Paytable meaning

What is a paytable? The short definition

A paytable is the price list of a casino game. For a slot it shows each symbol, how many matching symbols you need, and what that combination returns. For video poker it lists every qualifying hand from a low pair up to a royal flush. Table games such as blackjack and roulette have the same thing, normally called the payouts or rules page, which shows that a straight-up number pays 35 to 1 or that a blackjack pays 3 to 2.

The word sits in our UK casino glossary because it underpins so many other terms. Wilds, scatters, multipliers and bonus rounds all make sense only once you know what a base win is worth. If you want a full, screen-by-screen walkthrough, our guide on how to read a slot paytable covers every panel in detail; this page keeps to the definition and the numbers.

Where the paytable sits in an online game

Every game supplied to British players carries its own information pages. Look for a small i, a question mark or a three-line menu icon, usually near the spin or deal button. Tapping it opens several screens: the symbol values, the paylines or ways to win, feature rules, and a general rules page that normally states the theoretical RTP and a version number.

On a mobile the same pages are reached through the menu rather than a separate button. Live dealer tables put payouts in a help panel beside the betting grid. Where the casino lobby offers a game information tile, treat it as a summary only; the in-game rules are the version that governs your bets.

Paytable values: multipliers, coins and pounds

Developers show prizes in one of three ways, and knowing which one you are looking at prevents most misreadings. The table below converts each style at a total stake of 50p.

All four rows describe the same prize. The trap is the line-bet format: a figure of 200 looks large until you realise it is multiplied by a 5p line stake, not by the 50p total. Our explainers on coin size and bet level show how those settings feed into the numbers.

Paytable meaning in practice: a worked example

Picture a five-reel slot with ten fixed lines and a £1 total stake. The paytable lists three, four and five matching symbols. For the top symbol it shows 5x, 25x and 100x the total bet; for a low card symbol it shows 0.2x, 0.5x and 1x.

• Five top symbols on one line: 100 × £1 = £100.
• Three low symbols on one line: 0.2 × £1 = 20p, which is less than the £1 you staked, so your net position on that spin is minus 80p.
• Five low symbols: 1 × £1 = £1, which simply returns the stake.
• Two lines winning at once: most paytables add line wins together, so 20p plus 20p returns 40p.

The last two lines show why the paytable matters for budgeting. Many hits return less than the stake, and UK rules stop the game from celebrating those as if they were real wins. Reading the low-symbol values tells you how much of the action is small change.

Paytables in video poker and table games

In video poker the paytable decides most of the return. The classic full-pay Jacks or Better table pays 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush per unit staked, which is why it is called 9/6. Versions paying 8 and 5 look almost identical but return noticeably less over time, so the two numbers are the first thing to check.

For table games, the paytable is mostly fixed by the rules: even-money bets pay 1 to 1, a natural in blackjack usually pays 3 to 2, and roulette inside bets are listed on our roulette odds page. The figures that move between versions are side bets and bonus multipliers, so read those lines rather than assuming they match a game you played elsewhere.

What a paytable will not tell you

A paytable lists prizes, not probabilities. It rarely states the hit frequency and only sometimes gives a volatility rating. The RTP shown is a theoretical average across millions of rounds; over a single evening your result can sit far above or below it, and the house edge means losses are the likely outcome over time.

Nothing in the paytable reveals whether a big symbol is due. Each round is decided by the random number generator, so a long gap since the last top win changes nothing. Pages promising to read patterns in a paytable are describing the gambler’s fallacy.

UK rules around the paytable and game screen

Since 31 October 2021, slots offered in Great Britain have had to show your net position and elapsed time, cannot run on autoplay, must take at least 2.5 seconds per spin and must not celebrate a return equal to or smaller than the stake. The Gambling Commission extended similar design rules to other online casino games from 17 January 2025. The details sit in the remote gambling and software technical standards (opens in a new tab) and the Commission’s summary of the 2021 game design changes (opens in a new tab).

Stake caps also change the pound values you see. Players aged 25 and over can stake up to £5 a spin on online slots, and those aged 18 to 24 up to £2, so a 100x line in the paytable is worth at most £500 or £200 respectively. Slots in UK lobbies also come without a feature-buy option, so you will not see a buy price listed. The £5 slot stake limit page has the dates.

Paytable terms that often appear together

• Scatter: usually pays anywhere on the reels and is often listed on its own paytable screen.
• Wild: substitutes for other symbols; the paytable says which ones it cannot replace.
• Multiplier: increases a win by a stated factor, normally explained on a feature page.
• Max win: the cap on a single round, shown in the general rules.

Reading the paytable before using a slot offer

The two offers below both centre on slots, so the eligible game’s paytable is worth opening first. Coral Casino gives new players 100 free spins after a deposit and £10 staked on slots: spins are worth 10p each on selected games, must be accepted within 48 hours, last 7 days and carry no wagering (18+, runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027, some deposit methods excluded). PlayOJO gives new UK customers outside Northern Ireland 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza with a first deposit of at least £10, each worth 10p, with winnings paid as cash and no wagering (18+, terms apply).

Ten-pence spins mean a 10x paytable line is worth £1, so the paytable gives you a realistic picture of what these spins can return. Treat any play as paid entertainment, and use the deposit limit tools every UK casino must offer.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Set a deposit limit before you play: how to set deposit limits. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.