How to Read a Pokies Paytable: Line Pays, Scatter Pays and Converting Credits to Dollars
A pokies paytable lists what each winning combination pays, almost always in credits, and usually for a set bet per line. To turn any figure on it into dollars, you need two more numbers from the machine: your credits per line and the denomination. This guide shows where each one sits and how they combine.
What the paytable is
The paytable is the screen, or the printed glass on older venue machines, that lists every symbol and what it pays. On a video pokie it's usually behind a button marked "Pays," "Help" or "Info." It also explains the features, like free games and any jackpot.
It's the machine's rulebook. Everything it tells you applies to every spin, whatever happened on the last one.
Line pays: the figures that need multiplying
Most symbols on a line pokie pay only when they land in a row on a line you're playing. The paytable shows these as "5 of a kind pays 500," "4 pays 100" and so on. On many machines, those figures are for 1 credit bet per line, so you multiply by your own credits per line.
Check the small print at the top or bottom of the pays screen. It'll say whether the figures are per credit per line or already scaled to your current bet. Some newer machines update the numbers as you change your bet, which saves the maths.
Scatter pays: the ones that ignore lines
A scatter symbol pays wherever it lands on the screen, not along a line. Scatters also commonly trigger free games. On many pokies, scatter pays are worked out on your total bet rather than your bet per line.
That difference is easy to miss. A scatter figure and a line figure can look identical on the paytable and be worth very different amounts, so read the label next to each.
From credits to dollars
Here's the working for a line win the paytable lists as "100" at 1 credit per line.
| Denomination | Credits per line | Win in credits | Win in dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 cent | 1 | 100 | $1.00 |
| 1 cent | 5 | 500 | $5.00 |
| 2 cent | 2 | 200 | $4.00 |
| 5 cent | 1 | 100 | $5.00 |
| 10 cent | 3 | 300 | $30.00 |
The formula is always: paytable figure × credits per line × denomination. Now compare the answer with what that spin cost you. On a 1 cent machine at 5 credits across 25 lines, a spin costs 125 credits, $1.25, so a $1.00 line win is still a loss of 25 cents on that spin, even with the win music playing.
Features on the paytable
The paytable is also where the rules for features live. The trigger, what you get, and any maximum are all listed there. Read this part before you play, not after a feature lands.
Online slots show how different these rules can get. Wolf Gold, a Pragmatic Play slot, has 25 fixed paylines and two separate bonus paths. Three scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 trigger free spins, while six or more Moon symbols trigger a Money Respin feature with its own jackpot for filling all 15 positions.
Those are two different routes with two different sets of rules, and the paytable is the only place that explains both. Wolf Gold is an online slot, which leads to the next point.
Venue versus online
| Venue pokie | Online slot | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the paytable is | "Pays" or "Help" screen, or printed glass on older machines | "Info" or "i" button in the game |
| Units | Usually credits | Usually dollars at your chosen stake |
| Legal status in Australia | Legal, regulated by each state and territory | Online casino games are prohibited from being offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 |
If you see an online slot like Wolf Gold offered to you in Australia, the site offering it isn't doing so legally. Understanding how its paytable works is fine; playing it here isn't a legal option.
What the paytable can't tell you
It lists what each result pays. It doesn't tell you how often each result turns up. No paytable, sign or pattern of recent spins tells you when a machine will pay.
Set your limits before the first spin
Decide on a dollar amount before you sit down, and convert it to credits using the denomination on that machine. Many venues can also help you set a limit or exclude yourself from their pokies; ask at the counter. Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential support around the clock on 1800 858 858, or through its website.
Responsible Gambling
Pokies in Australian venues are for adults 18 and over, and online casino games aren't legally offered by Australian licensed operators. The specific risk with paytables is that a win shown in credits looks bigger than it is, so always convert to dollars and compare it with what the spin cost. If pokies are taking more time or money than you meant, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.