How to Capitalize on Slots Bonus Features

Understanding video slots bonus features and how to exploit them.

In the past, slot machines didn’t vary too much in the way of game play. They had either 3 or 5 reels, and they paid out if you lined up the same symbols on a payline. Today’s video slots are much more immersive, brimming with features designed to heighten the entertainment value and profitability.

The most successful slots on the market these days are often equipped with special bonus features. These elements can be triggered at random, or by achieving certain symbol combinations on the reels. There are many types to be considered, and each is exploitable in its own way.

Types of Video Slots Bonus Features

The most common video slots bonus features include:

Free Spins Bonus
Pick/Click Me Bonus
Matching Game Bonus
Wheel Spin Bonus
Mystery Bonus
Free Play Bonus

We’ll discuss each of these briefly, detailing how they work so that players can understand how to exploit them for all their worth.

Free Spins Bonus

These are the most common types of slots bonuses. They are almost always triggered when 3 or more Scatter symbols land anywhere on the reels during a single spin. The number of scatters that activate this bonus will usually determine how many free spins the player gets.

During a free spins bonus, the game may present win-elevating functions. These could include payout multipliers, and/or the increased presence of wilds or high-paying symbols on the reels.

Pick Me / Click Me Bonus

Another very common slots feature is known as a Pick Me or Click Me bonus. These special games will show a screen full of thematic images for the player to choose from. A certain number of choices will be available, sometimes depending on the number of symbols that trigger the bonus.

All prizes revealed during the game are instantly awarded. Sometimes, a prize may be an extra click, a multiplier of all revealed prizes, or even a number of free spins.

Matching Game Bonus

These bonus rounds are very similar to Pick/Click Me bonuses. Instead of winning all prizes revealed, the player will win whichever prize or multiplier they manage to reveal three times, first. Imagine a typical match-3 scratch card game.

For example, a player may reveal these prizes, in this order: 3x, 10x, 3x, 5x, 10x, 25x, 10x

Because the “10x” was the first to appear a third time, the prize would be 10x the total bet that triggered the slots bonus.

Wheel Spin Bonus

A lot of slot machines now incorporate the wheel spin bonus. When triggered, the player will spin a prize wheel. It’s fairly simple—the prize the arrow lands on is awarded.

In more complex wheel bonus games, there may by one or more additional wheels that can be reached. If the first wheel’s arrow lands on a position indicating a second wheel, that second wheel is spun, providing higher prize opportunities.

Microgaming‘s Mega Moolah is a good example. It features a triple-stacked wheel, where the game’s million-dollar progressive jackpot can be won by reaching the third wheel, and landing on the Mega jackpot position.

Mystery Bonus

The term Mystery Bonus generally applies to any bonus feature that is activated at random. There’s no specific set of symbols that need to appear to trigger them. It just happens at random, after any spin, win or lose. As such, it can actually encompass any of the slot machine bonus features detailed above.

Exploiting Slot Machine Bonus Features

Exploiting any bonus feature requires nothing more than understanding the rules of the game. To do this, players must read over the pay table information before spinning the reels.

For instance, many features—especially those linked to progressive jackpots—will require betting max coins, or a minimum overall bet size. Pay close attention to such stipulations to increase your odds of a big payout.