How to Play Starburst: Controls, Stakes and Wild Respins Explained

To play Starburst you choose a coin value and a bet level, press spin, and get paid when three or more matching symbols sit on one of ten fixed lines, counted from either the left or the right edge. The only feature is the rainbow star wild on reels 2, 3 and 4: it fills its reel, locks, and the other reels spin again for free. Below is every control, how the stake is calculated, and two worked spins.

The controls, mapped

NetEnt has kept the panel simple since 2012. Exact button art differs slightly between casinos and devices, but the functions are the same everywhere.

How your stake is built

Starburst always plays ten lines, so the formula is short: coin value x bet level x 10. Operator rules pages, such as 888casino’s for Ontario, give coin values from 0.01 to 1.00 and bet levels from 1 to 10. NetEnt’s own page sets the overall range at 0.10 to 100 EUR per spin, and a casino can narrow that.

Two settings can reach the same stake. A coin of 0.02 at level 5 and a coin of 0.10 at level 1 both cost 1.00 per spin, and both pay the same. The choice is cosmetic: wins appear in coins or in cash depending on which counter you watch.

Paylines that count from both sides

Most ten-line slots pay only from the left. Starburst also reads each line from the right. A line wins when its first three, four or five symbols match starting at reel 1, or its last three, four or five match starting at reel 5.

• Left-to-right win: three green gems on reels 1, 2 and 3 of a line.
• Right-to-left win: three green gems on reels 5, 4 and 3 of that same line.
• Five of a kind: matches from both ends at once, so the line is paid in each direction.
• No win: three gems on reels 2, 3 and 4 only, because neither outer reel is part of the run.

The last case is where the wild earns its place. Since stars appear only on the three middle reels, they can complete runs starting from either edge but never form a win on their own.

The paytable screen

Symbol values live behind the info button, shown in coins for the bet level you have selected. Change the level and the numbers move with it. NetEnt’s public game page does not print per-symbol values, so we do not reproduce a paytable here; the version inside the casino you use is the authoritative one and also states the RTP and maximum win for that build. The gold Bar and the lucky seven are the premium icons, and the gem colours fill the lower tiers.

Worked spin 1: a single wild

Say your stake is 0.50 per spin (coin 0.05, level 1). A star lands on reel 3, covering it top to bottom. That reel is now wild on all ten lines. Any line where reels 1 and 2 show the same symbol now has three in a row from the left, and any line where reels 5 and 4 match has three from the right. The game pays those lines, then respins reels 1, 2, 4 and 5 for free while reel 3 stays locked. If nothing new appears on the respin, the sequence ends there and the next spin costs 0.50 again.

Worked spin 2: the full three-wild chain

Same stake. A star lands on reel 2 and locks. During the respin a second star lands on reel 4, which also locks and triggers a second respin. On that one a star finally hits reel 3, and with all three middle reels wild, every line now pays from both edges, because each outer symbol joins three wilds to make four of a kind. Only reels 1 and 5 spin on the third respin, so the result depends on the symbols on the outer reels. Here the chain stops by rule: no reel is left for a fourth star to land on, so three respins is the maximum. A chain like this is the main route to the bigger wins on this slot.

Slip-ups we see most often

• Opening the wrong Starburst. XXXtreme and Galaxy sit next to the original in many lobbies and behave very differently.
• Reading coins as cash. A win of 50 coins at a 0.02 coin value is 1.00, not 50.
• Chasing the respin. Stars are not due after a dry spell; every spin is drawn independently.
• Skipping the info panel. A branded build can carry a lower RTP than the 96.08% NetEnt publishes, and only the in-game rules show it.
• Playing a bonus at the wrong stake. Bonus terms often cap the bet per spin, and a single spin above the cap can void winnings.

Auto-play, quick spin and sound

Auto-play repeats spins at your stake until a set count or a loss limit is reached. It does not change the odds, but it removes the pause in which you might decide to stop. The UK Gambling Commission banned auto-play on online slots from 31 October 2021, and similar rules exist elsewhere, so the button is missing at some casinos. Sound and turbo options sit in the settings menu; turning the music off can make it easier to notice how fast spins are passing.

Playing on a phone or tablet

NetEnt publishes Starburst as an HTML5 title for mobile and desktop, so phones on iOS or Android and tablets all load it through the casino’s site or app. There is nothing separate to install. A few practical points:

• Turn the phone sideways for the largest reels.
• Check the stake after rotating; level 10 costs ten times level 1 at the same coin value.
• Use a stable connection. If a round is interrupted, licensed games normally store the result on the server and show it when you reload.

Playing online for real money

Real-money play happens only inside a licensed casino account. Deposit, open the game from the casino lobby, confirm the stake, and play. Crypto balances are converted into the display currency for the game. Our list of crypto casinos that carry Starburst shows which lobbies loaded the game in our 7 October 2026 checks, and the Starburst overview compares the original with XXXtreme and Galaxy so you open the right game.

Before you move to real money

Practice costs nothing. The free Starburst demo lets you watch a few wild chains and test stake settings without a deposit. Once you play for money, the odds and bankroll page shows what a session is likely to cost, and the bonus guide explains whether free spins on this slot are worth claiming.

A short review of how it plays today

Fourteen years on, Starburst still does one thing well: quick, frequent, small results with an occasional respin chain to keep things lively. NetEnt lists a 23% hit frequency and an 800x ceiling, so long losing runs are less common than on modern high-volatility games, and huge wins are impossible. The lack of a bonus round will bore some players. For learning how slots work, or for low-stakes play on a fixed budget, it remains one of the clearest games around.

Keep play within limits you set in advance. Help and self-exclusion options are on our responsible gambling page.

How to play Starburst: short answers

01

How do you play Starburst for beginners?

Pick a coin value and a bet level, press spin, and wait for three or more matching symbols on any of the ten fixed lines, counted from the left or the right edge. If a rainbow star lands on reel 2, 3 or 4 it fills the reel and you get a free respin.

02

Can I change the number of paylines in Starburst?

No. All ten lines are fixed, so the stake is always split across ten lines. You change the total by moving the coin value or the bet level.

03

How many respins can one Starburst Wild give?

Each new wild gives one respin, and up to three wild reels can be held at once, so a sequence stops after three respins at most.

04

Do I need to download Starburst?

No. It is an HTML5 game that runs inside the casino’s website or mobile site on phones, tablets and computers. Any app is the casino’s own, not a separate Starburst download.

05

What does a five-of-a-kind line pay in Starburst?

Five matching symbols on a line pay from both directions, so the line prize is counted twice. The coin value for each symbol is shown on the paytable screen and changes with your bet level.