How to play
- Set your entry. One entry buys one round across every marked path on the board.
- Press shuffle. Each column settles independently on its own set of icons.
- The board then reads every marked path from the left edge inward. A path that opens with the same icon in consecutive columns scores at the published multiple for that run length.
- Several paths can score in the same round, and the round total is the sum of them.
The rules
Every column shuffles on its own. When the columns settle, the board checks each marked path from the left edge inward. A path that starts with the same icon in consecutive columns scores, and the score grows sharply with the length of the run. Longer boards carry more marked paths, which means more chances per round but a smaller share of the total for each one.
If this is your first board
Try the three by three board first. One path, one question, one clean answer, and you can see the whole grid at a glance. Once a run of three feels ordinary, move to a five-column board and watch how many more small results arrive and how much rarer the large ones become.
Pay table
Every figure below is computed from this board's own settings, not typed in by hand.
Symbol · 7
| Run | Combination | Pays | Probability | About once in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 💠💠💠 | ×3.52 | 1.7493% | 57.2 |
| 4 | 💠💠💠💠 | ×11.31 | 0.2499% | 400 |
| 5 | 💠💠💠💠💠 | ×37.71 | 0.0416% | 2,401 |
The formula
a run of exactly k on one path = (1 ÷ S)k−1 × (1 − 1 ÷ S)
a full-width run = (1 ÷ S)4 = 0.000416
Long-run return = paths × Σ (probability × multiple) = 94.99%
The maths behind it
If a set holds S different icons and each cell is drawn evenly, a three-in-a-row on one path happens with probability 1/S² and a four with 1/S³. Multiply by the number of paths and you have the expected count of scoring paths per round. Multiply each by its multiplier and sum, and you have the expected return, which on every board here is deliberately set below the entry. The board with the most paths is not the most generous, it is the one whose results are the least jumpy.
Where it comes from
Column-matching machines began as mechanical curiosities: a handful of drums, each carrying the same set of pictures, stopped one after another so a viewer could read a row across. The mechanical version limited how many pictures fitted on a drum, which limited what the machine could do. Once the drums became software the physical limit disappeared, and designers were free to invent grids, marked paths and cascade rules that no gear train could have produced.
If this is your first board
Try the three by three board first. One path, one question, one clean answer, and you can see the whole grid at a glance. Once a run of three feels ordinary, move to a five-column board and watch how many more small results arrive and how much rarer the large ones become.
18+
18+ only. Stratosphynx offers free simulations of online casino games for entertainment and learning. There is no real money anywhere on this site, nothing of value ever changes hands, there are no prizes and there is no way to cash anything out. Virtual points have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged. Please play in moderation.