What a ways number tells you
Ways count eligible position combinations under a game's rules. A payout multiplier changes an award's value, while the chance of receiving any award depends on probabilities that neither headline number supplies. Read the connection rule and the payout table together.
Start with a small grid
Picture three reels. Place two A symbols on the first, one on the second and three on the third, leaving the remaining positions available for other symbols. Assume this invented game pays for an A connection across all three reels, with any row eligible on each reel.
That gives six matching combinations. The calculation is 2 × 1 × 3 = 6, because each eligible A on the first reel can connect with the A on the second and each of the three on the last reel.
Count positions first. You don't need to draw six zigzag lines across the display, and the symbols can sit on different rows. Our example contains six visible A symbols and six combinations by coincidence. Change the counts to two, two and three: seven A symbols now create twelve combinations.
This is an arithmetic illustration. It doesn't reproduce a JILI paytable or establish the minimum connection length for either game. Wild substitutions, eligible starting reels and special symbols can change a real game's calculation, so use its information panel to decide which positions belong in the count.
Available ways and winning ways are different counts
A grid with three eligible positions on each of three reels has 3 × 3 × 3 = 27 possible position combinations. Fill that same grid with mixed symbols. Only combinations satisfying the paytable's matching rule produce an award, even though the layout still allows twenty-seven paths.
Try changing one position. Replace the only A on the middle reel in our first example with a B. The three-reel A connection disappears: 2 × 0 × 3 = 0. All nine positions can remain on screen, but that particular symbol has no qualifying path through the middle reel.
The layout count hasn't promised a win. To read a result, identify the paying symbol, check its minimum required connection and count its eligible appearances reel by reel. A number printed above the board usually needs this second layer of information before it explains any credit.
Why the Mega Ace number is 46,656
JILI lists Mega Ace with a 6×6 layout and 46,656 ways. The arithmetic fits six positions on each of six reels: 6 × 6 × 6 × 6 × 6 × 6 = 46,656. There are 36 visible positions in that layout. They can form thousands of position combinations without displaying thousands of symbols.
JILI also describes elimination multipliers, with base-game steps from 1× to 5× and a separate free-game sequence reaching 10×. Extra Bet starts an eligible win at 2×. Those settings change how a qualifying award is handled, with the ways count shown in a separate field.
For the Joker features and controls, use the Mega Ace game guide linked below. Open the live help panel alongside it.
Golden Empire uses an expanding reel
Golden Empire's official JILI page lists 32,400 ways and describes a dynamic reel that expands through symbol elimination. Some larger symbols can survive repeated eliminations, up to four. This makes the changing board part of the explanation, alongside the connections visible at any particular stage.
JILI says its free-game multiplier accumulates with eliminations. The public description doesn't provide a complete position-by-position derivation of 32,400, so we haven't invented one from promotional artwork. Check the active layout and current rules inside the game.
Keep the edition name visible. Golden Empire 2 has a separate catalogue identity, and a walkthrough of that sequel cannot establish the original's rules. Our Golden Empire guide covers the original title and links to its source.
Translate an award into pesos separately
Suppose an invented paytable awards ₱2 for each qualifying combination of a particular symbol. Six combinations would pay ₱12. If a 2× multiplier applies to that entire award under the invented rules, multiplying twelve by two produces a credit of ₱24. These amounts illustrate the arithmetic only.
The paytable must supply the unit. A displayed value of 2 could mean two credits, twice a defined bet unit, or something else specified in the rules. Reading it as two pesos without checking the currency and denomination can give the wrong answer even when your combination count is correct.
Check the multiplier's scope too. It might apply to one stage, one symbol award or a total, depending on the title. If the game has already multiplied a displayed win, applying that factor again in your own calculation would double-count it.
Record the settled credit. A screenshot taken while numbers are still counting can show a subtotal, so compare your calculation with the final round entry in game history. If it doesn't match, save the round reference and ask support which payout unit and multiplier were applied.
Follow the round through its last stage
An elimination animation can make one charged round look like several separate spins. Use a simple paper record to keep the sequence straight: opening balance, charged amount, stage credits and settled closing balance. Give each stage its own row, but keep them under the same round reference where the history does so.
For example, start an invented round at ₱500 with a ₱10 charge. Suppose its history records awards of ₱4 and ₱6 across two stages, with no other charges or transactions. The closing balance is ₱500: 500 − 10 + 4 + 6. Two award animations have returned the original charge.
Now compare a different example. A ₱10 round that credits ₱4 finishes at ₱494 from the same opening balance. The screen may still animate an award, but the balance change is a ₱6 loss. Keep credited amounts and net results in separate columns.
Golden Empire's expanding reel and Mega Ace's elimination sequence are reasons to watch through to settlement. The diagrams here omit detailed feature triggers so you can see the broad sequence. For an exact replay, the current game's help text and history need to account for every stage, including any feature that continues the round.
The ways total cannot establish better odds
Consider two identical three-by-three displays. Each has 27 potential combinations, although their symbol distributions can differ. If an A is rare in one model and common in the other, matching A outcomes will have different probabilities despite the identical grid. Position geometry alone leaves that information out.
Award sizes matter as well. A frequency comparison needs a definition of a win: any positive credit, a credit equal to the stake, or a net profit on the round. These categories answer different questions. A ways number contains none of those definitions.
RTP describes average return over a large volume of play, as the UK Gambling Commission explains in its public guidance. It cannot tell you what a short session will return. We haven't assigned either JILI title an RTP here because the official pages checked for this article don't publish a figure in their accessible game information.
Treat a claim such as '46,656 ways gives you better odds' as incomplete until it names the comparison, defines the outcome and supplies the relevant mathematics. The two catalogue numbers alone cannot support that conclusion. For an explanation of how results can be spread across a session, see our volatility guide.
Use a five-field note beside the paytable
Keep a note beside the paytable. Record the connection count and required symbol length, then add the payout unit, applicable multiplier and round reference so you can identify an unexplained field when asking support.
Consider a screenshot showing '12 ways' beside 'Win 24'. You can record those two labels immediately, but the screenshot alone doesn't tell you whether 24 is pesos or credits, or whether it already includes a multiplier. A calculation using an assumed unit can look tidy and still be wrong.
Open the help panel next. Find the entry for the symbol that paid, then compare its required reel length with the completed board. If the award used a wild, read the substitution exclusions before counting that position. A scatter or bonus icon may have a separate rule altogether.
Use the same note for both games. It gives you comparable questions without assuming identical rules: which positions qualified, what unit was paid, and where the final credit appears. You can practise this reading exercise with a published rule example, without paying for a round or trying to reproduce an outcome.
For reference, our teaching examples deliberately omit wilds, special-symbol awards and feature triggers. Their purpose is to make the multiplication visible. Once a real paytable adds those rules, extend the note with its exact wording rather than forcing the result into the simplified example.
Match the title before comparing rules
PAGCOR's JILI list dated 19 May 2026 records Golden Empire as game ID 103, version 1. Golden Empire 2 appears separately as ID 424. Mega Ace appears as ID 134, version 1. Use these identifiers when catalogue names look similar and you need to check that two descriptions refer to the same entry.
The list concerns game offerings. It doesn't establish that every website carrying those names is an approved operator, and it doesn't endorse this guide. Use the regulator's operator verification resources separately when checking a website.
Compare the full title first. Then check the provider and any version information inside the help screen. A similar thumbnail can hide a suffix or sequel number on a crowded mobile lobby. If the title, layout and help text disagree, pause the comparison and ask the operator to identify the exact build.
The official numbers, side by side
These catalogue fields describe different parts of each game. The maximum-win figures are listed separately from the ways totals.
| Field | Golden Empire | Mega Ace |
|---|---|---|
| Ways listed by JILI | 32,400 | 46,656 |
| Layout description | Dynamic reel | 6×6 |
| Official volatility label | Low-medium | Medium |
| Maximum win listed | 2,000× | 1,500× |
| Catalogue publish date | December 2023 | March 2022 |
Questions about ways and payouts
Does 46,656 ways mean a 46,656× payout?
No. Ways describe eligible position combinations. A payout amount needs a matching result and the applicable paytable value. Check the award's unit before applying any multiplier.
Are all possible ways winners on every round?
No. In our nine-position teaching grid, twenty-seven potential paths exist even when none contains the required matching symbols. Available paths and paying combinations are separate counts.
Can I work out RTP from the number of ways?
No. You would also need the outcome probabilities and payout rules for the complete game. Both are missing here. Look for an RTP figure in the rules for the exact version you are checking, rather than calculating one from its ways total.
Should I multiply the win meter again?
Check its label first. A meter may already include the applied multiplier. Use the settled round history to confirm the credit, and ask support to explain any amount you cannot reconcile.
Are Golden Empire and Golden Empire 2 interchangeable?
They are separate entries in PAGCOR's May 2026 JILI list. Match the full title and version before applying a guide or comparing its rules.
Where should a beginner start?
Open our JILI beginner guide for a walkthrough of the title, paytable and total stake checks. You can then read the exact game's information panel without placing a wager, using its own wording to check anything the general guide leaves unresolved.
Keep reading
This guide is for adults aged 21 and over. Gambling can result in financial loss. Use the responsible gaming page for limits and support options, and stop if spending is affecting money needed for daily life.
Sources and method
Checked on 13 September 2026. The arithmetic examples use invented values and are labelled as illustrations. This article explains published rules and includes no paid-play testing.