Understanding Wilds In Online Slots: How Do Wilds Work?
Wild symbols have become synonymous with slots since the classic 3-reel version of the game first took off. Most online slot players will know certain symbols trigger exciting bonuses and in most cases, this can boost your winnings significantly.
As new casino sites continue to innovate and offer more immersive video slots, so too has the humble wild developed. There are now a multitude of different wilds that feature in a host of classic and new slots, and if you’re lucky enough to land any and create a winning combination, you’ll want to know all about them.
From stacked to multipliers, here’s our guide to understanding wilds in online slots:
Stacked wilds
Usually appearing vertically across single reels, stacked wilds are a positive sign that victory is imminent. As the name suggests, these wilds land on top of one another, which then proceeds to create a section of wilds on the same reel.
Stacked wilds can hit multiple pay lines per spin, which significantly enhances your chances of winning.
Expanding wilds
Expanding wilds usually work in conjunction with stacked wilds, with the aim of expanding their use across the reel. These are triggered when a high number of wilds are spread across reels-more coverage leads to more winning combinations.
Expanding wilds are one of the most popular features at free bonus slot sites, so a full understanding of how they work will help you to take full advantage when they appear.
Sticky wilds
When you land a sticky wild, it’s going nowhere until after the next spin. While they don’t increase your chances of creating a winning payline in a single spin, you can hang your hat on them being there for several spins, which means that they are likely to come in useful at some point.
Overlay wilds
Overlay wilds tend to appear randomly at the end of spins. They don’t usually sit on top of regular wilds to create stacked wilds, however, they do appear in a stacked formation whilst landing on reels to replace other symbols.
These are prominent features on many of the latest NetEnt slots including their new Guns n Roses slot game, where wild overlays come in the shape of a cross, and take up five symbols on rows two, three and four.
Multiplier Wilds
Keep your fingers crossed that you spin a bunch of these because they really could propel your winnings into the stratosphere. Multipliers can overlap with any of the other wilds mentioned above and, as the name suggests, winnings will be multiplied.
Some slots sites reserve multiplier wilds for the base game whilst at other places you’ll find that multipliers don’t appear until a bonus round has been activated.
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