Play slots long enough, and you’ll often come across games that have traditional symbols like bars and 7s. On many games, there can be multiple types of bars and multiple types of 7s.
Frequently, but not always, landing different types of bars or 7s on a single payline still pays a player something, albeit not as much as if they were three of the same type of symbol. This is known as mixed pay symbols.
Often mixed pay symbols are found in scenarios where there are distinct pay lines – where you have to get the symbols on a specific sequence of spaces on the reels to get paid.
The benefits for players are primarily more frequent line hits, and generally a less volatile slot. There are games with bar and 7 symbols that don’t pay the symbols mixed, like Everi’s Wicked Wheel series, probably because it is not a pay lines slot, but instead an all ways pays game.
One of our favorite games with mixed bar payouts is the Quick Spin series by Ainsworth, the original round of which was among the lower volatility slots we’ve recommended here in the past on Flip The Switch.
Similarly, the Quick Hit series by Light & Wonder tends to feature both mixed bars and mixed 7s, helping those hit frequencies be higher and allow for more pays in the base game. This series, too, is on our recommended low volatility list.
A lot of three-reel slots tend to have this format – many of Everi’s slots factor in the bars and 7s as mixed pay, and also features dedicated wild symbols to help things out even more. Their success with this format has led to many similarly structured games by other providers in recent years, making that particular game type one to look at if you’re looking for an easier ride.
While a slot won’t advertise on it that it’s a low volatility slot, mixed pays tends to be a pretty good indicator. The pay table will confirm if multiple symbols pay mixed with each other.
