The Origin of the Wild Symbol And How It Continues To Evolve
The Wild Symbol in just about every slot game you play represents a substitution for all other game symbols to help complete winning combinations.
Even though there isn’t any real strategy involved in playing a slot game… it is a game of chance…. It is still always a really good idea to know the rules of the game, how to control certain aspects, like how to raise and lower your bets…where to see your active paylines if applicable in the slot game you are playing, the denominations of coins and which one suits you… understand what the game symbols represent, and what they mean to you as they fall into their places after each spin completes.
You should also check to see whether your chosen game is a jackpot slot game, and as I am sure you already know…if you choose to play a progressive jackpot slot game,. You should always, always, always wager the maximum coins!
It is important to note there are terms and conditions that apply to your bonus, it is very important for you to read them so that if you win you will be able to withdraw your winnings…
OK…that is really all there is to it for any strategy involved playing a slot game…mostly just common sense!
If you are like I am, you prefer to play a slot game with bonus features, wilds, and scatters. I also prefer that my wild symbol in a game has multipliers when it substitutes another symbol to complete a winning combination… so for instance if only one appears in a winning combination there is a 2X the regular payout, but if two happen to appear in a winning combination there is a 4X the regular payout…and so on.
Of course you need to familiarize yourself with the symbols in the game you are playing, like which symbol is the wild, and if there are scatter symbols you should know which ones they are and what happens at any point in the game when they trigger something like a bonus round, or possibly some free spins. The basic premise for having wild symbols and scatter symbols in the game is that there are more possibilities of winning with their inclusion, which adds an extra element of excitement to the gameplay for you.
The introduction of wild and scatter symbols was to allow players more chances of winning, which adds to the thrill of the game. In most of the games with wild and scatter symbols, the only symbol the wild can’t replace is the scatter symbol, which as its name suggests, can be scattered anywhere on the reels to payout, or produce a win. The bonus symbols in the games are usually only found in the video slots and not in the classic slots…as a rule. The bonus symbol represents the bonus feature that it triggers, and is usually a symbol in line with the theme of the game.
Modern Video Slots
The nature of slot machines today has undergone a dramatic transformation, as technology continues to advance. Slot games are no longer mechanical in design, they are all digital. They have much more in common with the video games these days than before…the images on the reels are no longer static, as they burst into life on a digital screen when winning combinations occur. Many slots games that are based on a movie or television show have clips from the show included.
The function of the wild symbol in slot games today has evolved to set the stage for the game, and the symbol itself has changed in that based on the theme of the game it represents, it is usually the logo.
Another exciting aspect of the wild is its use as a multiplier. Many online slots contain wilds that multiply any winning combinations that are formed with the use of wilds. When more than one wild is used to form the winning combination, the multipliers will be added to each other and this usually entails major wins for the player.
The evolution of the wild can most clearly be seen in the context of slot machines’ bonus rounds. The scatter symbol is most often used to trigger second screen bonus rounds and free spins rounds, but some slots also use the wild symbol for this purpose. Many second screen bonus games are characterized by special varieties of wilds, such as stacked wilds, expanding wilds, trailing wilds, random wilds and many more. These types of wilds are discussed in more detail below.
Stacked Wilds
Stacked wilds refer to a group of wilds that are stacked on top of each other and cling to each when the reels spin. Stacked wilds could potentially turn the entire reel wild and in slot games that add multipliers to wild winning combinations, stacked wilds provide some serious wins. Examples of slot machines that make use of stacked wilds include Deck the Halls, Girls with Guns, Break Away and Lucky Witch, which are all designed and developed by Microgaming Technologies.
Expanding Wilds
Expanding wilds feature in various video slots’ second screen bonus games. As the name suggests, expanding wilds stretch out to turn other icons on the reels wild too. Often entire reels turn wild with games that make use of expanding wilds. The Dark Knight Rises, Girls with Guns, Playboy and many other slots employ this variety of wilds.
Trailing Wilds
Trailing wilds are in a sense similar to expanding wilds and refer to wilds that leave a visible trail when the reels spin; if this trail touches other symbols it sometimes turns them wild too. In addition to the types of wild described above, there are many other types of wilds and casino software companies continue to introduce new varieties of wilds that are unique to specific slots.
In the Dark Knight Rises, for example, the Batman bonus stage features heat seeking wilds. These wilds can split in two, causing winning combinations made up of 6 of a kind.
In Immortal Romance, during Sarah’s bonus round, the Wild Vine feature mimics the function of wilds: players can select an icon that then functions as a wild and serves as a substitute for other symbols during the bonus round.
Are Wilds Found in Low or High Variance Games?
The answer to this question is that wilds form part of slot machines that offer both high and low variance. Wild symbols increase players’ chances of forming winning combinations and as such, some slot machines that feature wilds are low variance. Low variance slot games seldom provide players with major jackpots, but players can expect to make many small wins regularly.
High variance games, on the other hand, do not offer regular small wins, but when you do hit a jackpot, it is usually much larger than the jackpot found on low variance games. Slot machines that add multipliers to wild winning combinations often pay out huge sums of money when the jackpots are hit and are thus high variance. The Dark Knight Rises is such an example, where the possibility of landing a 6 of a kind winning combination means the player can bank on a major jackpot.
Which Wild Do You Prefer?
If you want to play slot machines that feature wild symbols at an online casino it may be a good idea to play a few games in the demo mode before you play for real money. Playing in the free mode gives you the chance to learn the rules of the game and to test out different slot games and see what type of bonus features you prefer.
If you are playing a casino game that makes use of wilds, scrutinize the paytable before you start to play and find out whether winning combinations formed with wilds are multiplied and what function the wild symbol plays in additional bonus games.
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When the Wild Symbol completes a winning combination the payout is 2X the regular payout…more than one wild completing a winning combination remains at 2X.
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