The concept of a wildcard in gambling goes back pretty much as long as people have been playing games with packs of cards – essentially they’re cards which can substitute for any other card in order to create a win in your hand. With the invention of mobile slots, this idea of the ‘wild’ was taken up and run with in such a way that it became pretty much unrecognisable.
With the basic idea being that you can have a wild symbol which can take the place for any other to create wins, there’s a number of different formats that they now take which take full advantage of the possibilities the newest slot tech offers.
Sticky Wilds
One of the simplest variations on the concept of the wild symbol is the sticky wild – which pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin; sticks in one place. What this usually means is that when the wild appears on the reel and becomes part of a winning combination, it will stick in place for the next spin, and only disappear when you fail to land a win from subsequent spins – the clue really is in the name.
This type of wild increases your chances of a win from subsequent wins by guaranteeing you’ll have wilds in play for the next lot of combinations. Depending on the game, the sticky wild will disappear either when there are no more wins or when it is no longer part of a winning combination. Check out the Pyramid: Quest For Immortality slot to play with sticky wilds.
Shifting Wilds
Shifting wilds are related to sticky wilds, but subtly different and certainly far less common. Just like sticky wilds, they stay on the reels when they’re part of a winning combination, but rather than just sitting in one place, they shift along the reels, either from left to right, right to left, up, or down. Usually, they only disappear once they fall of the side of the reels, though in some variations, it takes them not being part of a win to disappear.
In honesty, they don’t really improve your chances of winning more because they move, but it is a nice feature regardless. This all said, if you’re playing a variant where they don’t disappear until they reach the end of the reels, then they’re usually going to be in play longer than simple sticky wilds. Play Dolphin Gold now to experience shifting wilds!
Stacked Wilds
Another clear example of you pretty much being able to work out how a wild functions from its name, stacked wilds will form a stack of wilds which are two or more symbols connected to each other. While the original stacked wilds simply went vertically, modern slots include stacked wilds that can move horizontally too, or in both directions.
Stacked wilds increase your chances of winning by creating clusters of wilds on the same reel, which greatly increase the chances that a winning combination will come through them. Two (or more) wilds is better than one, so it makes sense that these are better than your average. Stacked wilds are often seen in combination with sticky wilds for even more winning potential. The Wolf Run mobile slot features stacked wilds.
Expanding Wilds
Like how shifting wilds are to sticky wilds, expanding wilds are to stacked wilds, where it takes the concept of combining more than one wild together and, well, expands it. With expanding wilds, entire reels are turned wild vertically, usually with stunning graphics which make it clear there’s something special going on. Obviously you’re unlikely to find a game with horizontal expanding wilds, because that would, well, be a little silly.
The reason expanding wilds are so sought after by players is that they essentially mean that every single possible payline has to pass through the wilds, giving your winning potential super-strength. This form of wild, while not guaranteeing a win every time, is pretty much the closest you can come to any kind of sure bet. Play with expanding wilds on Cleopatra Plus.
Overlay Wilds
This is a super niche kind of wild usually reserved for games with branding, or a very specific symbol as its core concept. Basically, with overlay wilds (or wild overlays), you’ll have them appear randomly after a spin, and it will create a group of wilds which take a specific shape, usually a symbol which has some kind of significance to the game.
The great thing about overlay wilds is that they often mean having both wilds on top of each other and beside each other during the same spin, which will greatly increase the chances of them creating winning combinations. While this can be one of the hardest forms of wilds to track down, it’s also one of the most profitable. Track down the overlay wilds on the Guns N’ Roses slot.
