Long gone are the days when casino players only had their deposits to play with. Today, everyone has access to bonuses that extend their gameplay and make the overall experience more enjoyable.
Bonuses are available for all types of online casino games, including slots. When spinning slots on a web-based platform, you may often receive bonus rounds in addition to your regular spins.
But how do these rounds work? Let’s explore the mechanics behind them and what they really bring to players.
Slot Bonus Rounds Explained
Modern slot games are designed to offer the most rewarding experience to players. One of the most common ways online casinos achieve this is by adding bonus rounds in addition to the main game.
These extra rounds can include everything from free spins and re-spins to prize picking bonuses. While they don’t always guarantee winning a prize, they increase your chances of ending a session with more money on your balance.
Bonus rounds start at random or pre-defined moments of your gameplay. Usually, you’ll see an animation that signifies the start of a round that’s entirely separate from the main game. The bonus round may or may not have the same rules, but the theme is always connected to the one in the main game. The best way to ensure you know what you’re doing is to read the rules that show on the screen before you start spinning.
Almost all modern slot games include some kind of bonus rounds. Top online casinos, like the ones listed in this GamesHub best slot sites guide, offer access to hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of different titles, each with its own bonus rounds. This means that you have access to an abundance of unique bonus experiences and plenty of chances to increase your winnings.
Common Types of Slot Bonus Rounds
Slot games often include special bonus rounds, each designed to add extra excitement and variety to play. Some formats are more common than others, but nearly every modern slot gives players a chance to unlock additional features or hidden surprises.
Among the most recognizable bonus rounds are free spins. These allow players to spin the reels without placing another bet, yet any winnings from those spins are still credited as normal. This makes them one of the most attractive and widely enjoyed features in slot games.
Many well-known titles make use of free spin mechanics. For example, Book of Dead introduces expanding symbols that can stretch across an entire reel once triggered, significantly boosting the potential for larger payouts.
Unlike with free spins, players sometimes get to play something entirely different from the main game in their bonus rounds. This can be another mini slot game or even an arcade game that resembles one of the classics in terms of design and overall feel. They usually don’t require any skill, and the focus is on keeping things themed and exciting.
Another common type you may often come across are pick-a-box bonuses. Unlike free spins and additional games, all you have to do here is choose among a grid of gift boxes. There are many ways in which pick-a-box rounds can work, but they always rely on RNGs to randomize content of the boxes. For example, in Jackpot Party, you get to keep opening more boxes as long as you keep picking winners. The longer your run continues, the bigger your prize gets.
Besides these, there are tons of other slot bonus rounds you may unlock, depending on which slot game you choose to play. That said, make sure to always read the rules before you start playing in order to make the most from it.
How to Unlock Bonus Slot Rounds
Now that you know what bonus rounds are and what forms they take, the only thing left to discuss is how to unlock them. Again, it all depends on the specific slot game you’re playing, but there are common patterns found in the majority of popular slots.
Most often, bonus rounds are triggered when three or more scatter symbols appear on the reels. They’re called scatter symbols because it doesn’t matter where they land on the reel to activate this feature. However, keep in mind that some games do, in fact, have specific reels they need to land on to activate a bonus round.
Bonus symbols work in a similar way to scatter symbols, but they have to appear in a specific combination to trigger a bonus round. Some slots come with several different bonus games and a unique symbol for each of them.
Another type of symbol that can activate a bonus round are wild symbols, which do so when they land in a particular combination. Another good thing about them is that they can help you create more winning lines by replacing regular symbols in situations when you can make a winning combination.
Some slots don’t have pre-determined rules for when a bonus round is activated. Instead, it can be triggered randomly on any spin in your main game. This, of course, means that there are no bonus symbols to look for.
Conclusion
Bonus rounds have become a standard in modern slot games. Almost every title you can find has some kind of bonus features that you can unlock while playing the main game. They’re there to add more fun and unpredictability to the entire experience. Developers keep coming up with new ways to integrate them into new slot games they release, so you can expect even more types and ways to trigger them to emerge in the future.
