Online slot games are the bread and butter of any online casino. There are all sorts of slots out there, with all different themes and styles. What makes one game stand out from all the other online slots, however, are the bonus rounds and features they offer. It seems as technology advances, so do the slots we play. To the point where slot developers are being extremely creative with their games and include some unique bonus features which make the overall involvement more delightful.
Let’s take a glimpse at some of the best slot game features out there and ones you should be alert for when picking a game to play…
Bonus Games and Free Spins Round
Aside from classic fruit machine games, most good online slots will offer bonus rounds or free spin rounds. If the game offers both then even better! You get extra play time (and usually extra wins) for no extra money. Although we know that, normally, bonus rounds offer the biggest wins, there are many different types out there. Here are the most common.
Free Spins
This is normally triggered by landing 3 or more scatter symbols. You will be given a set amount of free spins – which won’t be taken from your game credit. Not only does it let you spin the reels for free, but there are usually added extras as well, such as extra wilds, more valuable symbols, multipliers, and more. The free spins round is usually where the big wins are won – and some games even allow you to retrigger them if you land more scatters!
Pick Me Bonus Game
This usually guarantees a win of some kind. It usually involves picking certain symbols that contain different prizes. You keep whatever you uncover. You usually have a certain amount of picks and there is often a dud symbol which, if chosen, ends the game.
Wild Symbols and Scatter Symbols
These are found in most slot games. Usually, the scatter symbols will trigger the game’s free spins round or bonus rounds if you land 3 or more at once. These can also be one of the highest-paying symbols if you land them.
There are also wild symbols. These will stand in for any other pay symbol in the game (apart from a scatter or bonus symbol) to help create a winning combination. So, if you land 4 As on a pay line plus one wild symbol on that same pay line, you will be paid out for 5 As.
These can come in the form of sticky wilds (which stay on the screen for a set number of spins), expanding wilds, which grow to cover more than one space, and walking wilds, which move across the reels.
Paylines and Ways to Win
With a classic slot, there used to be just one pay line across the center of the reels. However, no there can be all different pay lines and ways to win. Many video slots offer 20 pay lines but others include:
- Megaways: The reels expand and there can be thousands of pay lines.
- Cluster Pays: Symbols can land in clusters to form wins. The bigger the clusters, the bigger the wins.
Progressive Jackpot Feature
This is what we all want – the life-changing slot feature that can give us the win of our lives. This feature is available on some of the most well-known games out there and is responsible for making millionaires.
Every time a player spins the reels on a jackpot slot, some of that money is set aside and put into the pot. This means that the jackpot keeps getting bigger and bigger until some lucky player hits the right combinations and then that’s it – the drinks are on you!
Slot Features Are Fun
Slot games are getting better and better all of the time. Software developers are coming up with new ideas and creating better technology, which only means good things for us. We not only get to play slots to win, but we can have more fun than ever whilst doing so. Some slot features are great because they pay out big, whilst others are cool because they make the experience even more enjoyable… and the very best do both.
So, when you choose your next game, look through the features, try them out, and see which ones you like the most!
