Slot bonus features explained: hold and spin, sticky wilds and more

Many persistent-state machines are built from a small set of recurring features. Here is what each one means, in plain terms.

Wild features

• Sticky wild: a wild that stays in place for one or more extra spins after it lands.
• Expanding wild: a wild that grows to cover more of its reel, sometimes over several spins.
• Moving wild: a wild that shifts position each spin, such as a bubble floating up a row, and stays wild until it leaves the screen.
• Wild reel: a whole reel that turns wild, usually for a set number of spins.
• Locked frame: a reel position marked by a frame that stays between spins and later changes the symbol under it, for example turning it wild.

Prize and bonus features

• Hold and spin: a bonus where coins lock in place and you get a few respins to land more, with each new coin resetting the count.
• Collect symbol: a symbol that gathers the credit prizes showing on screen and pays them out.
• Credit prize: a credit value printed on a symbol, coin or bubble, paid when it is collected or its feature triggers.
• Pot: an on-screen container that fills with coins or credits and pays out when it triggers.
• Jackpot tiers: the labelled prizes on a machine, usually Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. Some are fixed amounts; others are progressives.
• Free games meter: a meter that fills toward a free games bonus. When it keeps its progress between players, it's a state worth reading.
• Reel meter: a small meter above one reel, such as a coin holder, that turns that reel wild or triggers a feature on it when full.

Counters, cycles and multipliers

• Spin counter: a countdown of how many spins a feature has left before it pays, resets or ends.
• Spin cycle: a game that runs in a fixed cycle of spins, often ten, building something during the cycle and paying it on the last spin.
• Winning streak: a feature that counts consecutive winning spins and awards a bonus once the streak is long enough.
• Multiplier: multiplies a win. A persistent multiplier stays active for a set number of spins.
• Scatter: a symbol that pays or triggers a feature wherever it lands, not just on a payline.

Knowing what a feature is does not tell you whether a machine is worth playing. That depends on the machine's state, which is what each guide covers.

Advantage play carries real financial risk. Nothing here is a guarantee of profit.