Slot machines have come a long way from their early beginnings as mechanical games of chance. Today’s online video slots are complex pieces of gaming technology, filled with animations, sounds, and special features designed to engage and reward players. One of the most popular special features is the bonus round.
Bonus rounds add suspense and a whole new dimension of fun to slots gameplay. When triggered, they transport the player to a separate screen with special graphics and modified gameplay. Bonus rounds can have their own themes, stories, characters and soundtrack – almost like a game within the base game.
Bonus Triggers: What Activates Bonus Rounds
Bonus rounds at BrunoCasino are dormant until activated by certain triggers during the base game. The most common bonus trigger is landing a special Bonus or Scatter symbol in a certain pattern on the reels. For example, 3 or more Scatters appearing left to right on consecutive reels.
But slots developers have created more innovative ways to trigger bonuses, including:
- Random mystery triggers – bonuses activate randomly on any base game spin
- Bonus wheels – spin a wheel after the base game for a chance to win bonuses
- Pick me bonuses – pick objects on the screen to reveal instant cash prizes or access bonus games
- Sticky wild stacks – wild symbols with collecting mechanics that remain on screen to unlock bonuses
- Cascading wins – wins cause symbols to disappear and cascade, with new symbols cascading in their place to trigger more payouts and bonuses
The higher the bonus symbol frequency and the easier the trigger pattern, the more often you’ll get to play the bonus round. Lower requirements lead to higher bonus round volatility.
| Trigger Mechanic | Example Requirements | Volatility |
| Scatter symbols | 3+ symbols anywhere on reels | Higher |
| Random mystery | Purely random chance | Highest |
| Bonus wheels | Trigger wheel spin feature | Medium |
| Pick me bonuses | Pick correct item to proceed | Lower |
| Sticky wild stacks | Collect multiple sticky wilds | Higher |
| Cascading wins | Fill reels with wins to continue cascading | Higher |
Inside Bonus Rounds: Gameplay, Payouts and Features
Once activated, slot bonus rounds have their own gameplay style, payout mechanism and special features.
Gameplay
Bonus round gameplay falls into two major categories:
- Free spins – Get a set number of free spins with expanded reels, extra wilds or win multipliers
- Mini-games – Play a skill-based, arcade-style mini-game with instant cash prizes
Free spins are more common and rely purely on luck, while mini-games add an element of skill and interactivity.
Payouts
These aspects impact payouts:
- Volatility – Low, medium or high variance in payout size and frequency
- Hit frequency – How often spins pay out something versus paying nothing
- Prizes – Cash, instant wins, expanded wilds, multipliers, extra spins
- Jackpots – Fixed or progressive pooled cash prizes
In free spins rounds, volatility and hit frequency are predetermined. But in mini-game bonuses with skill components, your return depends partly on your skill.
Special Features
Exciting special features can randomly activate in bonus rounds, like:
- Wild explosions – Wilds expand to cover entire reels
- Symbol transformations – Low win symbols transform into high win symbols
- Multi-level bonuses – New bonuses activate when you reach certain win milestones
- Prize pickers – Select boxes or objects on screen to reveal instant prizes
- Win multipliers – All payouts are 2x, 3x or even 10x their normal amounts
These features add layers of anticipation and variability to gameplay.
Optimizing Bonus Round Wins
While bonus round outcomes ultimately come down to random luck, there are some general strategies to optimize your wins:
- Review rules first – Understand trigger conditions, available features, volatility level etc. Different slots have vastly different bonus structures.
- Adjust bet sizes – On low volatility bonuses, bet high to capitalize on payout potential. For high volatility games, bet lower to manage risk.
- Play optimally – In mini-game bonuses, learn the optimal gameplay for highest returns. Time picks carefully.
- Use auto features wisely – Auto spin can help trigger bonuses faster. But you lose the ability to respond to special features.
- Quit while you’re ahead – It’s tempting to keep playing a hot bonus round, but payouts can turn in an instant. Consider cashing out wins.
Slot bonuses add an engaging twist to standard gameplay, but underneath they operate on defined mechanisms that drive payouts and features. Understanding this inner workings can help you better leverage bonuses for more wins.
So next time you trigger that coveted bonus round, pay attention to the gameplay style, features and volatility. With the right approach, those bonus spins could unlock a major jackpot!