Instead of lines, you win whenever matching symbols appear on adjacent reels, regardless of position. 243 and 1024 ways are typical examples.
243 ways is the number of possible paths on a 3-row, 5-reel screen (3 to the 5th power), and 1024 ways is 4 rows by 5 reels (4 to the 5th power). Usually the same symbol must land on consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel.