As the concept of Buy a Bonus on slot machines becomes more commonplace, it’s clear some players don’t necessarily understand its place in the world of slots. For instance, players get disappointed when they win, but don’t win 10x their bet. Is that a reasonable expectation?
In my latest conversation with Matt Bourie of the American Casino Guide Book channel, we discussed this element and some of the things players should know.
For instance, some players don’t realize that buying a bonus is connected to an equivalent bet level on the slot. So for instance, a 1x bet level might be 60 cents in the case of Coin Trio Piggy burst, and the corresponding bonus buy is $35.
The cost is nearly 60x the bet level, so that gives a general idea of how the average bonus returns, although there is the RTP factored in there, so a bit of that purchase will ultimately cover the house edge over time as well.
Speaking of RTP, many players don’t realize the RTP of the buy a bonus is generally the same or nearly the same as the base game as well. But like the base game, it doesn’t guarantee a specific percentage payout on any given bonus (that would be boring). So you can have poorly performing bonus buys, or really good ones (I hit a Major on a bonus buy of that exact Coin Trio version a couple of years ago).
However, picking the right buy a bonus on a slot does generally guarantee some sort of payback. For instance, Coin Trio will always provide coins to begin, and one upgrade to those coins. So a $0 bonus is also out of the question when you pick a bonus buy – the same can’t be said for an individual spin, or even set of spins, on a slot machine’s base game.
Finally, because you’re buying a bonus based on the bonus’ average payout, big multiples of your bet on buy a bonus are going to be rare. When you land a bonus on that 60 cent bet and win the Major, it can be 1,000x or more your bet. When I won it on my $35 buy a bonus, it was closer to 27x my bet.
There’s a lot more in the conversation, and we hope you find it helpful. If you enjoy buying bonuses, share which slot you enjoy buying a bonus most! If you don’t like it, share what keeps you away from the feature.
