Win Both Ways Slots Explained: How the Pay Both Ways Mechanic Works

Win both ways means the slot pays winning combinations in both directions along its paylines. Instead of only counting wins that start from the leftmost reel going right, the game also counts wins that start from the rightmost reel going left. The symbols still need to land on consecutive reels along a valid payline, and both directions are evaluated on every spin automatically without any extra cost to the player.

Not exactly. It doubles the number of directions the game checks for wins, which increases your hit frequency, meaning you land winning combinations more often. However, game developers balance this by adjusting symbol payouts or other parts of the math model. You will win more often, but individual wins may be smaller compared to a similar slot without the feature. The overall RTP stays at whatever the developer has set it to.

No, they are different mechanics. Win both ways uses traditional fixed paylines but reads them from both left-to-right and right-to-left. Ways to win (such as 243 ways or 1,024 ways) removes paylines entirely and pays for any matching symbols on adjacent reels regardless of row position. Ways to win typically produces more frequent but smaller wins, while win both ways keeps the payline structure and allows for larger individual line hits.

Megaways is a variable reel system where the number of symbols on each reel changes with every spin, creating up to 117,649 or more ways to win. It is a high-variance mechanic with massive swings between spins. Win both ways is a much simpler feature that keeps the reel layout fixed and simply evaluates existing paylines from both directions. Some slots combine both mechanics, but on their own they offer very different experiences. Megaways is for players who want extreme variance, while win both ways suits players who prefer a more controlled, predictable session.

No, but many of them do because the two features complement each other extremely well. An expanding wild on the middle reel acts as a bridge that can complete wins from both the left and right sides of the grid simultaneously. This makes expanding wilds far more valuable in a win both ways slot than in a standard slot. However, win both ways also appears in slots with cascading reels, sticky wilds, multipliers, and even slots with no special features at all that rely purely on base game payouts.

It depends on what you value. Win both ways slots tend to offer more consistent sessions with fewer frustrating near misses, which makes them ideal for players who prioritize steady entertainment and longer play time. However, they are not inherently more profitable since the RTP is set independently by the developer. A regular slot with a higher RTP will still return more to players over time than a win both ways slot with a lower RTP. The mechanic improves the feel of the session rather than the mathematical edge.