Slots Special Symbols

How Scatters Pay Out

The best thing about the scatter symbol is the way it pays out. It does not work in the conventional way where you need to get three or more symbols of the same kind on a payline in order to win. With these special symbols, players receive a payout when three, four, or five scatters land anywhere on the reels.

Typically, the scatter payout is lower than that of the wilds or of other high-paying symbols. However, as this symbol does not have to be a part of a payline, it is much easier to hit such a combo. The main function of the scatter, however, is very different from just simply bringing easy payouts. It is usually used to activate a special feature such as a free spins round.

Triggering Free Spins

Whenever three or more scatter images appear anywhere on the reels, they also trigger the main bonus feature of the game. In most slots, this is a free spins feature, which may award players 3, 5, 10, or even more free rounds. These free spins are automatic and at the same bet level as the spin during which they were activated.

In some games, they trigger different types of special features such as bonus games that open in a separate screen and are not played with the original reels. These are often matching games, in which players need to match specific objects, or picking games, where players need to pick symbols and reveal the hidden treasures beneath them. The best scatter symbols are those that can appear and trigger a bonus feature within another feature. In some games, scatters can re-trigger free spins and bonus games indefinitely.

Expanding Symbols

The digital nature of modern slots has made it possible for game developers to create various symbols with different functions and advantages. Along with the wilds, scatters, multipliers, and bonus symbols, there may be many other special symbols in slot games. They attract players by making the gameplay much more interesting and offering great chances of winning. One of the symbol types that can be seen right now is the expanding symbols.

The expanding effect was once reserved only for wilds – a wild would land on the reels, expand to two or more positions on the reels, and increasing the potential for winning. However, many software providers have used the same concept with regular symbols or with multipliers and bonus symbols. Players love games with this type of symbol as it always improves the odds.

Exploding Symbols and Cascading Reels

One of the most unique and exciting types of video slots is the cascading slot or the slot with cascading reels, to be more precise. These games do not feature the conventional reel structure where the reels would spin and different symbols would appear at random once the movement stops. In cascading slots, the reels do not spin – instead, the symbols fall from above the reels whenever we click the Spin button.

When the symbols land on a payline or in some other winning pattern (such as a cluster of several identical symbols), they explode, giving way to new symbols to fall from the top of the reel grid and replace them. If the new symbols form a winning combination, they also disappear and are replaced by another set of symbols. The cascading effect could be allowed only once per round but it may also continue until no new combination is hit.

As you can imagine, these types of games could be really spectacular, especially if the cascading reels and exploding symbols are paired with an interesting theme, good payouts, and even more special symbols and bonus features.

Split Symbols

Split symbols are recent and still rare development in the world of online video slots. As their name suggests, they can split into two or even three symbols when they land on the reels. This is an interesting feature that is found only in a handful of games. Whenever it is present, players have the chance to get 15-symbol combinations on a regular 5×3 slot.

While this sounds really great, players should know that the regular payouts in these games are not particularly high. If they are lucky enough to hit a 10 or 15-symbol combo, however, they can expect unusually high jackpot prizes.

Symbols with Mixed Function

Often, players look for modern video slots with a lot of special features and interesting symbols. But playing a feature-rich slot is not a guarantee for winning more frequently. There are many simpler slot games that have just a few symbols but are more profitable – in terms of both RTP and hit frequency.

Classic online slots, for instance, often have several regular symbols plus a single special symbol that has mixed functions – it is often both a multiplier and a wild substitute. In other games, there are scatters that act as both scatter and bonus symbols – they trigger the bonus feature of the game and pay out when three or more scatters land anywhere on the reels. The options here are endless and depend only on developers’ creativity.