
Those games with pots, sometimes they’re all overflowing and there’s still no bonus to be found. Does this mean the bonuses are “frozen?” That’s the question behind this one:
Do you believe in Frozen Bonuses?! What I mean by that is when you build and build and build whatever symbols to get the bonuses to go off and then they never do even after you’ve changed your bet and such!
Michael D.
No, we don’t believe in frozen bonuses. The randomness that comes with slots means there will be the occasional times where bonuses just take a really long time to come out.
We previously shared math a reader calculated around bonus frequency. If a bonus is scheduled to show up on average 1 in 100 spins, the medium would actually be more like 69, but you’d have at least a 1 percent change of going 450 spins without a single bonus – that’s a good chunk of an hour without a single bonus.
On some slot machines the progression of graphics are designed to get to a certain point based on the bonus frequency. Some games will show flaming graphics behind counters or progressives when they are past their average point of hitting, but the time it hits can drift well beyond the average, hence “average.”
Another great example many slot players are familiar with is the maxed out major on many of the Link games where it stops growing at $1,000. Behind the scenes the growth funds the next jackpot. If it grows long enough without being awarded the next one could also be maxed out! It’s rare, but it can happen.
So this isn’t a scenario where the bonus is frozen or the slot simply isn’t able or willing to award it. The chance of that bonus coming out on the next spin is still the same. The thing is averages can be exceeded by a large number just as a bonus can happen back to back.
So ultimately it’s just the law of averages and something not happening for awhile within the randomness of what can happen on a slot.
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I went to MGM because the power went out at home. One of the last games kept hitting about every 10-15 spins. I finally quit because I knew it was going to end. I played one more fire links game before I went home and couldn’t even get my bet back. It just depends on when you sit down at a particular machine.
The type of game can have an impact, as can your timing!