Little-Known Trick to Trigger Free Spins in Popular Slots

John Bonello

Updated by John Bonello

Content Editor

Last Updated 17th Oct 2024, 02:34 PM

Little-Known Trick to Trigger Free Spins in Popular Slots

In this article you'll read about:

  • How to use Bonus Buy Slots to go directly to the Free Spins bonus rounds
  • How the Free Spins bonus mechanic works in some top online slots
  • Different types of Free Spins that come with extra features

For many online casino players, the best slots are slots with free spins. And the more free rounds, the merrier! I don’t think you need any definition of what free spins are. But just in case, let’s start with a brief description.

A free spins round is a bonus feature in a slot game. These bonus spins need to be triggered. There are different ways how to activate a free spins round. The most common way is by getting a specific combination of symbols on the reels. Although the bonus rounds are free (which is why we call them ‘free spins’) you can still win real money from them. And that is what makes them so attractive.

The first thing you do when playing a slot game is to place a bet. Each time you hit spin, the bet amount is deducted from your balance. But if you trigger free spins, you can play a set number of times for free. In some games, the chance of winning bigger prizes during the free spins is greater than in the base game. And that is what makes Bonus Buy Slots so popular. But I’ll get to that later.

How to Activate Free Spins

A specific action usually triggers the mechanism that launches the bonus round in an online slot. Lets look at some common ways to trigger free spins. I will use popular slots with free spins as an example.

Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead

The first slot on my list is an obvious choice. The Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead slot by Play’n GO is arguably the most popular online slot of all time. The bonus round of this game is unlocked when you land three or more scatter symbols. You get ten free Book of Dead spins. Before playing the free rounds, a symbol is randomly selected. This symbol acts as an expanding symbol during the free spins. If it lands, it expands to cover the full reel. The scatter symbols also provide you with a payout before the round begins. Two scatters equal an x2 payout. Four scatters reward an x20 payout. And five scatters payout 200x your bet. The 10 free spins can be retriggered if you land 3 or more scatters while playing your free rounds.

Gonzo’s Quest

Gonzo’s Quest is another popular online slot. It was created by NetEnt. Here, free spins are called ‘free falls’. 10 free falls are triggered with three scatters across the first three reels. During the free falls, the multiplier progression on wins is increased. Rather than going from 1x to 5x, the multiplier win bonus will go from 3x to a huge 15x. Free spins can be retriggered by landing more scatters during the bonus round.

Jammin’ Jars

Jammin’ Jars is a slot with free spins developed by Push Gaming. This game uses a cluster mechanic. To win you need to form clusters of winning symbols. Six free spins bonus rounds are triggered by 3 colorful jam jars. Jam jar symbols lock in place during the free spins and award unlimited multipliers.

Sweet Bonanza

Another great slot with free spins is Sweet Bonanza. This is a game by Pragmatic Play that uses the tumbling feature. It has a vibrant design. 4 or more Pink and white lollipop scatter symbols activate 10 free spins. During free spins, large win multipliers come into play. This increases your chances of winning bigger prizes. Whenever you land 3 or more lollipop scatters during the bonus game, you trigger an additional 5 free spins.

Immortal Romance

Although released in 2011, the Immortal Romance slot is still hugely popular. It was created by Microgaming but is now owned by Games Global. It has a vampire theme and has an impressive backstory, unique soundtrack and  the Chamber of Spins bonus feature. The Chamber of Spins boasts 4 different free spins levels. These are called Amber, Troy, Michael and Sarah. These are the game’s characters. The four free spins rounds have different features, such as multipliers, Rolling Reels and transforming wilds. The trick to trigger the free spins is landing 3, 4 or 5 Lion Door Knocker Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels on the same spin. You’ll receive a payout of 2, 20 or 200 x your total bet. Then you start playing 1 of the 4 possible free spins levels.

Best Strategies to Trigger Free Spins

Other than buying entry to the free games (I'll explain how in the next section), there is no effective strategy that can grant you access to the bonus games. This is because online slots use RNG technology to ensure the results are always fair. In simpler terms, the symbols you see on the screen of your device stop totally at random. You can do nothing to make Scatters land on the reels when you want them to.

In short, you cannot use a strategy to trigger free spins.

Bonus Buy Slots

If you are playing Bonus Buy Slots, then the obvious strategy is that of buying your way into the free spins round. However, not all slots with free spins have this feature. And those that have the Bonus Buy option, can only offer it in certain countries. For example, if you’re playing from the UK, you cannot benefit from Bonus Buy. You can still play the slot, and trigger free spins by chance. But the Bonus Buy feature would be switched off for that region.

How Free Spins Work

Triggering free spins is a cause for celebration. Online slots players are elated whenever they manage to do this. The main benefits of free spins are two. Firstly, you get to play a number of rounds without spending any money. Secondly, you get the chance to access better winning opportunities. Understanding how free spins work can help you appreciate them more. Here’s a quick rundown of the process:

  • Triggering Free Spins: Most slots with free spins require you to land a specific combination of scatter symbols to trigger the bonus games. The combos can vary from slot to slot. As I mentioned, slots with the Bonus Buy feature let you skip directly into the free spins rounds. This feature is not always available.
  • Number of Free Spins: The number of spins you receive can be a fixed amount or tied to how many scatter symbols you hit. In some slots, more scatters mean more free spins.
  • Extra Features: Some slots add game modifiers to free spins. You can find features like multipliers, special wild symbols, or the ability to retrigger more spins during the bonus round.
  • Winning Real Money: Even though you’re not spending your own funds, you can still win real money during free spins.

Free Spins With Extra Features

In the previous section, I mentioned free spins that come with extra features. I want to dig a little deeper into this. There are various types of free spins you might encounter in slots. Here are the most common free spins extras:

  • Free Spins With Multiplier: Many games offer win multipliers during the free spins. These can increase your chances of winning a hefty prize by many times. In some games, the multiplier increases with each spin until it reaches a cap.
  • Progressive Jackpot Free Spins: Some slots that have a progressive jackpot prize give you the chance to win the jackpot during the free spins round.
  • Free Spins With Wilds: Wilds are symbols that help you form winning combos. Some slots with free spins add different types of wilds to the bonus game. These can be normal wilds, or sticky wilds that remain on the reels for the whole duration of the free spins. In some slots, you can also get an expanding wild during the free rounds. Book of Dead falls into this category.
  • Unlimited Free Spins: In some slots, you can trigger an unlimited number of free spins whenever scatters or bonus symbols land during the feature. Cat Wilde and the Doom of Dead is a good example of a slot with unlimited free spins potential.

Maximizing Your Free Spins Experience

If you want to enjoy slots with free spins to the max, I suggest you play Bonus Buy Slots. These guarantee access to the best part of the slot game. However, proceed with caution. Don’t spend more than you can afford to play. If on the other hand, you want to try your luck, play any slot with free spins and just wait for the right combo of symbols to land. My advice is to look for slots with the best features. For example, free spins that offer increasing multipliers and the possibility of retriggering free spins. These extras give you a chance to maximize your winnings.

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John Bonello
John Bonello
Content Editor Content Editor

With a passion for words, John is always thinking about what to write next. He has over 12 years of experience working with online content and as an Editor at Casinos.com, John makes sure that readers get the latest and most accurate information about the online gambling industry.

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