Cluster pays eliminate traditional paylines. Instead, the slot pays when a minimum cluster (typically 5 or more) of matching symbols touch each other anywhere on the grid. Symbols then disappear and new ones drop in (cascading), potentially triggering further clusters and chain wins from a single spin.
NetEnt's Aloha! Cluster Pays popularised the format. Push Gaming's Jammin' Jars and Fat Rabbit are widely played examples. Cluster mechanics tend to produce high-action sessions with frequent small wins from cascading chains, with bonus rounds typically applying multipliers to all subsequent clusters.
Example usage
- Aloha! Cluster Pays, Jammin' Jars, Reactoonz
Related terms
- Cascading wins — A mechanic where winning symbols disappear and new symbols drop in, potentially producing chain wins.
- Multiplier — A factor that multiplies a win, often building progressively during a bonus round.
- Paylines — The fixed lines across a slot's reels on which matching symbol combinations pay out.
- Ways to win — A payline structure that pays when matching symbols land on adjacent reels in any position.