What Are Cluster Pays Slots & How Do They Work? Best Cluster Pays Slots Online
Cluster pays slot games are popular at online casinos as they offer payouts when groups of matching symbols land on the game matrix. They’re also rich in bonuses and offer inventive features like cascading reels, wild symbols, scatter symbols, mystery symbols, and free spins to deliver big payouts.
Let’s look at what you can expect from cluster pays slots as we introduce you to the best cluster pays games to play right now at Stake Casino.
What Are Cluster Pays Slots?
Cluster pays games are online slot machines that deliver payouts when winning groups of symbols land on the game matrix, as opposed to when matching symbols land on conventional paylines.
NetEnt was the first studio to develop a cluster pays slot with their 2016 release of Aloha! Cluster Pays, and there are now countless cluster pays titles available from most of the leading iGaming studios out there.
How Do Cluster Pays Slots Work?
To win in a payout while playing cluster slots, you need a minimum number of symbols (usually five) to land in a cluster next to each other on the game grid.
These types of slots don’t have conventional paylines, meaning you don’t need to rely on symbols landing in a pre-determined pattern from reel one. As long as the adjacent symbols are next to each other on the grid, you will earn a payout when the minimum number of symbols lands.
Alongside this inventive mechanism, cluster pays slots typically play out on larger game grids to allow relatively sized clusters to form. It’s also common to see other features in cluster pays slots, like cascading reels that remove winning symbols from the grid to be replaced by new ones from above.
Cluster winning slots may also offer a sticky win re-spin feature, which is triggered when a winning cluster increases, the size will "stick" and the remaining winning symbols will re-spin.
It’s a good idea to check the paytable before placing your bets so you know how many symbols need to land in a cluster for you to earn a payout. What’s more, you should also find out the most valuable symbols in the game.
Types of Cluster Pays
Since NetEnt pioneered this mechanic back in 2016, there are now numerous types of cluster pays slots:
Megaclusters: Megacluster slots were invented by Big Time Gaming, the studio that brought us Megaways games. The key feature of these games is a chain reaction, which plays out on a shape-shifting grid to offer many different ways to win.
Cascading, Tumble or Avalanche: Another popular feature in cluster pays slots is cascading reels (or tumbling/rolling reels, or avalanche feature). This slot mechanism refers to when winning clusters land on the grid, they are removed and replaced by new ones from above. This continues until no new winning combinations are formed.
Random Wilds: Some cluster pays slots serve up random wilds that can be added to the game grid anytime. This is significant, as the appearance of random wilds can help you form winning clusters when you are a symbol short.
Differences Between Cluster Pays & Other Slot Mechanisms
Cluster pays slots deliver payouts when groups of identical symbols land with at least one of the four corners touching on any reel, paylines, or position. Here’s how they differ from other types of pay mechanisms commonly found in slots:
Single paylines: These are the simplest slot games and have just one payline on which winning combinations can land.
Fixed paylines: Some games have a fixed number of paylines (perhaps ten or 20) and offer set patterns on which wins can land throughout the game.
Variable paylines: In some games, you will find a variable number of paylines, which can increase and decrease as you spin the reels.
Megaways: Pioneered by Big Time Gaming, the Megaways mechanic typically offers 100,000+ ways to win.
Number of reels: Cluster pays games are typically played on much bigger grids than standard slots, as they need to accommodate sizeable cluster wins.
Learn more about how traditional paylines work, and how they differ from cluster pay slot mechanisms with our slot paylines guide.
Best Cluster Pays Slots Online
You will find cluster pays slots from most of the leading slot developers. One of our favourite cluster pays games is Pragmatic Play’s superb candy-themed slot game Sugar Rush, a 7-reel slot that boasts a tumble feature and a generous free spins bonus game.
Play n’ GO’sReactoonz is another brilliant cluster pays online slot game, and you can also check out Reactoonz 2 for more of the same from these cheeky space aliens as they deliver big payouts and jackpot prizes!
Hacksaw Gaming also delivers some cluster pays fun in their awesome game, King Carrot, while Le Bandit is another popular cluster pays game from Hacksaw that sees a charismatic racoon get up to all sorts of mischief.
Browse through our best games and newest slots to enjoy cluster pays games from the best iGaming studios in the business.
How to Win at Cluster Pays Slots – Tips & Strategies
Here are some tips to bear in mind as you spin the reels on cluster pays slots at Stake.com:
As with any type of slot game, always check the game’s volatility to see how it pays out. Low-volatility games tend to pay out smaller amounts more frequently, while high-volatility slots usually pay out bigger amounts less frequently. Some cluster slot games may also offer the ability to adjust the volatility level.
Use our online casino guide to help you develop a cohesive slot strategy while playing at Stake.com.
Read our guide on how to play slots to give yourself the best chance of winning. You can also read through our other helpful how-to guides for further casino tips and tricks.
If you’re looking for games that offer the biggest payouts, check out our selection of cluster pays games that have in-game jackpots. Learn more about how these exciting features work and how lucky players can win big with our progressive jackpot slots guide.
You can also play cluster pays games with bonus buy options to access the bonus features for a fee, without triggering them on a random base game spin.
Odds, House Edge & Return to Player (RTP)
It’s important to consider the return to player (RTP) percentage of each cluster pays slot before playing. The industry average for slots is 96%, so it makes sense to look for games that boast a 96% RTP or higher. You can discover more about house edge and RTP before choosing which slot games to play.
Responsible Gambling
Please always remember to bet within your means and gamble responsibly. You can find out how to stay in control with our Stake Smart guidelines. Online gambling should be fun, so please be careful not to chase your losses and always bet within your means.
How to Deposit & Withdraw Funds to Play Cluster Pays Slots
Easily deposit funds into your account to play cluster pays slots and other casino games by following these simple steps:
Step 1 – Retrieve your deposit address, located in Wallet > Deposit.
Step 2 – Choose the method that suits your needs. Stake.com supports multiple currencies, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Dogecoin (Doge), Litecoin (LTC), and others.
Step 3 – Use your deposit address as the ‘send to’ location for your crypto wallet or exchange.
Step 4 (Optional) – If you wish to make a deposit via fiat currency, you can do so, or buy crypto for Stake via Moonpay.
Moonpay supports multiple payment options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others, to buy cryptocurrency to enjoy cluster pays slots. For a full list of supported payment options, please refer to the Moonpay documentation.
Learn how to use the Stake Vault to securely store cryptocurrency or fiat currency online to fund future gameplay at the Stake Casino.
