Rolling Reels is one of the newer features in slots: How does it work?

One of the more modern innovations on slot games has been the inclusion of a feature that can have many different names. In this article, we are going to stick with the definition that we feel is most widely used, especially on Microgaming slots, of Rolling Reels.

However, this can also refer to features such as Avalanche Reels, Cascading Reels, Falling Reels, Tumbling Reels or indeed any number of other monikers which all essentially refer to the same type of game feature.

In this article, we are going to explore a bit more about what this bonus is, how it works, what benefits it can potentially have for the player and then look at some of the popular games where you can find the feature to play for yourself.

So let's begin with the obvious question of what Rolling Reels is exactly.

What is Rolling Reels?

On a standard slot, the symbols are displayed on a number of reels, usually three or five and you can see usually three symbols displayed on the reels. Each time you spin, the reels 'spin' and show the outcome.

Now, although that is what it looks like on screen, what actually happens in an online slot is that you click spin, the random number generator kicks in, selects a number which then corresponds to a pattern of symbols across the reels. The reels then resolve themselves into this pattern.

Strange as it may seem, there is no actual requirement for slot games online to have reels at all. Whereas old mechanical games did have physical reels to display the outcome of a spin. Slot games don't need reels at all, designers just used them as they are familiar to slot players and give the impression of playing a slot game.

From this fact came the realisation that there may be other ways to display the outcome of a spin and one of these is Rolling Reels. In Rolling Reels, there are no reels displayed. Instead, what you have is a matrix (usually of 5 columns and 3 rows of symbols - although it can be larger or smaller than this) and this Matrix is filled on each spin by symbols dropping into position on the reels from above.

These symbols are often in the shape of blocks, which then stack on top of each other to produce the outcome of the spin.

This though doesn't explain why they are called Rolling Reels. That term comes from the fact that when you land a spin with this type of game, the symbols that form part of that win will flash and disappear from the reels once they have awarded their payout.

What then happens is that any symbols on the reels above them, will drop down into these vacated spaces. Any spaces at the top of the reels are then filled by new symbols dropping down from above. This can then of course create additional wins from the same spin, which will then flash and disappear and more symbols will drop into position on the reels and so on.

As such, this means that with consecutive wins, the 'reels' on screen can seem to roll around and change. Hence the name Rolling Reels.

On many Rolling Reels games, this feature is also linked with another element of the slot, a Multiplier Trail and we will explain how this links in with Rolling Reels below.

• The Rolling Reels Multiplier Trail

When you trigger a win in a Rolling Reels game with a Multiplier Trail in play, then you will note that the first step of the trail will be highlighted. Every time you then trigger a successive Rolling Reels win, the Multiplier Trail will move onto the next Multiplier in the Trail. The more of these wins you can string together from a single spin, the higher the Multiplier Trail can grow to.

Often, games will have one Multiplier Trail in play for the base game, but a different and higher value one in play when you trigger the Free Spins bonus round. For example, in the base game a typical Multiplier Trail may go 1x, 2x, 3x and 5x the standard win but in Free Spins, these may be increased to 3x, 6x, 9x and 15x the standard win.

If you land more than the four or however many wins you need to maximise out the Multiplier Trail, then any subsequent Rolling Reels win on that spin will earn you that maximum pay out until a non-winning spin is landed.

When the Rolling Reels feature triggers and retriggers but no win is landed by the symbols, then the Rolling Reels feature ends and the Multiplier Trail resets back to the original base amount and you then have to play a standard paid spin to continue playing the slot.

Are Rolling Reels slots different to standard slot games?

It can appear that with a lack of reels and no spinning elements on screen, that Rolling Reels slots are very different to slots, but in truth, they are very very similar in many ways. Both operate using either pay lines or ways to win across the reels, both use sequences of symbols in different patterns to award pay outs, some symbols being worth more than others.

As we have said before, the mechanics of how a Rolling Reels slot decides its patterns on the reels, and a standard online slot, apart from how the results are displayed are essentially the same, with or without the Multiplier Trail element.

Are there any benefits to Rolling Reels over standard slot games?

Yes, there are. On a standard slot game, your original spin will decide if you are a win and how much you win from that wager and beyond that, you cannot win any more (unless you are lucky enough to trigger a bonus feature, such as a Free Spins bonus game, or a Picking Bonus game).

With Rolling Reels, every win you land has the potential to spawn additional wins from that same first spin. Furthermore, if the Rolling Reels game has a Multiplier Trail, this can increase the value of subsequent wins greatly, turning what is initially a modest win, into something much larger.

What slot games feature Rolling Reels?

There are a number of great games that feature Rolling Reels (and many of these games also have a Multiplier Trail attached, either in the base game and Free Spins bonus round, or just in the Free Spins bonus round).

• Basketball Star
• Football Star & Football Star Deluxe
• Break Away & Break Away Deluxe
• Cricket Star
• Basketball Star
• Rugby Star
• Elements the Awakening
• Cool Wolf
• Lara Croft Temples and Tombs
• Jungle Jim and the Lost Sphinx
• Wild Catch
• Mayan Eagle
• Absolootly Mad: Mega Moolah