It is pretty much a universal truth in pokies: everybody loves free spins. There’s nothing like earning some free plays on a poker machine, and the more you get, the better. In fact, this is a case where there’s no such thing as too much of a good thing: nobody will ever complain about getting more chance to win prizes without having to put coins into a machine.
That’s what makes retriggering free spins such a popular and exciting feature. In bonus rounds that include this feature, it is theoretically possible for the free spins to keep on coming at any time, maximizing your winning chances before you head back into normal play.
Retriggering free spins is a feature that is a part of a standard free spins game. If a poker machine is said to have retriggering free spins, it simply means that you’ll have the chance to earn more free spins while playing in the free spins bonus round. Pokes differ on whether they set limits on the number of free spins you can trigger in this matter; if there is a limit, it is usually so high that it would be nearly impossible to hit it.
To understand how retriggering free spins work, you first have to understand standard free spins. Most online pokies have some sort of free spins feature, which can usually be triggered from the main game by hitting a particular combination of special symbols. The most common way to do it is through the scatter symbol; it is very common to need to hit three or more scatters in order to earn free spins, with more scatters sometimes giving players extra spins.
On most machines, all free spins are played for the stakes of the triggering spin: for instance, if you play nine paylines for one coin each, every free spin will also be played with nine active paylines for one coin each. Many free spins games come with extra bonuses for the player, such as a multiplier on your winnings, extra wild symbols, or some other perk.
Once the free spins start, players can just sit back, relax, and watch the wins roll in. Most free spins games will tell you exactly how many spins you get at the start of the feature, with a counter counting down to zero, when the feature will end.
However, retriggering free spins change this formula somewhat. In games where free spins can be retriggered, it is possible to add additional free spins to your counter even during the feature itself. Often, this is done by hitting the same symbols combinations that triggered the free spins in the first place.
Many games that offer players free spins also allow them to be retriggered, but whether retriggering is possible and how it is done will vary wildly from pokie to pokie.
One great example of a game that does include retriggering is the NetEnt poker machine known as Dead or Alive. In this game, players can active a bonus round by hitting three or more scatter symbols on a single spin. When this happens, the player is rewarded with 12 free spins.
During the free spins round, players can hit special sticky wild symbols that will hold their positions from the time they are hit until the end of the feature. As an added bonus, every sticky wild that is hit will retrigger the free spins, adding five more spins to your total.
This and other retriggering features offer players a great way to keep winning without having to pay to play. If you enjoy getting more value out of your free spins games, choosing an online poker machine with a retriggering free spins feature is a great option!