Buy A Pay

A slot machine where the number of coins bet corresponds to which symbols are activated for the machine's pay off schedule.

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The buy-a-pay slot machine ties the number of coins used to certain reel symbols. So a 1 coin bet might activate cherries to pay out, while a 2-coin bet activates 7s for payouts. Typically in the buy-a-pay machine, there is a wild symbol or jackpot symbol. To activate this symbol, the player must make the max bet.

This causes some confusion with slots players. Because the maximum coins trigger the jackpot symbol payouts, if a player does not select the maximum betting option, that player will not win the jackpot if the right reel symbols match up. It will be as if the jackpot never happened.

Never play a Buy-A-Pay slot machine without making the max bet. If you don't pay the maximum coin amount, you have no chance to win the jackpot and the payout percentage drops into the dismal range. Imagine hitting the jackpot and finding out you didn't win the big prize. That would likely ruin your entire gambling weekend.