READ THE WINNING PATTERN
Same symbols. Different winning rules.
Five matching symbols can describe a line, a connected group or five isolated positions. Before reading a payout, establish which positions the game counts together. Paylines, ways, clusters and anywhere wins answer that question differently.
This guide helps you identify the pattern. Use the paytable guide for stake units and payout calculations. You can inspect help without starting a spin; CGA demos use virtual credits with no cash value.
Start with the position rule
| Pattern | Which positions count? | What to check | Checked example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paylines | A listed path through reel positions. | Active lines, starting reel, direction and required matching run. | The original The Dog House: 20 lines. |
| Ways | Qualifying positions across consecutive reels under the stated rule. | Starting reel, minimum reel run and matching positions on each reel. | Original Temple Tumble Megaways: adjacent reels from the left. |
| Clusters | A connected group under the game’s adjacency rule. | Minimum group size, side or diagonal contact, and wild substitution. | Original Jammin’ Jars: five or more connected matching symbols. |
| Anywhere wins | A count of matching symbols across the permitted grid. | Minimum count, symbol type and any separate scatter rules. | Original Sweet Bonanza: eight or more matching ordinary symbols. |
Paylines: follow a listed path
A line diagram identifies positions across the reels. The path can bend; a payline need not be a straight horizontal row. Find the active diagram, the evaluation direction and the minimum symbol run before counting a combination. Matching symbols elsewhere on the screen do not join that line simply because they look alike.
Pragmatic Play identifies the original The Dog House as a five-reel, three-row game with 20 lines. That count describes its line layout, not 20 guaranteed wins or a return percentage. Check the exact help for how wilds substitute and which symbol combinations qualify. The payline collection compares other checked titles without treating their features as interchangeable.
Ways: follow consecutive reels, not a drawn line
In a ways system, qualifying matching positions on successive reels can combine without following a fixed line diagram. “Any position” on a reel does not necessarily mean any reel on the screen: the required starting point and an unbroken reel run still matter.
The inspected original Temple Tumble Megaways rules require matching symbols on at least three adjacent reels starting from the left. A match on reels one, two and four cannot substitute for that three-reel run when reel three has no qualifying match. Its stated 46,656 ways describes possible combinations, not a count of paying lines or a prediction of a result.
Several matching positions on one reel can contribute to several combinations under the stated rules. See the worked ways-counting example for that arithmetic. Do not divide the total stake by a displayed ways count unless the game explicitly defines that as the payout basis.
Clusters: trace the connected group
For a cluster, begin with one matching symbol and trace the permitted connections. Count the group you can reach, rather than every matching symbol on the board. Read whether contact must be horizontal or vertical, whether diagonal contact qualifies, and how a wild can connect or replace symbols.
In the checked original Jammin’ Jars, five or more matching symbols must connect horizontally or vertically. Two separate small groups do not become one cluster just because their combined total reaches five. A diagonal corner touch alone does not create a side connection. Its jar wilds and their multipliers need their own rules; the fruit count alone does not explain the whole result.
Anywhere wins: count one ordinary symbol type
An anywhere-counting system can total matching symbols without requiring them to touch or follow a line. The original Sweet Bonanza pays for eight or more matching ordinary symbols across its grid. Eight mixed symbols are not eight matches, and a group of five does not meet that edition’s ordinary-symbol threshold.
Keep a labelled scatter or bonus symbol separate. “Scatter pays” can describe a counting system, while a scatter symbol has its own trigger or payout rule. Do not apply an ordinary-symbol threshold to a bonus symbol, or borrow a threshold from a sequel. The anywhere-pay collection compares checked editions.
Try the same grid under two fictional rules
This is a fictional four-by-four board, not a game screenshot or a real paytable. A marks five matching symbols. Dots mark other positions and do not substitute.
- Fictional rule: at least five A symbols anywhere. This board meets the count, because all five A symbols qualify together.
- Fictional rule: at least five A symbols connected by sides. This board fails that condition. Each A is isolated under this rule, even where corners touch.
Those conclusions establish only whether the fictional position condition is met. They do not assign a payout. A real game still needs its own symbol threshold, permitted substitutions and paytable. For a line or ways system, you would need its path or reel-run rules before judging this board.
Tumbling is another step, not a fifth pattern
A game can evaluate a win, remove symbols and fill the spaces with replacements. That tumble or cascade describes what happens after evaluation. Both Sweet Bonanza’s anywhere wins and Jammin’ Jars’ clusters can cascade, so falling symbols do not identify the winning pattern.
Check whether replacement wins remain within the same paid round, which symbols or positions persist and when multipliers reset. Read the tumbling comparison and the special-symbol guide before treating every drop or displayed value as a new award.
Check the exact edition before opening play
Find the complete title and developer, then read its help for the ordinary win rule and separate feature conditions. Use the edition checklist when names look alike. More lines, more ways or a larger grid alone does not establish better returns; see RTP and volatility.
Browse the game library or compare reviewed slots once you know the rule you want to inspect. A listing does not guarantee playback or country availability. If help is unreadable, use the mobile guide and stop before starting a round. Set your boundaries first.
Sources and example scope
Official pages consulted on 18 October 2026: Pragmatic Play’s The Dog House and Sweet Bonanza, Push Gaming’s Jammin’ Jars and Relax Gaming’s Temple Tumble. The adjacency and reel-run examples also use their game help inspected on 16 October 2026. The diagram and its two rules are original fictional illustrations. Always check the help in the exact edition you open.