If you've ever spotted the words Reel Power on the side of a pokie and wondered where the paylines went, this one's for you. Aristocrat Reel Power swaps fixed lines for "ways": you pay for reels, and any matching symbols on neighbouring reels from the left can win, whatever row they sit in.
It sounds technical, but once you see the maths it's simple. Below we cover how 243 ways is worked out, what buying reels means, how Xtra Reel Power stretches it to 1,024 ways, and a worked example table so you can count a win yourself.
What is Aristocrat Reel Power?
On a traditional line pokie, a win only counts if the symbols line up along one of the drawn paylines you've paid for. Twenty lines means twenty specific paths across the screen.
Reel Power throws out the paths. On a 5-reel game showing 3 symbols per reel, any symbol on reel 1 can join with any matching symbol on reel 2, then reel 3, and so on. Because every position on one reel connects to every position on the next, the number of possible combinations is 3 × 3 × 3 × 3 × 3, which comes to 243. That's where "243 ways" comes from.
The format goes back further than most people think. Indian Dreaming, released in late 1998, offered a "Play 243 Ways" option, and later versions of the game carry the Reel Power logo on the cabinet.
Buying reels instead of lines
The other half of Reel Power is how you bet. Instead of choosing a number of lines, you choose a number of reels, and your multiplier is a bet per reel rather than per line.
- Line wins (or more accurately, ways wins) are multiplied by your bet per reel.
- Scatter wins are multiplied by your total bet.
- Buying fewer reels switches off some symbol positions, so fewer ways are live and the spin costs less. The exact positions that switch off vary by game and are shown on the help screen.
Buying all five reels gives you every way on the game. That's how most people play Reel Power pokies, and it's the setup the examples below assume. Remember that the pay table is designed around those ways, so 243 ways isn't automatically more generous than 25 lines, it just pays in a different pattern: more frequent, often smaller hits.
Xtra Reel Power: 1,024 ways
Add a fourth row and the maths grows fast. Four positions on each of five reels gives 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 = 1,024 ways. Aristocrat calls this Xtra Reel Power, and its most famous example is Buffalo, which landed in venues in 2008 and became one of the brand's biggest hits.
Aristocrat also used a 5-row version, sometimes called Super Reel Power, for 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 × 5 = 3,125 ways. You'll see it less often on Aussie floors.
| Format | Rows × reels | Ways with all reels bought | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reel Power | 3 × 5 | 243 | Indian Dreaming, 5 Dragons |
| Xtra Reel Power | 4 × 5 | 1,024 | Buffalo |
| Super Reel Power | 5 × 5 | 3,125 | Less common |
Worked example: counting a 243 ways win
The trick to counting a ways win is to multiply the number of matching symbols on each reel, from left to right, until a reel has none. Wilds count as matching where the game allows them to substitute.
Say you're on a 243 ways game, betting 1 credit per reel on all five reels, and the screen shows dragons like this:
| Reel | Dragons showing | Running ways |
|---|---|---|
| Reel 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Reel 2 | 1 | 2 × 1 = 2 |
| Reel 3 | 3 | 2 × 1 × 3 = 6 |
| Reel 4 | 0 | Chain stops |
| Reel 5 | 2 | Not counted |
That's 6 ways of 3 dragons. If the pay table says 3 dragons pays 50 credits per way at 1 credit per reel, you'd collect 6 × 50 = 300 credits. Double your bet per reel and that doubles too. The two dragons on reel 5 don't help, because reel 4 broke the chain.
On a 1,024 ways game such as Buffalo, the counting is identical; there are just more positions to fill. Two buffalo on each of the first four reels would be 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 = 16 ways of four buffalo. That stacking effect is why a screen full of one symbol on a ways game can pay so well, and why the meter often climbs in small bursts.
The pay figures above are made up to show the method. Always check the game's own pay table.
Reel Power pokies you'll know
- Indian Dreaming: the late-90s favourite with 243 ways, dreamcatcher scatters and a free games feature.
- 5 Dragons: 243 ways, an optional extra bet and a pick-your-own free games round where you trade more spins for smaller multipliers, or fewer spins for bigger ones.
- Buffalo: 1,024 ways of Xtra Reel Power, gold coin scatters and those stampeding free games that spawned a whole family, from Buffalo Gold to Buffalo Link.
Many newer Aristocrat titles use ways too, even when the cabinet no longer shows the Reel Power badge. If the help screen says "ways" rather than "lines", the counting method above applies.
Is Reel Power better than lines?
Neither format is better for your wallet. The number of ways is just how the game's maths is laid out; the return is still set by the venue within state limits, like every other pokie. What changes is the feel: ways games tend to give frequent small wins, and stacked symbols can create those big screen-fill moments.
If you want to try the counting for yourself without spending anything, many Reel Power classics turn up in the official apps listed on our free Aristocrat pokies page. And if it stops being fun, our play-safely page is there for you.