Is It Worth Buying a Bonus Round in Slots with a Bonus Buy Feature?
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Typography
What Is a “Bonus Buy” Slot?
Let's start with the basics first. Almost every slot machine has a bonus round: this allows you to take advantage of a feature for free and win real money. The most common example is the “free spins” round. Usually, when you place three scatter symbols anywhere, you are entitled to a certain number of spins for free. This number can be 15, 20, 50, 100, or even higher. The corresponding number of spins is completed automatically, and when they finish, if you have won something, it will be added to your balance.
Apart from free spins, there are other types of bonus rounds, too: you can trigger a mini-game or be asked to play a simple memory game. Whatever the type is, the bonus round only starts when a certain combination of symbols is placed, and when that happens depends on luck. It can happen after the first 10 spins or after the first 100 spins. since all spin results are random, there is no way of knowing exactly when it will happen.
Feature buy games also have bonus rounds, and they can still be activated by placing certain symbols on the screen. However, there is an additional option: by paying a certain amount, it is possible to start the bonus round at any time. You can do this as long as you want and as long as you have enough money, so there are no restrictions in that regard. If you can afford it, you can even play with just the bonus round.
Is It Worth Using This Feature?
To answer this question, we need some data. We must know how much we have to spend to activate the bonus round normally. If we know this, we can draw a conclusion by comparing it with the cost of the purchase feature. The thing is, finding this type of data can be quite difficult.
However, we can make a general assessment. It is impossible to know when the bonus round will start in a slot game, but you can expect it to happen after a certain number of spins. This is called "hit frequency" and is different from the RTP value. The hit frequency determines the average number of spins that are required to trigger the bonus round, and the game developers do not share this data. Each slot has a different hit frequency, and you have to play for a long time to find it. Even in this case, you can only make a general estimate. However, we can say that you can activate a bonus round every 75 spins on average in any game. This is a general assessment, but enough to get an idea.
The amount of money you will have to pay to purchase the bonus feature is also different in each game. However, we can say that the average value is 100 times the stake. When calculating specific to a particular game, you must use the actual price: we will only use the number 100 as an average value.
So, we have the data to determine if it's worth using the bonus buy feature. let's move on to the calculation.
- Let's say the bet of the game you are playing is 0.50 EUR/USD per spin.
- Since you can activate the bonus round after an average of 75 spins, you will be able to start it normally after spending 37.50 EUR/USD (0.50 x 75).
- Buying the feature will cost 50 EUR/USD (0.50 x 100)
- So, using the bonus buy feature is not such a good idea in the long run.
Average Values May Mislead Us
The problem is that we are using very generic values. Everything depends on luck in the slots, and you may need to spin more than 100 to activate the bonus round. The number 75 we used above is an average value, not a guarantee. The actual figure in a particular game may be higher than that. In this case, it may become more advantageous to purchase the bonus. As a matter of fact, each player should decide according to their own expectations and budget. Whether it is worth using the bonus buy feature should be evaluated on a per-game basis, and the final decision should always be made by the player.
