Reel Wordsa dictionary of screen words

Section 3 of 4

Words from M to R

11 headwords, from multiplier to return to player. Each gives a short meaning, an example where one helps, and the words it is often confused with.

M

multiplier noun

A number that an award is multiplied by, applied by a symbol or during a feature. Read whether it applies to one combination or to the whole spin's win.

Not the same as
bet multiplier

mystery symbol noun

A symbol that is replaced, after the reels stop, by one revealed symbol; every mystery symbol on the screen usually turns into the same one.

See also
symbol

N

near miss noun

A result in which matching symbols appear just above or below a line, or one short of a trigger. The word describes how a result looks; what is paid depends only on the symbols that the rules count.

P

payline noun

also win line

A fixed path across the reels, one position per reel, along which matching symbols must sit to pay. The rules screen draws each line.

Not the same as
ways to win, cluster pays

paytable noun

The screen or page that lists each paying combination and what it pays, together with the rules for wilds, scatters and features.

See also
award, symbol

progressive jackpot noun

A jackpot that grows as people play, by a part of each bet stated in the rules, until it is won and resets to a starting amount. It can belong to one machine or be shared by a linked group.

R

reel noun

One vertical column of symbols. A reel shows a few positions at a time out of a longer sequence, its reel strip.

reel strip noun

The full ordered list of symbols on one reel. The window shows only a few positions of it, and how many times each symbol appears on the strip affects how often it lands.

A vertical strip of twelve numbered positions holding squares, circles, triangles, a diamond and four blanks. A frame over positions six to eight marks the three positions visible in the window.123456789101112window
An invented strip of 12 positions. The window shows only 3 of them (positions 6–8 here); the dashes are blanks, which are positions too.
See also
reel, blank, near miss

respin noun

A further spin of some reels or positions, given by a rule or feature, without a new full spin.

retrigger noun and verb

Meeting a feature's trigger again while the feature is running, which can add more free games where the rules allow it.

return to player noun

RTP; also player return

The share of all money bet that a game is designed to pay back over a very large number of plays, given as a percentage. It describes the long run, not a session.

Example With an invented 90% return, about $90 of every $100 bet is paid back on average over a very large number of plays; one session can end far above or far below that.

Not the same as
hit frequency, volatility