Most of the excitement in a modern pokie comes from its features. They are also where most of the game's return is paid, which is why the base game can feel quiet for long stretches. Here is what the common features do.
A wild substitutes for other symbols to complete a winning combination. Variations include expanding wilds (fill the whole reel), sticky wilds (stay in place for several spins), walking wilds (move one reel each spin) and multiplier wilds (multiply any win they are part of).
Scatter symbols pay wherever they land and usually trigger free spins — commonly when three or more appear. Free spins play at the same bet that triggered them, so they cost nothing extra. Many games add something during free spins: extra wilds, rising multipliers or extra reels. Landing more scatters during the round can award more spins (a retrigger).
A multiplier increases a win by a set factor — for example ×2 or ×5. Some games use a global multiplier that grows with every cascade or free spin, which is how high-volatility games reach their biggest payouts.
In cascade games, winning symbols disappear and new symbols drop into their place, which can create another win from the same spin. Cascades often feed a multiplier that grows with each tumble.
Popular in Asian-style and Aussie-style pokies, hold-and-win rounds lock special coin or orb symbols in place and give you a few respins (often three). Each new coin that lands resets the respins. When the round ends, the values on the coins are added up, and filling the whole screen usually wins a grand jackpot.
Some games let you pay a fixed price — often 50 to 100 times your bet — to start the free spins round straight away. It saves time, but it does not make the game more generous: you are paying the average value of the feature up front, and a single bought round can pay back less than its cost. Treat bonus buys as a big single bet and only use them within your budget. Our bonus buy guide goes into the price and the risk in more detail.
Every feature is explained in the game's paytable or help screen: what triggers it, how many spins it gives and what the symbols pay. Spending a minute there before you play means no surprises later. You can find all our studios on the pokies page.
No. Feature free spins play at the bet that triggered them and do not take extra money from your balance.
It is a convenience, not an advantage. You pay the feature's average value up front, and a single bought round can pay less than it cost.
It is the game's maximum win as a multiple of your bet — for example, up to $5,000 on a $1 bet in an x5000 game. Reaching it is very rare.
In many modern pokies a large share of the return is paid during features, so the base game pays less often. This is normal, especially in high-volatility games.
18+ only. Gamble responsibly.