Slot games are one of the most fun games in casinos. Why? Because just pull of the lever (or the button, if you play online) and you can win something so big you can buy a Porsche. It’s a game of luck and chance because you never really know what the slots are going to do. Will they align all the necessary symbols to win you something or win you something small? Will the slot machine screw with you if you played only the minimum bet or the maximum bet? All these questions flash before you as you humbly (or impatiently) wait for those symbols to align. It’s the never-ending atrocity that boggles the mind.

When you go around playing slot games, you probably notice some slot games have what you call “bonuses”. While jackpots are already a bonus themselves, there’s a distinction between “jackpot” and “bonus”. First, jackpot is of course the max prize of any slot game. Whether it’s fixed or progressive, that’s the ultimate prize that any player can get if he or she gets lucky. Second, bonus is something that adds a little something to your winnings or to the whole game. While it won’t net you the jackpot, getting bonuses may actually help you. In fact, you don’t need to win the jackpot to get bonuses.

Bonus Slots in All Shapes and Sizes

Bonus slots come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are on the reel and some of them are dependent on the bets you make. You’ve probably already hit a bonus without even you knowing it. Bonuses vary among all slot games so finding them all in every game can be a hassle. But they’re mostly found in online slot games and in these games, they always have rules and help pages that tell you the mechanics in finding the bonuses of the slot games. No need for you go all angry if you can’t find the bonus; just take a peek at the rules and help page and you’re all set.

Now what kind of bonuses do you find in slot games? There are a few types. The first type of bonus are the symbols. Besides the normal symbols you get when aligning the reels, you’ll come across different symbols that give you bonuses. There’s one symbol called the wild symbol. This symbol substitutes for any symbol on the reel to make a winning combo. This comes in handy when you’re missing just one more symbol to make the win. Another symbol is the scatter symbol. No, it does not scatter like crazy in the reels but what it does is it will net you winnings regardless of the position. That’s right; whether or not it hits a payline or aligns on the reel, it will still win you a winning. As long as it appears on the reel, you get a winning from it. Another symbol is the bonus symbol. This will trigger something which will be discussed later.

The second type of bonus are free spins. Free spins are, obviously, spins that don’t spend a bet. Now when you have these free spins, the slot game will go as usual and if you manage to get the first type of bonuses during free spins, you’ll get a lot of winnings. It’s still based on luck and chance but being able to get bonuses while on a bonus is already a good win.

The third type of bonus is the multiplier. Now this one is a keeper because multipliers can multiply the winnings you get each spin. So if it’s x2, you get twice. If it’s x3, you get thrice and so on. The multiplier increases on various factors so keep playing and pay attention to how the multiplier increases.

The fourth type of bonus is the bonus round. Now this is where the bonus symbol comes in. If you manage to align a certain number of bonus symbols, the slot game triggers a bonus round. This is where the slot game deviates from the usual slot game structure and it turns into a different game. It varies from game to game such as maybe, clicking hidden doors to find free spins or symbols or in the case of the movie-themed slot game Jaws, trying to find a hide-and-seek Jaws the Shark. Bonus rounds will definitely net you winnings because it’s throwing lots of good stuff to you.

How Bonus Slots Work

And so that’s how bonus slots work. With all these bonuses in many online slot games, you’re bound to get more than what you bargained for. Take a bit of a chance and get the bonuses and you might win something worthwhile to purchase that slick Porsche nearby.