Guide · Virtual chips · 18+
Free slots with free spins: how cascades, multipliers, ways and clusters work
A slot decides its payout in two steps: first the way combinations are counted (lines, ways, clusters or pays anywhere), then the features that boost or repeat the spin (cascades, multipliers, respins and free spins). Knowing both steps explains why slots with the same RTP feel so different.
By IS Casino · Published · Updated
Four ways to count combinations
| Method | How it pays | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Lines | Identical symbols left to right on fixed lines (3, 5, 10, 20 or 25 lines) | Fruits 777 (3×3), Três Luas (10), Galinha da Sorte (20), Trem de Ouro (25) |
| Ways | Identical symbols on consecutive reels from the left, at any height; the payout is multiplied by the number of ways | Werewolf Night and Onça Dourada (1024), Syndicate Pyramids (up to 117,649) |
| Clusters | Groups of 5 or more identical symbols touching by their sides | Doces do Lobo (7×7), Ninho do Dragão (6×6) |
| Pays anywhere | 8 or more identical symbols anywhere on screen | Trovão do Olimpo (6×5), Neon Bar |
How many ways? Multiply the reel heights: 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 = 1024 on a 5×4; with reels of up to 7 symbols, 76 = 117,649.
Cascades (tumble, avalanche)
After a payout, the winning symbols disappear and new ones fall from above. If they form another combination it pays too, and so on. One spin can contain several cascades. In Doces do Lobo every winning sweet leaves a mark on its cell; a second win there becomes ×2 and each further win doubles it (up to ×128 in the base game and ×1024 in free spins).
Multipliers
A multiplier raises the payout of a combination, a cascade or the whole spin. They appear as symbols (×2 to ×500 orbs in Trovão do Olimpo), as an extra reel (the moon phase from ×1 to ×100 in Moon Jewels) or as a counter that grows in free spins (+1 per winning cascade in Syndicate Pyramids).
Multipliers do not change the RTP: the game is already calculated with them. They change the volatility — more of the payout concentrated in fewer spins.
Free spins
Free spins are extra spins that cost no chips, triggered by scatters (symbols that pay in any position). Real examples:
- Trovão do Olimpo: 4 or more scatters award 15 free spins; 3+ scatters during them add +5 (up to 50).
- Doces do Lobo: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7+ gumball machines award 10 / 12 / 15 / 20 / 30 spins.
- Werewolf Night: 3 / 4 / 5 moons award 10 / 12 / 15 Blood Moon spins.
- Onça Dourada: 3 / 4 / 5 jaguar eyes award 8 / 12 / 20 spins (up to 50).
On IS Casino a spin and everything it triggers (cascades, respins, free spins) form one pre-computed outcome, selected by the provably fair formula. That is why free spins do not “depend” on when you play.
Feature buy
On slots with a feature buy, free spins can be started directly for a fixed cost in virtual chips (for example ×50 to ×100 the stake). The buy has the same RTP as the game: 96%. In the RTP verification, feature buys were tested separately, with 20 million buys per slot.
Wilds, scatters and fixed jackpots
- Wild
- Substitutes other symbols to complete combinations; in some games it also pays on its own (the tiger, rabbit, ox and dragon in the 3×3 “da Sorte” slots).
- Scatter
- Pays or triggers features in any position, with no line needed.
- Fixed jackpots
- Mini, Minor, Major and Grand with a fixed value in multiples of the stake — see the Hold & Win guide.
- Shared jackpot
- A small part of stakes from 50 chips up feeds a common pot; it is part of the 96% RTP, not an extra charge.
Frequently asked questions
Do ways pay more than lines?
Not necessarily. Ways create more possible combinations, but the paytable is tuned to the same RTP. What changes is how often and how much it pays.
Do free spins cost chips?
No: free spins cost no chips. They are triggered by scatters or, on some slots, bought for a fixed cost at the same RTP.
Does the feature buy raise the RTP?
No. On IS Casino the feature buy has the same 96% RTP as a normal spin; it only brings the feature forward and increases volatility.
