A lot of people have reacted the same way when they first played a Megaways slot. The first time you load a Megaways slot, you probably thought something was wrong. A single spin may show 2 symbols on the first reel and 7 on the second; the little counter at the top may say 3,600 ways to win; and the next spin will jump to over 50,000. You might think the game is malfunctioning or that it’s a completely random mess. But it isn’t. Once you realize that, the rest of the math becomes a predictable puzzle you can solve.
That’s what this article is going to walk you through. We’ll go through how Megaways slots work from the reels up; we’ll discuss how the free spins rounds on these games function and how they differ from other types of free spins bonus rounds; and finally, we’ll talk about what all of that means for your bankroll. Before you press spin, we’re going to help you understand exactly how these games work.
One idea everything else depends upon
Traditional slot machines have fixed payline options. For example, Ten paylines, twenty paylines, etc… And they never change. With Megaways slots, the developer threw that model out the window. Instead, each reel displays a random number of symbols every spin (usually between 2-7), and the number of possible ways to win is simply those height values multiplied together.
For instance, let’s assume our six reels display heights of 2, 3, 4, 3, 5 and 2. To calculate the total number of possible combinations, we would multiply each height together. Therefore, the total number of ways would be 2 * 3 * 4 * 3 * 5 * 2 = 720 ways. And if all six reels were filled to the brim with seven symbols apiece, then we’d have 7^6 (or seven raised to the sixth power) or approximately 117,649 possible combinations. This is where the “up to 117,649 ways” label originated from. It’s not just marketing hype – it represents the upper limit of a mathematical operation.
When matching symbols land next to one another across adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel, wins occur and pay out accordingly. The position of each symbol within a reel doesn’t affect the outcome – three cherries on reels one, two and three count as a win whether they sit at the top, middle or bottom of their respective reels. When a reel features two identical symbols, the combination occurs twice. Consequently, a large win can feel unexpectedly liberal compared to a mid-value symbol on a reel featuring multiple tall symbols.
New players frequently miss: more ways doesn’t equal more money per spin
Symbols on longer reels are proportionately smaller due to increased spacing between symbols. As such, although more ways create more possibilities for wins, they do not inherently increase payouts per spin. The payout table is adjusted for this purpose to ensure the average return to player percentage (RTP%) remains constant despite more ways. What changes is how often various-sized wins occur. Most Megaways games produce numerous low-winning combinations along with fewer huge wins. Therein lies the concept of volatility, and it’s arguably the single most important term to grasp prior to attempting to play a Megaways game.
Background & developers
Big Time Gaming developed and licenses Megaways technology. Big Time Gaming is an Australian-based development company that created Bonanza. While Bonanza technically wasn’t the initial title to utilize Megaways engine technology, it certainly popularized the concept and is now generally considered to be the blueprint for all subsequent Megaways titles.
Bonanza features six primary reels plus an additional horizontal reel located above the central four reels of the game. The horizontal reel adds four additional symbol positions on each spin and significantly increases the possible ways to win. Due to licensing agreements with Big Time Gaming, numerous other developers have created Megaways versions of their titles. Examples include Pragmatic Play’s The Dog House Megaways (which takes elements from their previously successful title and adapts it using Megaways reels), Big Time Gaming’s Extra Chili Megaways (which builds upon Bonanza’s formula but incorporates a gamble option in addition to its free spins entry).
If you come across “megaways” associated with a particular game title, you can likely expect a variable reel system; however, free spins round will be structured differently depending on individual game design.
Additional components added above variable reel system
Variable reels form the core element of all megaways slots. However virtually all titles incorporate additional components to enhance overall player experience. These secondary elements determine how sessions will ultimately feel.
Reactions / cascading wins / tumbling reels
Regardless of what a provider labels this feature (Big Time Gaming refers to it as reactions, others refer to it as cascading wins or tumbling reels), essentially when a player lands a win, all winning symbols disappear, the remaining symbols drop downwards and new symbols fall into place from above. If the resulting configuration generates another win, this process repeats until no further wins are generated. Essentially one paid spin can generate multiple wins consecutively without requiring manual input from the player.
Since the cascading wins mechanism in megaways slots affects reel heights in some cases (and subsequently modifies the number of ways), this feature plays a key role in generating large jackpot potential.
Top reel
Above reels two through five exists an auxiliary horizontal reel in Bonanza and many other Big Time Gaming titles. This vertical section includes four additional slot positions for symbols and is where wilds and scatters most commonly appear. Although easy to overlook, this auxiliary section is responsible for creating larger-than-average wins more frequently than expected given visual evidence.
Mystery symbols/modifiers
Depending on individual game design, some Megaways slots introduce mystery symbols, which are replaced randomly by a single symbol type throughout the entire round, or reel-level modifiers, which freeze selected reels at maximum height for one spin. As each megaways title differs significantly from others regarding mystery symbols/modifiers, i recommend opening each pay table individually and reviewing it briefly before proceeding.
Functionality of free spins round on Megaways slots
As mentioned earlier, free spins bonuses account for nearly all earnings produced by players in megaways titles. Since free spins rounds offer the greatest potential rewards, this area warrants special emphasis.
To access free spins bonuses on most megaways slots, a minimum number of scatter symbols must be landed on a single spin (typically three). Most slots follow similar structures for entering free spins rounds where four scatter symbols award twelve free spins and additional scatter symbols reward more spins or improve starting conditions.
Once entered into a free spins round, most megaways titles operate using a progressive multiplier (often unbounded); in Bonanza, each cascade increases the win multiplier by one for the duration of the round; and importantly, this multiplier does not reset between each spin.
Therefore, if a player experiences a series of cascades early in a free spins round that result in significant multipliers (e.g., five spins in row yielding a x9 multiplier), all subsequent winnings will be awarded at substantially greater multipliers (i.e., 45x or 54x) than would otherwise be earned.
Return to player percentage (RTP%), volatility & interpreting numbers
Most megaways slots report RTP percentages ranging between 95% and 97%. Many casinos provide alternative RTP percentages for the same Megaways slot, so be sure to consult the info screen for details on the exact version you’re currently playing. An RTP of 96%, therefore, indicates that theoretically, over millions of spins (the game will), it will return approximately ninety-six percent of funds placed into it.
While this may seem relevant over thousands of spins (as in an extended period of gameplay), it provides relatively little insight into actual gaming results over shorter periods (such as hundreds of spins).
Few new players understand how much of their overall RTP comes from their free spins rounds
High-volatility free spins rounds contain significantly higher amounts of RTP than their base game counterparts. Thus, many developers distribute RTP values unequally among their bonus features – i.e., roughly thirty percent or more of the total RTP in high-volatility bonus rounds is contained within those rounds themselves. Therefore, base games gradually consume player balances while awaiting payment from the bonus round.
Trigger frequency & average rate of bonus entry
Another piece of information critical for understanding your expectations is average trigger frequencies for bonus rounds. Trigger frequencies vary widely among different Megaways titles; nevertheless, averages generally hover between roughly one hundred fifty (150) and five hundred (500) spins on average. Trigger frequencies are averaged; thus, triggers can arrive much more sporadically than indicated by average rates – e.g., I’ve seen streaks of up to seven hundred seventy-five (775) consecutive spins with no bonus entry on a title intended to deliver one approximately every two hundred fifty (250) spins.
Hit rates for any win are typically much higher than bonus triggers
Due to this disparity between bonus triggers and general hit rates for any winning combination – as well as differences between game designs – your megaways slot will likely feel active while your bankroll dwindles.
Will free spins always produce winnings?
No! A bonus round can also lose money! Some players have experienced losing rounds that rewarded them only five or Ten times their bet amount.
Bonus buy vs free spins triggers
Whether you opt for bonus buy or free-spins triggers largely depends on how you prefer your volatility distributed throughout your session. Both options grant you direct access to your free-spins round; however, bonus buy eliminates waiting time.
While bonus-buy doesn’t necessarily modify RTP values (some titles list bonus-buy RTP values slightly lower than base-game RTP values), they do drastically alter volatility-per-session – e.g., at a cost of $100 per buy on a $200-unit budget, two rounds will eat away almost half your bankroll.
Additionally, many jurisdictions prohibit bonus-buy, notably the UK; thus, do not expect bonus-buy buttons to be available.
Honest take on whether bonus-buy is worth purchasing:
Bonus-buy is only worthwhile if your session bankroll sufficiently supports purchasing Ten+ rounds; additionally, you must consider your expectations as purely entertainment-related rather than attempting to pursue profitability. Otherwise, you’re merely flipping a weighted coin multiple times.
Commonly Asked Questions
Which free spins bonus pays best?
Unfortunately, there is no single correct answer since payout potential and reliability are inversely related. Unlimited multiplier rounds such as those present in most Megaways titles offer potentially higher ceilings than expanding-symbol rounds present in Book of Dead-style free spins rounds; however, expanding-symbol rounds tend to offer more consistent returns yet never exceptionally large returns either. Consider choosing based on your desired level of risk tolerance.
Are free spins rounds with multipliers better?
Generally speaking yes; however with greater potential comes greater risk. An unlimited multiplier round can create massive returns if players experience sufficient cascades early on; conversely, limited-multiplier rounds will result in poor returns if players fail to achieve early cascades.
What does unlimited multiplier mean during free spins rounds?
An unlimited multiplier is a multiplier that has no ceiling and continues to grow throughout each round as each reaction/cascade produces another increment of the multiplier for the remainder of said round; whereas previous examples demonstrate that multipliers reset between each round/spin. Classic representation can be found in Bonanza as each reaction increases the multiplier by one for all subsequent rounds/spins.
Are sticky wilds good in free-spins-rounds?
Sticky wilds are ideal for increasing odds towards achieving larger wins as each added wild enhances subsequent opportunities for success. Conversely, sticky wilds represent potential drawbacks, as failure to secure numerous wilds during an early portion of the round could lead to disappointing losses.
Can free spins be retriggered? How do retriggers work?
Retriggers exist in most Megaways games. Provided enough scatter symbols appear during a free-spins round, more free spins will be added to the current count. Given that most games employing a progressive multiplier feature, retriggers become especially desirable as additional free-spins inherited their pre-existing multiplier(s).
Does having more free spins necessarily translate into larger payouts?
No. Additional spins provide greater opportunity for multipliers to accumulate (assuming you land quality wilds/scatter symbols) and/or greater probability of landing premium symbols which increase average payouts; nonetheless, longer runs can still yield disappointing returns.
Does feature buy change RTP values?
At times yes. Some titles list slightly different RTP values for feature buys; occasionally slightly higher, whereas in contrast to the aforementioned difference being negligible, what truly matters is how many feature buys your bankroll can support prior to depletion.
Difference between free spins & respin
Respin typically represents a singular replay of reels with one or more symbols frozen in place- usually representative of hold-and-win/cash collect styles – whereas free spins represent discrete bonus rounds consisting of multiple replays with possibly modified rulesets/additional modifiers.
