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Expanding reels, sometimes called infinity reels, and mega symbols are two common slot mechanics that can create bigger wins in slots, but it's not guaranteed. More possible symbol combinations don't always mean more possible wins, but they do make each slot game more visually stimulating.
Below, we'll explore how they both work and what they look like in slot games.
How Expanding Reels and Mega Symbols Work
Expanding reels make the playing grid bigger, usually by adding more rows after a win or during a bonus feature. Mega symbols are oversized symbols that cover several positions on the reels, typically in 2x2 or 3x3 blocks.
A lot of games combine both mechanics to improve the overall slot gaming experience. It's not uncommon to see both features working together during the same gaming round, but not every slot will use them in the same way.
Some expand the reels with consecutive wins, and others only activate expanding features during free spins.
How Both Slot Mechanisms Create Potentially Bigger Wins
Both mechanics create more opportunities for winning combinations, but they work in slightly different ways. And just because a slot has expanding reels or mega symbols doesn't mean you'll automatically win more.
More Possible Symbol Combinations
The biggest benefit of expanding reels is the potential for more winning combinations.
For example, a five-reel slot showing three symbols per reel can have 243 ways to win if it uses a standard ways-to-win system. Expand that to four symbols per reel, and you've now got 1,024 possible ways to win.
That's a substantial difference, but it doesn't mean you're guaranteed to land a winning combination.
Mega symbols work differently. In NetEnt’s Warlords: Crystals of Power, for example, the three main characters of a samurai, a priestess, and a barbarian appear as stacked symbols on the reels, each wielding their weapon of choice while standing proud with their wild pets. These oversized symbols can fill an entire reel, creating more opportunities for winning combinations across the game’s 30 paylines.
The actual payout still depends on the game's paytable and how it calculates winning combinations.
Expanding Symbols Can Grow to Fill an Entire Reel
Some slots also have expanding symbols that grow to fill an entire reel, which is slightly different from expanding reels because the game isn't adding more rows. It adds one symbol to cover every position on that reel.
You'll typically see this with wild symbols, which swap regular paying symbols to help complete winning combinations.
In Starburst, which you can play online at play.co.za, when a Starburst wild lands, it expands to cover the entire reel and triggers a respin. That means the wild can contribute to several winning paylines rather than only occupying one position.
And if more expanding wilds land on different reels, you can potentially create even more winning combinations.
The bigger payout potential comes from having more matching symbol positions involved in a win. But, as with any slot feature, it still depends on what symbols appear on the remaining reels and the game's mathematical model rather than if you land on an expanding reel or mega symbol.
