Every pokie in Australia is built around a paytable, yet most players skim straight past it and head for the spin button. That single habit costs money. The paytable tells you exactly what each symbol pays, which combinations trigger features, and how volatile the game is likely to be before you commit a single dollar. Learning to read one properly takes about two minutes and can shape every decision you make afterwards. Check out additional details at https://robycasinoaus.net/bonuses/.
This guide breaks down how paytables are structured, what the numbers actually mean, and how to compare machines with confidence. All figures below use AUD, and the examples reflect games commonly found through reputable Australian-facing platforms.
What a Paytable Actually Tells You
A paytable is the rulebook of the game. It lists every symbol, the payout for landing three, four or five of a kind, and any special functions such as wilds, scatters or expanding reels. On most modern five-reel pokies, the paytable is accessed through an info or “i” button, and it usually runs across several screens.
The most important row is the top one , the highest-paying symbol. In a typical five-reel game, landing five of the premium symbol pays between 500x and 1,000x your line bet, while low-value card symbols (10, J, Q, K, A) might pay just 5x to 15x for the same result. That gap matters enormously when you assess how often a game will deliver meaningful wins.
Paytables also distinguish between line pays and scatter pays. Line pays require symbols on adjacent reels from left to right along an active payline. Scatters usually pay anywhere on the reels and often trigger free spins , frequently needing three or more to activate. Always check whether scatter wins are multiplied by your total bet or your line bet, because the difference can be substantial.
One more detail worth checking: whether payouts are listed as multiples of the line bet or the total bet. A “500 coins” figure means very little until you know which base it references. Reputable operators state this clearly in the game rules.
Volatility, RTP and the Numbers Behind the Symbols
Paytable payouts hint at volatility. A game where the top symbol pays 1,000x but the low symbols pay almost nothing is typically high volatility , long dry spells punctuated by large wins. A flatter payout curve, where mid-tier symbols pay reasonably well, usually signals medium or low volatility and more frequent, smaller returns.
Return to player (RTP) is often shown alongside the paytable or in the game’s help files. Australian players should look for RTP figures of 96% or above, which is the recognised industry benchmark. Anything below 95% deserves scrutiny, and a difference of two percentage points compounds significantly across thousands of spins.
Here is a simplified example of how a paytable might be structured on a five-reel game with 20 paylines:
| Symbol Type | Three of a Kind | Four of a Kind | Five of a Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium (e.g. dragon) | 25x line bet | 150x line bet | 1,000x line bet |
| Mid-tier (e.g. lantern) | 10x line bet | 50x line bet | 250x line bet |
| Low-tier (e.g. Ace) | 2x line bet | 10x line bet | 50x line bet |
| Scatter | 2x total bet | 10x total bet | 50x total bet |
Wild symbols deserve their own line in any paytable you study. Most wilds substitute for all standard symbols and sometimes carry their own payout , often the highest in the game. Check whether wilds are sticky, expanding or multiplier-bearing, since these features can transform the value of a single spin.
Bonus buy options, where available, are priced according to the expected value of the feature. A feature costing 100x your bet should, in theory, return close to that amount over time. If the paytable shows a bonus buy at 80x but the free spins feature looks weak, the maths rarely works in your favour.
Practical Habits for Reading Paytables Quickly
Start with the top payout and work downwards. Identify the premium symbol, the wild and the scatter, then note the minimum number of symbols needed for each. This takes under a minute once you are familiar with the layout.
Next, confirm the bet structure. How many paylines are active, and are all of them always active? Some games use 243 or 1,024 “ways to win” rather than fixed lines, which changes how payouts are calculated entirely. In ways-to-win games, matching symbols on consecutive reels from the left pay regardless of position.
Finally, cross-reference the paytable with the game’s RTP and volatility rating before you play for real money. A game with a 96.5% RTP and medium volatility suits most bankrolls, while a 94% high-volatility title demands a much larger starting balance to ride out the swings. Taking two minutes to read the small print is the cheapest edge available to any Australian player.