Often, one of the most appealing features of a slot game is its bonus round, with the possibility of landing sizable multipliers or special prizes along the way.
There’s a common misconception, however, that bonus rounds are somehow fixed or guaranteed – that they will be triggered after a specific number of spins have been made.
However, this simply isn’t the case, with the vast majority of slot bonuses randomly triggered… with no guarantee that you’ll land the special feature in your gaming session.
Here, Prime Slots guides you through everything you need to know about landing slot game bonuses.
The Randomness of Slot Game Bonus Triggering
As you may be aware, most slot games with a bonus require a certain trigger to unlock the special feature. In many cases, this is specifically linked to the scatter symbol, i.e. three or more scatters on your reels will trigger the bonus.
As such, a bonus cannot be guaranteed. Why? Because if a game was able to guarantee that the scatter symbol would appear on a certain spin, all of the randomness would be taken away from the action – that is the antithesis of what slot games are all about.
Slot games have an in-built random number generator (RNG) coded into their software. Each symbol available in the game is assigned a number, with a unique sequence created for each spin to determine which symbols appear where on the reels.
That technology ensures that a) all spins are fair and independent of the last, and that b) a title’s return to player (RTP) rate can be satisfied in the long run.
There is, therefore, no mechanism via which a bonus feature can be ‘guaranteed’ or ‘fixed’ in slot games.
Understanding Probability and RTP
One of the interesting things about the RTP of slot games is that the actual amount is split between the expected base game payout and the expected win from a bonus feature.
For example, we have real money slots that have an RTP of 96%, such as Fishin’ Frenzy. But not all of that RTP is generated via the base game nor the bonus feature – it’s instead split between base game and bonus wins.
Remember, the RTP is a guide as to the long-term win probability of a slot. If you played ten million spins of Fishin’ Frenzy, you might just return close to 96% of your stake. If you play ten spins, your actual RTP could be much different… possibly much higher or lower than the stated figure.
Remember too that slots can loosely be described as having high or low volatility. With high volatility slots, it’s possible that it will take more spins to trigger a bonus that lower volatility titles – this isn’t a rule that is set in stone, but is something to consider as you plan how to use your bankroll.
No Guarantees
Even when you have triggered a bonus, there’s no guarantee of what will happen next.
You may have been fortunate enough to land a stack of free spins, some of which may even come with multipliers attached. Of course, that doesn’t mean you will or won’t enjoy a winning spin or two from your set of free turns.
Even bonus features that seem guaranteed – such as picking a box or spinning a prize wheel – are more complex than that. Your actual payout will once again be determined by randomness… you may win the biggest available prize or the lowest. Once again, it’s the RNG that will ultimately decide your fate.
It’s interesting that slot game developers have different ways to design their bonus – like the prize wheel and ‘pick ‘em’ examples given. But no matter how the bonus is presented, the rules of engagement remain the same… the actual prize that you win, if any, will be determined by the random number generator.
This is one of the reasons we always invite players to read through the paytable and help information of a slot before hitting the spin button. That way, you’ll know exactly what you’ll need to do to trigger a bonus, and how to (hopefully) win a prize while playing it.
Play the Best Real Money Slots at Prime Slots
There’s no doubt that bonus rounds and special features can enhance a player’s enjoyment of a slot game, bringing an extra element of interaction and immersion.
At Prime Slots, we have games that feature a wide variety of bonus features… as well as jackpot games and those with innovative mechanics, such as Megaways.
If you want to learn more about bonuses and how they are triggered, take a look at our article on how to play real money slots today.
