Slot players are drawn to the sense of possibility behind every spin, but also by the exciting features and, of course, those shiny symbols.
Every spin on this social casino game ends with a combination of icons on the reels, and those symbols determine whether you trigger a feature or move into a bonus round. While social casino slots may appear simple, the symbols they are built around influence bonus features, rewards, and general gameplay.
This guide explores:
How slot symbols work
- The main types of symbols you’ll encounter at Pulsz
- Tips to maximize your entertainment
What Are Slot Symbols
Slot symbols are the icons you see displayed on a slot’s reels when you load the game. When matching symbols land according to the game’s rules, they create rewards.
There are two main categories of symbols: standard symbols and special symbols. Standard symbols reward you when enough matching icons land on active winlines. On the other hand, special symbols activate features such as bonus rounds, free spins, multipliers, or respins.
You can find information about the symbols’ values on the slot’s wintable. Before you start playing, be sure to check as it will help you understand Gold Coin (GC) reward potential and bonus frequency, among other rules.
Types of Slot Symbols
Wilds
Wild symbols substitute other regular symbols to form winning combinations. If you land two matching high-value symbols and a wild on the same winline, the wild typically counts as the missing symbol needed to complete a winning combination. This increases the likelihood of landing regular wins, especially in games with many winlines.
There are several variations of wild symbols, including expanding, sticky, and shifting wilds.
- Expanding Wilds: These can cover an entire reel, significantly improving your chances of landing a winning combination.
- Sticky Wilds: Such wild symbols will remain in place for multiple spins, often during free spins rounds.
- Shifting Wild: A shifting or walking wild moves across reels with each spin, potentially creating repeated wins. Some slots also feature multiplier wilds, which come with an attached multiplier value such as x2.
Caption: Three Hot 7s as wild symbol in Hot Triple Sevens online slot
Scatters
Scatter symbols are among the most valuable feature-triggering symbols in slot games. Unlike regular symbols, they do not need to appear on a specific winline to activate a reward. Instead, landing the required number of scatters anywhere on the reels will trigger a bonus feature, which is often free spins.
For example, landing 3 scatters may award 10 free spins, while 4 or 5 could increase the number of spins or add enhanced mechanics like multipliers.
Scatter symbols are often seen as the choice for the biggest Gold Coin potential because bonus rounds typically offer better reward features such as multipliers, sticky wilds, and bonus games. When playing high-volatility slots, you will notice that the scatters may appear less frequently, but when they do, they can unlock large rewards.
Caption: Book as scatter symbol in Book of Sun Choice slot
Bonus Symbols
Bonus symbols activate bonus rounds, which are played separately from the base game. Unlike scatters, bonus symbols sometimes must land in specific reel positions to trigger the feature, and in most slots, this is often on the middle reels.
When you land a specific number of bonus symbols, the slot will transition into an interactive or enhanced mode. This might include pick-and-click games, prize wheels, respin features, or guaranteed rewards. Some bonus rounds offer fixed rewards, while others provide progressive or variable rewards.
In some games, the software developers include bonus features that introduce special mechanics which are not available in the base game, such as guaranteed multipliers, locked reels, or expanding symbol grids.
Additionally, slot machines with the Play the Feature option allow you to automatically trigger the bonus round without waiting to land the bonus symbols by using a set amount of Gold Coins (GC), which is typically a specific multiple of your current play amount, such as 100x.
Caption: Gold Coin as bonus symbol in Buffalo Hold & Win
Multipliers
Multiplier symbols increase rewards by applying a numerical factor to your reward. For example, a 2x multiplier doubles the value of a win, while a 10x multiplier increases it tenfold. These symbols can significantly boost reward potential, especially when combined with high-value symbols or multiple winning lines.
Multipliers appear in different forms. Some are standalone symbols that must land alongside a win to activate, while others are attached to wild symbols, meaning the wild both substitutes and multiplies the winning.
Some new slots also feature progressive multipliers, which activate during the bonus rounds or free spins. In this case, the value of the multiplier increases with every qualifying spin until there are no more winning combinations.
Caption: x2 and x3 multiplier symbols in Alien Fruits slot game
Stacked Symbols
Stacked symbols appear in vertical groups on a reel, covering multiple positions instead of just one. This increases the chance of forming winning combinations, especially in slots with fixed winlines or ways-to-win systems.
When stacked symbols align across adjacent reels, they can create multiple simultaneous winlines with the same symbol. If the stacked symbol is a high-value icon or a wild, the reward potential can increase significantly.
Some slots feature fully stacked reels, where an entire reel is covered by a single symbol. Others use partial stacks that appear randomly during base gameplay. In bonus rounds, stacked symbols may become more frequent, creating large, clustered rewards.
Caption: Pulsz circle as stacked symbol in Pulsz Joker online slot machine
Free Spins
During a free spins symbol round, you can spin the reels without using your GC. The free spins are activated by landing a specific number of scatter symbols. The free spin rounds often come with additional features such as expanding wilds, increasing multipliers, locked reels, or additional scatter retriggers.
Some slots also allow unlimited retriggers if additional free spins symbols land during the feature. Others include escalating multipliers that grow with each spin, and this significantly increases your win potential.
Caption: Free spins symbol in Burning Classics slot game
Collect
Collect symbols are commonly found in games with the Hold and Win feature. In these games, coin symbols may appear with fixed coin values or Grand virtual rewards. When a collect symbol lands on a designated reel, it adds together all visible totals and awards them instantly. This mechanic can produce significant rewards when multiple value symbols appear simultaneously.
During bonus rounds, the collect symbols may repeatedly gather newly added virtual values on each respin. In some games, landing multiple collect symbols multiplies the total collected amount.
Caption: Gold Coin as collect symbol in Immortal Ways Buffalo slot
Tips on How to Maximize Your Slot Fun
When playing slot games, there are a few things you should do to ensure a seamless gaming experience.
- Always check the wintable before playing to understand symbol values and feature triggers.
- Choose games based on volatility. Low volatility games tend to have fewer bonus features compared to high volatility games, but in theory they won’t offer the same gameplay experience.
- Remember that outcomes are determined by an RNG; as such, there is no guarantee that you will land any rewards during your social gaming session.
- Rather than chasing a specific symbol or feature, make sure you’re just playing for fun
Conclusion
Now you can see how slot symbols are the heart of social casino online slots.
They help bring original themes to life, guide the tempo, trigger bonus features and help you spin for engaging rewards.
So next time you play at our social online casino, remember what each symbol does and choose your favorite game accordingly.
Enjoy your spins!
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