NN777 Wild symbol Explained — What a Wild Does and Does Not
Wild symbol: A symbol that stands in for other symbols so a winning combination can be completed.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | Wild symbol |
| Short for | Not published |
| Set by | The game studio, in the paytable |
| Where you meet it | A game's paytable and feature list |
| Not the same as | What a wild is cannot be described as a bonus symbol, and it cannot be described as a scatter either. Nor does a wild guarantee a win: if it lands on a reel with no matching symbols next to it, it completes nothing, and that is the commonest reason a promising-looking spin pays zero. |
The confusion around Wild symbol mostly comes from the imprecise reading of a term that has a precise meaning.
Wild symbol — A symbol that stands in for other symbols so a winning combination can be completed.
What Wild symbol actually means
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Term | Wild symbol |
| In one line | A symbol that stands in for other symbols so a winning combination can be completed. |
| Fixed by | The game studio, in the paytable |
| Where you meet it | A game’s paytable and feature list |
Wilds replace ordinary symbols, but how they work differs a great deal from game to game: certain ones bring a multiplier, others expand across a whole reel, others are sticky and stay put over several spins, and a few show up only in a feature round. Which behaviour applies is spelled out in the paytable, and two games that use the same word can act very differently.
A worked example
In a game where the wild comes with a 2x multiplier, any win it helps complete pays double, yet wins it takes no part in pay at the normal rate. This matters when you read a paytable, because the multiplier belongs to the combination the wild became part of and not to the whole spin; two separate wins on one spin are not both multiplied unless the wild is in each.
Using it in practice
Find out what the wild does in the particular game before assuming, because ‘wild’ names a category and not one fixed mechanic, and in several popular titles it is the one feature that separates them from near-identical siblings.
Throughout the game pages here you will meet terms such as Wild symbol; when a studio publishes no figure behind one, the page says that plainly rather than borrowing a number from a comparison site. For this reason, a number of the spec tables on this site contain empty cells.
The common misreading
Many assume a wild can replace every symbol. As a rule they do not stand in for scatters or bonus symbols, and that is exactly why a near-miss on a feature trigger remains a miss. Two scatters plus a wild on the grid makes two scatters, and not three.
What a wild is cannot be described as a bonus symbol, and it cannot be described as a scatter either. Nor does a wild guarantee a win: if it lands on a reel with no matching symbols next to it, it completes nothing, and that is the commonest reason a promising-looking spin pays zero.
Checking Wild symbol at NN777
- Open a game at NN777 and find its info or help screen.
- Find Wild symbol there and interpret it with the definition above.
- Compare it with the same entry on another title before you pick one to play at NN777.
- Write your stake and your stop point down before the first round at NN777.
FAQ
Where do people go wrong with Wild symbol?
Many assume a wild can replace every symbol. As a rule they do not stand in for scatters or bonus symbols, and that is exactly why a near-miss on a feature trigger remains a miss. Two scatters plus a wild on the grid makes two scatters, and not three.
When choosing a game, how should I use Wild symbol?
Find out what the wild does in the particular game before assuming, because 'wild' names a category and not one fixed mechanic, and in several popular titles it is the one feature that separates them from near-identical siblings.
What does Wild symbol mean?
A symbol that stands in for other symbols so a winning combination can be completed.