Free Spins Slots

For those unfamiliar with the concept of free spins slots, this refers to slt games where a bonus round can be triggered awarding any number of free spins. These have become increasinly popular with slots players for the main reason that the potential win during a free spin bonus is, if not unlimited, certainly unknown and potentially huge. The slots vary in terms of how the bonus round is triggered, but usually it is by getting 3 or more scatter symbols in view. The bonus can award anything from 5 to 150 free spins depending on the slot, and more often than not each win is multiplied by a factor between 2 and 10x. Very entertaining and once you’ve found one that works for you, there’s no going back to the old “pick ‘em” style bonus round.

Most 5-reel slots are termed “bonus slots“, meaning that they have a feature, normally triggered by a certain combination of symbols appearing. In standard video slots, these tend to be “pick ‘em” style bonus rounds where the player uses the mouse to reveal hidden prizes. However, a more entertaining bonus round comes in the form of “free spins“, where the player is awarded X spins, normally with multiplied payouts.

For example, the most popular online free spins slot is Thunderstruck, a Microgaming slot which is available at [32Red], [King Neptunes] (USA), [Thunderstruck

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The 50,000 Pyramid is a free spins bonus slot from IGT subsiduary, Wagerworks, with a 95.02% expected return and wild symbol from Wagerworks where you can win up to 40 free spins at 6x multiplier - if you’re lucky! Can’t say I’ve ever had that one but I have had over 30 spins with 4x before now and it can be a rewarding slot. The thing I like most about it is that the bonus round occurs fairly regularly and I’d classify it as a low variance slot, meaning the risk of busting out is lower, but that’s countered by the fact that the wins during normal play are generally quite small.

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The Cleopatra slot (and the newer but streakier Cleopatra 2 slot) from IGT (released originally under the re-branded Wagerworks label) is an authentic online emulation of the Las Vegas classic slot of the same name (manufactured by IGT), but with a 95.02% return - somewhat better than the land casino based versions of the Cleopatra slot machine that’s for sure! All online casinos that licence IGT games are “instant play” flash casinos that run in your browser and boast some of the top English brand names among their licencees (see list at base of page, or right). Cleopatra is one of the most popular slot games not only at these casinos, but at any online casino and is a 5-reel, 20-payline slot with a free spins bonus round.

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Isis is not a slot for the faint-hearted! It’s a high variance slot from Microgaming with a lot of small-paying symbols and the occasional monster, along with a potentially lucrative free spins bonus round offering up to 30 spins at 6x multiplier. The slot was developed in 2005 by Microgaming and has become a real “love it or hate it” slot on the forums. Me? I’m a high variance fan, so I love it - well, like it a lot to be more accurate - but it can be a real bastard at times.

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Aztec’s Treasure is a popular RTG slot, part of their entertaining “Real Series”. It’s a 20-payline 5-reel slot with a Random Jackpot, expanded wild symbol and free spins bonus.  The wild symbol occurs on reels 2, 3 and 4 only and is 3-symbols deep, so you could end up with all paylines covered, or just one. The slot is medium variance, meaning that there’s a reasonable chance of busting out without a big win or the bonus round.

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Aladdin’s Wishes is a low/medium variance (risk) RTG “Real Series” slot - one of 20+ 5-reel slots comprising the Real Series to be found in RTG casino downloads. The Real Series share similar characteristics in that they are mostly 20-paylines (the odd one is 25), 5 reels, have bonus feature rounds (usually triggered by scatters) and each has a Random Jackpot which is awarded, oddly enough, randomly! The bonus is nearly always a free-spins bonus, although in Aladdin, it can vary.

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OK…I confess, I love Hitman. I didn’t think I’d see a day where Microgaming came up with a slot that dragged me away from Thunderstruck on a regular basis, but I was wrong. It took 3 years, but finally they did it. That said, it’s had a mixed opinion on the forums - seems like Hitman is a “love it or hate it” slot, but no points for guessing where I lie. It’s medium-high variance, which suits medium/high rollers better, but that’s why I love it: lots of big win potential among the lean spells.

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The Goldbeard slot is part of RTG’s thoroughly entertaining “Real Series” slots, of which there are some 20 to check out. It is a 5-reel, 20-payline bonus slot where the bonus comprises between 4 and 24 free spins with a 3x multiplier and “extra wild” symbols during the bonus round. The free spins are triggered by the wild symbol appearing on reels 1 and 5, and they come in blocks of 3, so it is possible to have 3 wilds on each of reels 1 and 5 in view.

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Thunderstruck is arguably the most popular online casino slot, has been around since 2004 and has a shade over 95% expected return. It is a 5-reel, 9 payline slot, developed by Microgaming, and is available at all Microgaming powered online casinos, both in the download casino and in the Flash version where available. Interestingly, the Flash version feels “chunkier” and much more playable to me, so I tend to play that version more.

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