Slot Features Guide Everything You Need To Know
Slot features are the key components that make up a slot game, designed to make gameplay more exciting and boost players’ wins.
These features include wilds, scatters, jackpot symbols, avalanche reels, free spins rounds, and random triggers.
Understanding these features can make the game more enjoyable and increase the chances of winning.
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Slot Features
Slot features are the key components that make up a slot game. They are designed to make gameplay more exciting and to boost your chances of winning. Some common slot features include wilds, scatters, jackpot symbols, avalanche reels, free spins rounds, and random triggers. Stick with us as we will explore the various types of slot features. As well as how to recognize them, and how they can enhance your gameplay.
Understanding Paytables
When playing a slot game, the first thing you should do is look for the paytable. The paytable displays the main symbols and bonus features involved in gameplay. It will also indicate how much each symbol pays, what it does, and how to activate the bonus round. Additionally, the paytable will provide information on the paylines, betting strategies, and key stats such as the RTP, hit rate, volatility, and max win.
Enhancing Basic Slot Gameplay
Slot features add an extra level of entertainment to the basic gameplay of matching symbols. They are designed to increase your chances of spinning a winning combination of symbols and can also trigger bonus rounds or give you guaranteed wins. Some examples of features that enhance gameplay include wilds, colossal symbols, and reel sync.
Slot Features vs. Slot Mechanics
- While slot features make the game more exciting, slot mechanics indicate the game’s potential. Unlike features, which are primarily there for entertainment, mechanics reveal how the slot actually works.
- An example of a slot mechanic is the Random Number Generator (RNG) which ensures that each spin’s outcome is based on chance. Another important stat to look for is the Return to Player (RTP) rate, which indicates the percentage of bets that the game will pay out to players in wins.
- Additionally, volatility is another important factor to consider when choosing a slot game as it determines the level of risk involved.
Types of Slot Features
Slot features are a key component of the slot gaming experience and can significantly enhance gameplay. There are many different types of slot features, and the more slots you play, the more you’ll come across. In this essay, we will explore some of the most popular slot features and how they are used in gameplay.
Wilds
Juicy Wilds are one of the most common symbol features in a slot game. They can be used as symbol substitutions to help you get a winning combination that otherwise wouldn’t be complete. The most basic slots have wilds that substitute for all paying symbols except scatters and other special symbols such as jackpot symbols. However, some more complex and bonus-rich slots will also have unique wild variations appearing during bonus rounds. Examples of wild variations include sticky wilds, spreading wilds, walking wilds and diagonal wilds.
Scatters
Scatters are symbols that are commonly found in slot games and have the ability to trigger bonus games. Usually free spins, mini-games, or other bonus rounds. The game rules will indicate how many scatter symbols are needed to activate the bonus feature. Moreover which is usually 3 or more. Depending on the game, more scatters can award a bigger bonus, such as more free spins. Scatters don’t usually have to follow the payline rules. So, they can pay out even if they are not lined up on consecutive reels.
Win Ways
The concept of paylines has evolved over time, and modern video slots now offer a range of options. From 5 to 100 paylines. In the classic pub slots, there was only one straight payline. But, in modern video slots, paylines can be horizontal, zigzag, fixed, flexible, and more. The paylines are displayed in the paytable and are used to calculate winnings. Most modern video slots use fixed paylines, and winning combinations pay from left to right.
Special Symbols
As you play more slots, you’ll come across a variety of special symbols. That add depth and excitement to the game. Examples of special symbols include sticky symbols, stacked symbols, exploding symbols, and expanding symbols. Colossal symbols, such as the Big O Beam alien in Visitors by ELK Studios, can expand paying symbols into big sticky 2×2 or 3×3 symbols. Furthermore, many game providers started to implement these features.
Reel Features
The avalanche mechanic, which sees winning symbols being removed and replaced with new symbols, is a popular feature in many video slots. The feature allows players to move a reel down to complete a winning combination. The feature is usually triggered when the game detects that a win could have been made if the reel was positioned differently. Buffalo Hold by Playson is a perfect example of this Tumbling Reels mechanic.
Win Boosters
The Reel Nudge feature operates in a way that makes it different from other features in video slots. It is unlike the Tumbling Reels mechanism, which is popular in many video slots, where winning symbols are removed, and the empty positions are filled with new symbols. In such cases, any new wins formed will be added to the existing win on the same spin, resulting in possible bigger wins. A good example of this mechanism is NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest.
Bonus Rounds
In-game Bonus Rounds
In-game bonus rounds are a critical part of slot games, and they provide players with an extra dimension to the game and an opportunity to increase their chances of winning. Although bonus rounds do not cost anything from the player’s balance, they are where the biggest wins happen. In most slots, bonus rounds are triggered by landing a required number of scatters or other special bonus symbols in the base game.
Types of Bonus Rounds
Bonus rounds in video slots can be classified into two fundamental categories, free spins and bonus games. The in-game free spins bonus round awards a number of free spins that do not affect the player’s balance. The number of free spins awarded varies depending on the game and can range from 5 to 20 or more. In most cases, the bonus round is triggered by spinning Scatter or bonus symbols.
Triggering the Bonus Round
In many slots, more free spins can be added, or an entire round can be retriggered to keep the feature going. Some developers add additional features that only trigger within the bonus round, like progressive multipliers, jumping wilds, respins, and more.
The bonus game category includes in-game rounds like Bonus Wheel, Mini-Slot, Pick a Bonus, Jackpot Bonus, and many more unique features. These can be triggered in a variety of ways, usually specified in the paytable.
Additional Slot Features
In addition to the more common slot features such as wilds and scatters, there are a variety of other features that can add depth and excitement to the slot gaming experience. Some of these features include:
- Pick a Bonus – This feature allows players to manually select their own bonus, giving them more control over their gaming experience.
- Mini-Slot Feature – This feature allows players to play a slot within a slot, in some cases, multiple mini slots.
- Bonus Wheel – An in-game bonus wheel can award extra free spins, multipliers, jackpots, or any other feature to boost the player’s bankroll.
- Random Features – These can be anything from symbol upgrades, extra wilds, and sticky multipliers that trigger on a random basis.
- Hold and Spin – During this feature, players collect (usually instant cash) symbols to increase their payouts.
- Cluster Pays – In a grid slot, players must form clusters of 5 or more identical symbols on the reels in order to win.
- Retriggering Feature – This feature allows players to restart the current bonus round according to the paytable rules.
- Wild Overlays – Random symbols that have Wild Overlays will operate as wild symbols.
How to Choose the Best Slots with Features
Choosing the best slots with features can be a daunting task, but there are a few ways that can help you narrow down the choice and pick games that are worth your while.
Read the Paytable
- Reading the paytable is the quickest way to find out the game’s betting range, max potential, RTP, and other key stats to see if it suits your budget and playing style.
Play in Demo Mode
- Many casinos allow players to play slots for free before playing for real money, which is a great way to get a taste for the game and familiarize.
Read Slot Reviews
- This is one of the top advices from our casino experts. Here at betatesports, we thorougly investigate every aspect of a slot and then publish our detailed slot reviews to bring you a thorough and honest summary of its features, potential and payouts. Save yourself a chunk of time by checking out our latest online slot reviews.
Random Number Generator and Slot Machines
One of the most common questions asked is whether slot machines, whether land-based or online, are rigged or not. The answer is that they are not, as the outcome of each spin is based on a Random Number Generator (RNG).
Random Number Generator
Slots are often referred to as games of luck. Every slot machine generates thousands of random numbers per second, and as soon as you press the spin button, the most recent random number determines whether you win or lose.
Payout Percentage
Another important factor to consider when playing a slot game is its return to player (RTP) rate. RTP is a percentage of bets that the game will pay back to the player, on average. For example, if a game has a 96% RTP, for every £1 bet, £0.96 is paid back to the player, with the rest going to the casino.
Volatility
The volatility of a slot game determines the frequency and size of payouts. A low volatility game will offer frequent but small wins, while a high volatility game will offer infrequent but potentially large wins. Medium volatility games offer a balance between frequency and size of payouts. This mathematical model is popular among experienced players who are looking for games with the potential for large payouts.
RTP
The RTP of a slot is set by the developer, and they often release multiple versions of the same game with different RTP rates, which can range from 95% to 97% or even higher. Online casinos then choose which version to host, which is why it is important to check the RTP before playing a slot game. In the UK, the RTP, along with the volatility and hit rate, must be included in the paytable or game description by law.
