Everything You Need to Know About Bonus Games in Slots

• A slot bonus game, or minigame, is an extra gameplay feature or mode where you can maximize your winnings.
• Many modern slots in land-based casinos and online casinos come with some type of bonus feature if not a full bonus game round.
• The most common types of slot bonus games include free spins, re-spins, picking bonuses, instant wins, and pathway games.

You want to earn extra money at the casino? Slots bonus games give you free chances to maximize your wins. And that makes playing slots all that more fun! Luckily, you can find slots with bonus games in land-based casinos and online casinos.

Let’s explore the world of slots bonus games, including the types of bonus games that exist and where to find slots with bonus games in New Jersey.

What Is a Slots Bonus Game?

Slots bonus games, also known as slots minigames, are additional game rounds or features that let you play for extra prizes, like money, free spins, and special gameplay features.

Generally, you trigger a bonus game by hitting a certain combination of regular symbols or a combination of bonus symbols during the base game (the standard reel screen). You can — and should — review the slot’s paytable to see how the bonus round is triggered, how to play the minigame (if that’s what the bonus entails), and the potential payout for the bonus.

Not all slots bonus games are created equal. Keep in mind these three key features of bonus games in slots when you’re playing next:

• Hit frequency: Too few bonus games may make the slot monotonous, boring, and like the bonus game is irrelevant. Even if the bonus game is super fun and rewarding, it might not be worth playing if it’s so rare. Luckily, most slot makers have figured out how to balance regular gameplay and bonus gameplay so you get the best of both worlds.
• Payout: The main reason you play slots is to win money, so you should want a slots bonus game that actually pays out. Like your regular spins, how much you can win depends on how much you wager. Read the slot machine’s paytable to understand how to maximize your bonus play.
• Playability: The other reason you play slots is to have fun. Some people may find certain bonus games to be too difficult or confusing. Others may find some bonus games to be too simple. It’s all about testing out slot minigames to find out which ones you like and which ones you don’t. You can also find the rules on how to play the slots minigame in the paytable.

Finding a slot with a lucrative and fun bonus game is a great slots strategy that will help you increase your chances of winning.

Types of Slots Bonus Games and Features

Some bonus games and features are separate gameplay modes, while others expand existing gameplay. Here are the most common types of slots bonus games:

Free Spin Bonus

A free spin slots bonus rewards you with a certain number of free spins at your current stake. The best part is that you don’t lose any money when you don’t get a winning combination on a free spin. Hence, the “free” part. Usually, the game automatically plays through the free spins for you.

In some free spin bonus games, you can keep stacking bonus symbols or otherwise score more free spins. However, many other slots with free spin bonuses cap how many free spins you can earn in each round.

Re-Spin Bonus

A re-spin bonus is when you get an extra spin at your current stake for free. Unlike a free spin bonus, though, certain symbols stick while the others spin. For example, you land three bonus symbols to trigger a re-spin bonus. Those three symbols stay put, and the rest of the reels spin. You stack up a few more of those symbols to earn additional winnings.

Picking Bonus

Also known as a pick-me bonus, a picking bonus is a minigame where you pick one or more themed objects — think treasure chests or playing cards — and win the instant prize that the object reveals. Some prizes include instant winnings, a multiplier, or a special symbol that increases your chances of scoring a winning combination. An example: You’re playing an Alice in Wonderland-themed slot and the picking bonus round has you select one of three potion bottles. You “drink” the potion and win 10 free spins.

Generally, if you select an object that doesn’t have a prize, you don’t lose anything! That is, unless the rules of the picking bonus game are to wager part or all of your winnings from that spin to win a prize. For instance, in that Alice in Wonderland game, you instead have to decide whether you want to wager money to pick the “right” potion. You accept the wager and pick a potion — but it’s wrong, and you get “poisoned,” so you lose your wager. Or, you pick the right potion and you grow tall, earning a multiplier on your next five spins.

Instant-Win Bonus

In some slots, the bonus feature just requires you to land multiple bonus symbols to trigger it, and you may just get a cash prize, like a small (or large) jackpot!

Spin the Wheel Bonus

Some slots have a bonus game mode where you have to spin the wheel first to determine what your prize is going to be, and then you play for it, usually through spinning a special slots reel or playing a minigame. Alternatively, the spin-the-wheel bonus could be an instant-win bonus where you simply trigger the wheel, spin, and instantly win that prize.

Pathway Game

A pathway game is a series of minigames that increase the size of your prizes as you go along. If you lose at any point, you’re usually taken back to the main game. But if you make it to the end of the path, you could find yourself winning the biggest jackpot of your life!

Progress Bar

While not an actual bonus game, a progress bar is a bonus feature where scoring certain winning combinations fills up the bar along the side, top, or bottom. When you fill it up all the way, you could trigger a bonus game, a special wilds bonus, or a special gameplay feature. That all depends on the slot.

Wilds Bonus

This isn’t so much a bonus game as much as it is a special bonus feature. If you trigger the right combination of symbols, you can score yourself:

• Expanding wilds
• Colossal symbols
• Exploding symbols
• Walking wilds
• Wild reel
• Multiplier
• Sticky symbols
• Stacked symbols

These bonuses can get tricky, so be sure to read the bonus instructions and paytable before you play.

How to Pick the Best Slots With Bonus Games

One of the best ways to figure out which slot games have the best bonus rounds is to read reviews. We’ve written dozens of lists featuring the best online slots in New Jersey, including movie-themed slots, mythology-themed slots, and holiday-themed slots for Halloween and Christmas. Many of those on our lists feature incredibly fun and rewarding minigames.

Another great way to pick the best slots with bonus games is to play them for yourself. Many online casinos allow you to try a free demo of their slots to determine if you like the game — including all bonus features — so much that you’ll like playing for real money. So head to an online casino to play the slot for free.

Which Online Slots in New Jersey Have Bonus Games?

You can find slots with bonus games at all of the online casinos in New Jersey. Here are some of our favorite slots with bonus minigames and features:

• Teatime Treasures: In this Alice in Wonderland-themed slot, the hookah-smoking caterpillar grows and grows as you spin and drop delicious treats on the board within his reach.
• Magic of the Nile: This Egyptian-themed slot features three progress bars, and when you fill one of them up, you trigger one of three unique wilds features.
• From Dusk Till Dawn: This movie-themed slot has two randomized bonus games, including a spin-the-wheel game.

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen: This TV-themed slot has you in the kitchen with a unique bonus game mode that has you pick one of two teams, and whichever team wins the free spins round, you maximize your own winnings.