Counting ways on a diamond

Ways instead of lines

Most reel games draw fixed lines across the reels. Fanfare does not. A picture pays when it shows on reel 1, reel 2 and reel 3 at least, in any row of each reel. Every combination of rows counts as its own way. With reels 3, 4, 5, 4 and 3 pictures tall there are 3 × 4 × 5 × 4 × 3 = 720 possible ways.

One spin, worked through

Say a peacock eye shows once on reel 1, twice on reel 2 and once on reel 3, and not on reel 4. That is a run across three reels, and the number of ways is 1 × 2 × 1 = 2. The peacock eye pays 8 steps for three reels, so two ways bring 16 steps. At a stake of 40 sheen one step is 2, so that spin brings 32 sheen back for the peacock eye.

A golden quill on reel 2, 3 or 4 counts as any picture. If the quill lands on reel 3, the middle reel, the whole reel opens and every one of its five cells counts. That multiplies the ways for every picture that reached reel 3.

The open fan

Three eyespots or more start the open-fan spins. The diamond grows to 4, 5, 6, 5 and 4 pictures tall: 2,400 ways. More rows mean more chances for a picture to repeat on a reel, which is why the open fan holds most of the biggest results.

Why so many small wins

With so many ways, some picture pays on most spins, but often for less than the stake. The result line always shows what you staked, what came back and the difference, so a small return is never dressed up as a win.