Most players are familiar with free spins and how they work, but have you ever found yourself asking what are online slot respins?
While they are similar to free spins in that they are an online slot bonus feature triggered when certain symbols land, they are actually quite different.
To learn more about online slot respins, we spoke with David Little, Co-founder of popular online slot developer Lightning Box Games.
What are Respins in Online Slots
Respins are a type of bonus that are similar but different to free games or free spins.
One key difference is that respins usually involve the holding of one or more reels, or positions on a reel, while the other reels/positions are respun one or more times.
Respin games are very exciting and offer much more anticipation than regular free games, especially if the respins are easily retriggered to continue respinning.
This means players often do not know how many respins they are going to get.
Respins are Triggered by Certain Symbols Landing on the Reels
Online slot respins are usually triggered when a predetermined number of a particular symbol land on the reels, sometimes anywhere and sometimes in specific locations.
This could be two scatter symbols landing anywhere on the reels, or three respin symbols landing on reels one, three and five.
Other popular respin triggers include six bonus symbols landing anywhere on the reels.
An Example of How Online Slot Respins Play Out
Lightning Box Games has been building respins into its games for many years now, and one of its first titles, Serengeti Diamonds, offers a respins bonus.
This is how it is triggered and how it plays out…
To trigger the game’s free spins bonus, players must land five diamond symbols on all five reels.
If the player lands two diamonds on reels one and two the respins feature is triggered and they are given another chance to improve the number of diamonds collected.
This is achieved by holding the reels that contain the diamond symbols – in this case reel one and reel two, and then respinning the other reels – three, four and five – up to three times.
If an additional diamond symbol lands during a respin round, that reel will also be held and the respins counter is reset to three.
If diamond symbols land on all five reels come the end of the respins round, the free spins bonus game is then triggered. If not, players collect their winnings, including those from the respins.
This ramps up the excitement and anticipation for the player as they can feel the free spins round getting closer and closer with each respin – so long as additional diamond symbols land, of course.
Not only do respins allow you to trigger other bonus features such as free spins, they also increase your winnings from the spin that triggered them.
Most free games features trigger simply by landing three or more scatter symbols.
Respins that award more respins if you land a particular symbol are also exciting to players as it gives them more chances than usual to improve their current wins.
There is also something incredibly gripping about the anticipation of improving during a respin bonus.
There are Different Types of Respin Bonus
Most respin features use the “hold and respin” format where a certain symbol and/or reel is held while the other symbols and/or reels are respun a number of times.
The differences in online slot respins come via the position of the symbols on the reels and how they are held, as well as the number of respins awarded.
In Lightning Leopard, for example, the symbol position with a triggering lightning bolt is held while the other symbols on the same reel are respun, as are the reels that do not hold a lightning bolt.
The player’s goal is to collect as many lightning bolt symbols as possible since each lightning bolt will be allocated a prize at the end of the respins feature.
Each additional lightning bolt symbol is held for a while, and also resets the counter to another three respins each time one lands.
In other games, symbols of the same kind are held. They will continue to spin as long as you keep improving by landing a symbol of the same type.
For example, in Lightning Box Games’ Respin Rhino, respins trigger when players get a matching stack of symbols on reels one and five.
Those triggering symbols are held, are changed into another symbol, and then three sets of respins occur. If a wild symbol lands on any of the other reels, it is held and the respins are reset to three.
Three Respins are Usually Awarded
When it comes to the number of respins awarded, it seems that three is the magic number.
It is very typical to award an initial three respins, however this is usually just the beginning of a series of respins.
So long as you keep retriggering, the respins will keep going until you have reached the maximum number of symbols being collected.
There can be differences in respin games where the game pays the winning combinations after each spin but more typically the game pays the total amount collected after respins have finished.
Online Slot Respins are Combined with Other Bonuses
The good news is that online slot respins are often combined with other bonus games to deliver even more big win potential.
Respins are often combined with triggering a number of free games, or respins can be triggered from within free spin bonus rounds.
Some developers also combine respins with wilds and online slot multipliers.
How to Tell If an Online Slot has a Respins Bonus
Respins in online slots are usually the highlight of the game, and developers make players aware if the game has this feature on the loading screen.
This is displayed when you open a game at an online casino or slot site. You can also learn about a slot game’s bonus features in the paytable.
Why Providers Build Respins into Games
Given the potential to help players access the main bonus round of the slot, and to ramp up base game winnings, why do slot developers build respins into their games?
Respins are very exciting bonuses as they can play out over a period of time.
Respins also allow the player to feel getting a great prize is far more achievable since they are usually offered multiple respins in order to work towards collecting more symbols.
In short, slot developers like to create games that deliver fun, entertainment and thrills to players, giving them the chance to not only win but win big and respins a great way of doing this.
This is Why You Should Play Online Slots with Respins
Respins slots are hugely exciting and offer even more anticipation and edge of your seat thrills than slots with standard free spin bonus rounds.
That is because they give you additional chances to land symbols that will unlock other bonus features within the game while also boosting your prize from the triggering spin.
Once triggered, respins are easy to retrigger which means your chances of unlocking an additional bonus or increasing your base game win get better and better.
If you haven’t already, try respins today.
