A Beginner’s Guide to Online Pokie Bonus Features
Last Updated: 21 September 2025
If you’re new to the world of online pokies, you might hear terms like “Wilds,” “Scatters,” and “Free Spins” and wonder what they all mean. These are bonus features, and they are the secret ingredients that make modern online pokies so exciting. They break up the standard gameplay of spinning reels and offer the best chances to score big wins. This guide will explain the most common bonus features you’ll encounter.
Understanding these core features is the first step to becoming a savvy player. To learn about all aspects of these games, from paylines to RTP, be sure to read our Ultimate Guide to Online Pokies in NZ.
What Are Bonus Features?
A bonus feature is any special mechanic or round within a pokie that goes beyond the basic spinning reels. These are triggered by landing specific combinations of symbols and are designed to increase both the excitement and your potential winnings.
The Most Common Pokie Features
While developers are always inventing new mechanics, most bonus features are built around a few key concepts that you’ll see time and time again.
Wild Symbols
Think of a Wild symbol as the joker in a deck of cards. Its primary job is to substitute for any other standard symbol on the reels to help you form a winning combination. For example, if you have two matching symbols and a Wild on a payline, the Wild will act as the third symbol to secure you a win. There are also special types of Wilds:
- Expanding Wilds: These stretch to cover the entire reel they land on.
- Sticky Wilds: These remain in place for one or more subsequent spins.
Scatter Symbols
Scatter symbols are special because they usually don’t need to land on a specific payline to be effective. Landing a certain number of them (typically three or more) anywhere on the reels is often the key to unlocking a game’s main bonus round, such as Free Spins.
Free Spins
This is one of the most popular and sought-after bonus features. When you trigger a Free Spins round, you are awarded a set number of spins that you don’t have to pay for. Your bet level from the triggering spin is used for the duration of the round. Often, these rounds come with added extras like multipliers to make the wins even bigger.
Multipliers
A multiplier does exactly what its name suggests: it multiplies your winnings. It can appear as a standalone symbol or be part of a bonus feature (like in a Free Spins round). A 2x multiplier will double your win, a 3x multiplier will triple it, and so on. They are one of the quickest ways to turn a small win into a significant payout.
Bonus Games
Many pokies feature a “game within a game,” known as a bonus game. This can be anything from a simple “pick and click” round where you select from hidden symbols to reveal cash prizes, to more elaborate, multi-level interactive games. These rounds offer a fun break from the main game and often hold the key to the pokie’s jackpot.