Video slots form the bulk of online casino games. Usually these games have a maximum of five symbols in each payline, each symbol corresponding to one of the reels. From time to time the developers of slots software have experimented with introducing more than five symbols per payline. The simplest way to do this is to increase the number of reels. Vegas Technology has launched two video slots with seven reels, Farming Futures and Lucky 7s. They play exactly the way of five reel slots, except that winning combinations are defined for from three to seven symbols aligned from left to right on enabled paylines.

Some time ago Playtech released a slot game that could have up to six symbols per payline without increasing the number of reels from five. This slot game was Blade, which was from its popular Marvel Movies super hero series. The basis of this innovative concept was a “split” symbol. In Blade there is a special symbol called the Blade Split symbol. It appears only on Reel 5. When it does so, the last symbol in any winning combination will be split in two and will count as two symbols. If the A symbol appears on Reels 1, 2 and 3 in an enabled payline and the Blade Split symbol appears on Reel 5, then the A symbol in Reel 3 will be split in two and the payout will correspond to four A symbols. Payouts for each symbol are defined for up to six symbols per payline. The visual process of splitting the symbol is also very appealing. The image of the superhero Blade appears on the symbol that is to be split. Blade draws his sword and rips it vertically through the symbol. The larger square box is then formed into two smaller rectangles. This process is described as the Blade Symbol Split Feature.

The online gaming software provider WagerWorks took this concept to its logical conclusion with up to 10 symbols appearing in a payline. The slot game was the recently released Noah’s Ark. The execution was done in a different manner. Most of the symbols in this slot game are animals because the Noah’s Ark took the animals to safety. These animal symbols can depict the single animal or a pair of the animal. This selection is made randomly. But when the symbol depicts a pair of animals it counts as two symbols for the purposes of the payout and is called a split symbol. If in an enable payline Reel 1 shows a pair of Lions, Reel 2 shows a single Lion and Reel 3 shows a pair of Lions it counts for five symbols in the winning combination. The payouts for all animal symbols go up to 10 symbols for the case when all five symbols in an enabled payline contain pairs of the same animal. In Noah’s Ark the scatter Dove symbol can also appear as a split symbol. The Noah’s Ark wild symbol always counts for two symbols when substituting for animal symbols.

Blade can be played in all Playtech powered online casinos. CasinoAdvisor recommends Omni Casino, Casino Tropez and Casino Del Rio. Noah’s Ark can be played in all WagerWorks powered online casinos. CasinoAdvisor recommends Virgin Casino.