Slot players are certain to know what free spins are, after all, free spins first surfaced on various slots and made their way from there to the general online casino folklore. A free spin round is a kind of a bonus round offered by most modern 5-reel slots, which gives players the possibility to get in several spins without actually wagering any money of their own on them. Nonetheless, the winnings accumulated through these free spins are as real as possible indeed.

Even seasoned slots players may have a few questions about the freespins round, so we’ll try to explain everything linked to these bonus rounds as thoroughly as possible. First of all: if the player doesn’t wager on the free spins, how does he get his payouts? What makes the basis for his wins? The answer: the amount of money he wagered on the spin which triggered the free spins round.

How is a free spins round triggered? Through scatter symbols of course. Take the Cleopatra’s Gold RTG slot for instance: In order to trigger the freespins round, players need to get 3 or more pyramid (scatter) symbols on the reels. When they do, the freespins round gets underway.

Free spins rounds are characterized by two variables: the number of freespins and the multiplier. There are slots out there which determine the number of spins as well as the multiplier according to the number of scatter symbols which triggered the round.

There are also slots out there which determine the free spin number and the multiplier through a game played on a second screen. Such games add further depth to the action by complicating the bonus round and making it more interesting at the same time.

Still other games allow players to choose the combination of multiplier/free spin number from a predetermined list. Those looking for Microgaming free spins will find such a list in the Pedal Power slot machine.

Most slots allow players to re-trigger the free spins round. What this means it that if during the free spins round, the right combination of scatter symbols shows up on the reel yet again, the round is re-triggered the same way it would be if the combination occurred during a regular spin.

There are different ways to re-trigger bonus rounds too, as slots makers get ever more creative in this respect too.

Some online casinos out there use free spins to lure players to their tables. Thus, free spins have gained a sign-up bonus-like status. Newly launched slots (like Scarface) will often feature a sign-up bonus as well as a set number of free spins sprinkled on top of the offer. Of course, the best combination of incentives is the free spins no deposit casino one. Such casinos give their players free money to play with and they season the deal with a number of free spins too. Of course, no deposit bonuses as well as the money won through the free spins have to be redeemed according to the play-through requirements of the online casino.