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How feature-round terms are used
Free spins, hold and win, cascades, Megaways — the same words are used differently by different studios.
"Free spins" is not one format
Free spins means a round that runs without an additional stake, but what happens inside varies completely. Some games reuse the base reels; others swap the symbol set. Some accumulate a multiplier across the round; others reset it every spin.
"Has free spins" therefore distinguishes almost nothing. The details that matter are the count, whether it retriggers, whether a multiplier persists, and whether the reel composition changes.
Hold and win, link, respin
Hold-and-win formats lock special symbols in place and respin only the remaining positions. Each new locked symbol resets a respin counter, and the round ends when the counter reaches zero. Studios name it differently — "Link & Win", "Hold the Jackpot", "Respin" — but the structure is the same family.
What to check here is what happens when the grid fills completely, and whether the values attached to locked symbols can change mid-round. Those two rules define the round's character.
Cascades are repeated evaluation inside one round
Cascades — also called tumbles or avalanches — clear the symbols used in a payout and drop new ones into those positions. One round can therefore contain several sequential evaluations, each with a fresh random layout.
A misreading shows up here: a run of consecutive cascades looks like momentum, but each refill is generated independently of the last. Cascade games often raise a multiplier with each consecutive step, and that is a rule the game applies — not a change in the underlying chances.
Megaways and its variants
Megaways is a licensed format in which reel heights vary per spin, commonly quoted at up to 117,649 combinations. Similar variable-reel formats exist under other names, such as Microgaming's Maxways.
Again: 117,649 counts combinations, not probability. As the number of combinations rises, each one accounts for proportionally less, and the paytable still decides what qualifies. Not reading the large number as a performance figure is most of what it takes to understand the format.
Bonus-buy labelling
Some games offer an option to start the feature round immediately, and it is unavailable in certain markets. Studios frequently do not publish the price, which is why it is usually absent from the game data here.
Whether the option exists is part of the game's structure and is described as such; the price, and any expected value derived from it, is not written down without a published source.
Terms used here
- Free spins
- A round played without an additional stake; internal rules vary by game.
- Hold and win
- A format that locks special symbols and respins the remaining positions.
- Cascade
- Symbols used in a payout clear and are replaced by new ones.
- Megaways
- A licensed format in which reel heights change each spin.
- Bonus buy
- An option to start the feature round immediately; not offered in every market.