Eight symbols, two outcomes: a visual guide to a slot win

What the diagram includes

The letter A represents one regular symbol type. All eight As match. Grey cells contain other symbols whose combinations we are not examining. Wilds, scatters and multipliers are excluded from this example.

These are illustrative 5 × 5 sections, not screenshots or the games' complete grids. There are no additional As outside each section. This lets us examine the rule for an ordinary combination without introducing bonus conditions.

The first layout: eight symbols, but only three connected

Count all the As in the upper diagram: there are eight. Now connect them by moving only between cells that share an edge. You get five separate groups: 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1.

In Sweet Bonanza, a regular symbol pays when at least eight of that symbol appear anywhere on the grid. The illustrated symbol A meets that requirement. The gaps do not stop the symbols from being counted together. This approach is commonly called Pay Anywhere.

Sugar Rush requires a group of at least five matching symbols connected horizontally or vertically. The largest group in this layout contains three. The pair on the right cannot join it across a grey cell, so there is no winning cluster of As.

The total of eight hides the deciding detail: none of the connected groups has reached the payout threshold.

Move one A and a group of six appears

In the lower diagram, one A has moved from the bottom-right corner to the third cell of the second row. Its new position is orange. You cannot move symbols manually in the actual games; here, changing the drawing reveals how the rule works.

The new cell connects the three-symbol group on the left to the two-symbol group on the right. Including the moved A, the connected total is 3 + 1 + 2 = 6. Two more As remain separate. The groups now contain 6 + 1 + 1 symbols.

Sugar Rush's regular win condition is now met: there is a six-symbol cluster. There were eight matching symbols before the move, too, but now six of them connect.

In Sweet Bonanza, changing their positions does not change the count: there are still eight As. The regular combination requirement was met in both layouts. We are comparing whether A forms a combination; the diagrams do not establish the total payout from a spin.

Why a diagonal does not connect the group

In Sugar Rush, neighbouring symbols must share a cell edge. In the upper layout, the A in row three, column four does not connect to the A in row five, column three: there is no chain of matching symbols between them. Even a direct corner-to-corner touch would not establish a connection.

A cluster does not need to be straight, though. In the lower layout, the group bends: one A sits above the second row and another below it. All six remain connected through shared edges. Check whether the connection is continuous, rather than whether the symbols make a tidy line.

A tumble changes what gets checked next

When a winning group disappears and new symbols arrive from above, the game checks the new grid. As removed after an earlier win no longer count. As that remain on the screen can join incoming symbols in a later combination.

This is why the final frame of a spin may not explain its full payout. It shows the grid after changes, while earlier paid combinations may already have disappeared. To examine an unclear result, keep the full tumble sequence and check each stage separately.

In a demo, start with the question: which symbols formed this win? For Sweet Bonanza, count one symbol type across the whole grid. For Sugar Rush, identify the connected groups and count each separately. These are two different ways to read the screen, even when the total number of matching symbols is the same.