Gambling terms, explained straight

Slots & Gaming Machines

Slot machine symbols list

A slot machine symbols list is the documented set of symbols that can appear on each reel, often showing how many times each symbol appears per reel.

Also called
Symbol distribution, reel symbols, reel strip symbols.
Example sizes
20 stops per reel in The Wizard’s Fruit Slot2 and The 21 Bell4; 128 stops per reel in Lock and Roll1.

Key points

  • The list shows the symbol inventory and how many times each symbol appears on each reel, which determines symbol frequency and outcome probabilities.23
  • Special symbols such as wilds are often identified separately in the distribution.35

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Wild symbol slot machine — a slot game or feature where a wild symbol substitutes for others; a symbol list may include wilds, but the list itself is not the feature
Slots Slot machine The full gambling device or game; a symbol list is one component of it. Slots Slot machine volatility list A ranking of slot machines by volatility level. Slots Slot machine jackpot The top payout a slot machine can award. Slots Slot machine reels The spinning columns on which symbols appear. Slots Slot machine price The cost to buy or lease a slot machine. Slots Slot machine payouts The amounts paid for winning symbol combinations.

Sources

  1. Lock and Roll Slot Machine wizardofodds.com Provides the 128-stop reel distribution example for Lock and Roll.
  2. The Wizard's Fruit Slot wizardofodds.com Provides the 20-stop reel distribution example and general explanation of reel symbol lists.
  3. Lucky Larry's Lobstermania - Wizard of Odds wizardofodds.com Shows how symbol distributions include wild symbols and are used in probability analysis.
  4. The 21 Bell slot machine - Wizard of Odds wizardofodds.com Provides the 20-stop reel distribution example for The 21 Bell slot machine.
  5. Deconstructing Cleopatra wizardofodds.com Supports the inclusion of special symbols like wilds in symbol distributions.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.