From Fixed Lines to 247 Ways: How Microgaming’s All-Ways Payouts Grew Step by Step
A lot of players cannot tell "paylines" and "ways" apart and just feel the latter sounds fancier. It is really a clear evolution in Microgaming’s payout structure: from a few lines drawn in, to the looser "if adjacent reels connect, it counts", to the 247 Ways of the ice-hockey-themed Break Away series. Walk the line once and you know what to watch for on any Microgaming slot.
Generation one: wins pinned to a line
The earliest slot payouts ran on paylines: the provider drew a set of paths on the grid in advance (straight, diagonal, zigzag), and only when the same symbols appeared along one of those paths from the leftmost reel did it count as a win. Symbols landing elsewhere, off the line, did not count.
The upside of this rule is that it is intuitive — you can see at a glance which line you hit. The downside is that players fixate on the "just one symbol short of the line" picture, and that near-miss is exactly the in-the-moment sensation being exploited; it has nothing to do with the result.
Generation two: 243 Ways loosens "line" into "path"
On many of its classic machines Microgaming switched to 243 Ways. The rule in one sentence: it no longer matters which row a symbol lands in — as long as the same symbols appear on consecutive reels from the leftmost reel, it counts as a win.
A standard 5 reels with 3 symbols each, multiplied out: 3×3×3×3×3 = 243. That is where the number "243 Ways" comes from — it is the total number of all-ways paths on that board.
The result is that hits land more often: you form combinations more easily, but each one tends to be smaller. It shifts the experience from "waiting for that line" to "do the adjacent reels connect".
Generation three: what an odd number like 247 Ways is
On ice-hockey-themed titles like Break Away you see a less round number: 247 Ways. Do not let it throw you — it is the same kind of thing as 243, just with a different board shape (some reels have a different symbol count or layout), so multiplying the usable symbols per reel happens to land on 247.
So when you see 288 Ways, 1,024 Ways or 3,125 Ways, the read is the same: they are all all-ways payouts, and the size of the number reflects how many paths the board can produce — not "how much easier it is to win". The Break Away series on this site (such as Break Away Max and Break Away Gold) sits on this line.
| Payout method | What to watch | Typical feel |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed paylines | Whether symbols land on the line | Intuitive; easy to fixate on "so close" |
| 243 / 247 Ways | Whether adjacent reels connect | Lands often, small per hit |
| Megaways (dynamic) | Multiplied ways under random rows | Steeper swings; big wins via the feature |
FAQ
Which is better, ways payouts or paylines?
Neither is outright better; they just feel different. Ways lands more often with smaller hits; fixed lines are more intuitive. Neither changes the long-run expectation, and the house edge is always present.
Is 247 Ways easier to hit than 243 Ways?
Not necessarily. The number only reflects how many paths the board can produce, which is not the same as the hit probability or return. More paths usually means smaller per-hit wins, not more profit.
