Today’s question is a two parter and sounds a bit like a comedian setting up a joke. Did you ever notice…
1. Did you ever notice when you get the hold and spin bonus, you NEVER see that last coin in the window? Why is that? To me, it makes it impossible to get the big jackpot if the coin doesn’t even show up in any last window to fill the screen?
2. Ever notice on those slots bonuses where you pick and ALL you get is either MINI or MINOR and the others are NEVER REVEALED so you can see where the jackpot was if it ever was there.
Rose
We’ve noticed, Rose! In fact, we’ve talked about this on the site in the past, but we’re happy to review here for those who have noticed, and missed our previous coverage on the topic.
Both of these design decisions are actually a bit of transparency as to how the bonus works. Here’s what we mean.
When a hold and spin bonus has a design where one slot is seemingly empty, it’s showing you the difficulty in securing the full board that is required to get the Grand jackpot. There’s a coin in there, but it’s a realllllllly long reel with a very difficult chance to land that coin.
That’s why if you watch some players (not all) who win the grand, they will see that space get filled with a coin before they fill the rest of the board.
We shared the example of Brian and playing Buffalo Link. He filled the difficult space before landing the Grand jackpot. Does filling that space guarantee a Grand jackpot? Absolutely not – we’ve all seen that getting the other spaces filled, even with one difficult one, is not a guarantee. But your odds improve dramatically once that happens.
And, as it turns out, because the timing of your button press determines what lands, theoretically any bonus could become a Grand jackpot winner, however remote – it’s not decided upfront.
The same can’t be said for those picking bonuses. The reason why the other coins or picking options aren’t revealed are because it’s known as a predetermined bonus. When you trigger it, it’s already decided which jackpot you’ll win. And of course the majority of the distribution will be Minis and Minors, but those Majors and Grands are certainly in there.
So ultimately what you’re spotting are intentional design choices that convey a bit of information to players about how the bonus works. Your picking isn’t what got you the Mini – your pressping “spin” at the right moment did. That empty space on the hold and spin bonus is the reminder those Grands are hard to hit… but getting a prize in that spot can put you one step closer to it.
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I try and explain this to many people they don’t or don’t want to believe this . Many still think there is an OZ behind the curtain changing who wins
The Oz behind the curtain analogy is a really good one, Lezlie!