over 1,000 spins at $1 per spin, that 2.5% gap represents roughly $25 in expected difference. Pros read the table first, choose deliberately, and never guess at a game’s mechanics.
