Bonus hunting has its own language. Whether you’re new to the format or you’ve been running hunts for years, having a single reference point for every term — from the basics to the provider-specific mechanics — saves time and removes confusion. This is the definitive bonus hunt glossary for 2026: every term used in bonus hunting, slot streaming, and casino tracking, explained clearly in one place.
Use the alphabetical index below to jump directly to any term, or read through in order to build a complete picture of the bonus hunting vocabulary.
A
Average Multiplier
The mean multiplier returned across all bonuses opened in a single hunt session, calculated by dividing the total return by the total cost. For example: if your hunt returned £320 from a £200 collection spend at £1.00 bet, the average multiplier is 320x across the session’s bonuses. Comparing your average multiplier to your break-even multiplier tells you whether the session outperformed or underperformed the target. Tracked automatically in the SlotDecoded Bonus Hunt Tracker.
Autoplay
A feature offered by most online slots that spins the reels automatically for a set number of rounds without requiring manual clicks. Commonly used during the collection phase of a bonus hunt to trigger bonuses without constant manual input. Many regulated platforms offer a “stop on feature” autoplay option that pauses automatically when a bonus triggers — useful for saving bonuses cleanly.
B
Balance Delta Method
A technique for calculating the true cost of a naturally triggered bonus during the collection phase. Record your casino balance before spinning on a slot, spin until the bonus triggers collecting any base game wins, then note your balance at the point of trigger. The difference between the two figures is your net cost for that bonus. This method accounts for base game wins during collection, giving a more accurate cost figure than estimating spin count alone. See our bonus hunt planning guide for the full workflow.
Bankroll
The total amount of money set aside specifically for bonus hunt sessions — separate from everyday finances and fully funded from disposable income. The bankroll is the overall pot; each session draws a portion of it as the session budget. A healthy bankroll covers a minimum of 5–10 full sessions at your chosen session budget size. See the bonus hunt bankroll guide for sizing guidance.
Bet Size
The amount wagered per spin, which determines the cash value of all multiplier-based payouts. A 100x result at £0.50 bet returns £50; the same result at £2.00 bet returns £200. In bonus hunting, bet size is set before the collection phase begins and held constant throughout — it directly determines the cost of each bonus buy and the break-even multiplier calculation. Increasing bet size mid-hunt is a form of loss chasing and should be avoided.
Bonus Buy
A feature built into many slots that allows players to purchase immediate access to the bonus/free spins feature for a fixed price — typically 50x–200x the current bet. Available on most casino platforms except those licensed by the UK Gambling Commission, which banned bonus buys in October 2021. Bonus buys make the collection phase of a hunt faster and predictable in cost compared to natural triggering. Also called “Feature Buy”, “Buy Bonus”, or represented by a lightning bolt icon.
Bonus Hunt
A structured slot session in which a player collects multiple bonus features across different slots — either by buying them or triggering them naturally — saves each one in pending state, then opens them all in sequence and tracks the results against a target multiplier. The format originated in the casino streaming community and has become one of the most popular structured gambling formats online. Full explanation: What Is a Bonus Hunt?
Bonus Hunt Tracker
A dedicated tool for recording and calculating bonus hunt session data in real time. A good tracker calculates break-even multiplier, required multiplier, running profit/loss, and ROI automatically as results are entered. The SlotDecoded Bonus Hunt Tracker is a free, no-signup browser-based tool built specifically for this purpose, with OBS overlay support for streamers.
Bonus RTP
The theoretical Return to Player percentage specifically from a slot’s bonus feature, as opposed to the overall game RTP which includes base game returns. Bonus RTP is the more relevant figure for bonus hunters because it reflects what the free spins or feature phase mathematically returns over a large sample. Gates of Olympus, for example, has a bonus RTP of approximately 98.5% — among the highest available. Published in the slot’s paytable or available from the provider’s documentation.
Break-Even Multiplier
The average multiplier every bonus in your hunt needs to return for the session to finish at exactly zero profit/loss. Calculated as: Total Collection Cost ÷ (Number of Bonuses × Bet Size). If your hunt cost £240 to collect, contains 15 bonuses, and your bet size is £1.00, your break-even multiplier is 16x per bonus. Every bonus in the session needs to average 16x your bet to get your money back. The SlotDecoded tracker calculates this automatically. Full guide: Bonus Hunt Calculator.
C
Cascading Reels
A slot mechanic where winning symbols disappear after a payout and new symbols fall into their place, potentially creating chain reactions of consecutive wins within a single spin. Common in cluster-pays slots like Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza. During bonus features, cascades often accumulate multipliers with each successive win, making long cascade chains the primary driver of large bonus results.
Cluster Pays
A win mechanic where payouts are triggered by groups (clusters) of matching symbols adjacent to each other, rather than traditional payline alignments. Used in Pragmatic Play’s most popular bonus hunt titles including Gates of Olympus, Sweet Bonanza, and Fruit Party. The open grid layout of cluster pays slots allows for more cascading potential than standard payline slots.
Collection Phase
The first phase of a bonus hunt, during which the player buys or naturally triggers bonus features across multiple slots and saves each one in pending state without letting it play out. The collection phase ends when the player has gathered their full intended hunt list. Cost tracking during this phase determines the break-even multiplier for the opening phase.
D
Dead Bonus
A bonus feature that returns a very low multiplier — typically under 10x bet — contributing almost nothing meaningful to the hunt total. Dead bonuses are an inevitable part of high-volatility slot hunting; the statistical distribution of bonus results means a significant portion will fall well below average. A well-structured hunt absorbs dead bonuses across a sufficient number of slots without collapsing the overall total.
Deposit Limit
A player-set restriction on the maximum amount that can be deposited into a casino account within a specified time period (daily, weekly, or monthly). Mandatory tools on all UK Gambling Commission-licensed platforms. A practical bankroll protection mechanism — setting a deposit limit at the casino level enforces budget discipline even when in-session impulse control breaks down.
E
Expected Value (EV)
The theoretical average return of a bet or session over a statistically large number of repetitions, expressed as a percentage or absolute amount. In slots, EV is determined by the RTP — a slot with 97% RTP has an EV of -3% per unit wagered over the long run. Individual sessions deviate wildly from EV due to variance, but over hundreds of bonus hunt sessions, average results will converge towards the mathematical EV of the slots played.
F
Feature Buy
Alternative name for a Bonus Buy (see above). The term “Feature Buy” is used by some providers — notably Hacksaw Gaming — to describe their bonus purchase mechanic.
Free Spins
The most common bonus feature format in online slots — a set number of spins played at no additional cost, often with enhanced mechanics such as multipliers, sticky wilds, or additional wild symbols. In bonus hunting, “free spins” and “bonus” are often used interchangeably, though technically some bonus features are not free spins (e.g. bonus games, pick-em rounds, or progressive feature mechanics).
G
GAMSTOP
A free self-exclusion service in the United Kingdom that registers players across all UK Gambling Commission-licensed online casinos simultaneously. Setting up GAMSTOP prevents access to all participating platforms for a chosen period (minimum 6 months). Available at gamstop.co.uk.
Grid Slot
A slot format using a square or rectangular grid of symbols rather than traditional reels and rows. Common in cluster pays mechanics. The larger the grid, the more potential cluster combinations are available in a single spin, which generally enables higher bonus potential.
H
High Volatility
A descriptor for slots where individual results vary significantly from the average — producing frequent small or zero returns alongside occasional very large wins. Most bonus hunt slots are high or very high volatility by design. High volatility is what makes the extreme max wins possible, but also what causes dead bonuses. See also: Variance.
Hit Frequency
How often a slot lands a winning combination per spin, expressed as a percentage. Separate from RTP — a slot can have high hit frequency with many small wins, or low hit frequency with rare but large wins. For natural trigger collection, bonus trigger frequency (how often the bonus specifically lands) is the more relevant metric than general hit frequency.
Hunt List
The full list of bonus features collected during the collection phase, waiting to be opened in the opening phase. A well-constructed hunt list balances moonshot slots (high max win, extreme variance), core slots (strong upside, reasonable consistency), and backbone slots (lower ceiling, more predictable returns). See: Best Slots for Bonus Hunting in 2026.
M
Max Win
The highest possible payout a slot can produce in a single game round, expressed as a multiple of the player’s bet. A hard cap set by the provider and published in the paytable. For bonus hunting purposes, a minimum max win of 5,000x is recommended for any slot on the hunt list, with 10,000x+ preferred for anything positioned as a potential session saver. Full explanation: What Is a Max Win in Slots?
Megaways
A licensed reel mechanic developed by Big Time Gaming (BTG) that produces a variable number of symbols on each reel per spin, creating thousands of different ways-to-win configurations per spin (up to 117,649 ways on a 6-reel Megaways setup). Licensed to many providers including Pragmatic Play (Dog House Megaways) and used in Bonanza Megaways. The variable reel height creates dramatic bonus escalation potential.
Multiplier
A value applied to a win that multiplies the payout by the stated amount. In bonus hunting context, multipliers are used in two ways: (1) as a session metric — the average multiplier returned per bonus in a hunt; (2) as an in-game mechanic — free spins features that accumulate win multipliers with each cascade or spin. Escalating in-game multipliers are the primary driver of large bonus results on high-volatility slots.
N
Natural Trigger
Triggering a bonus feature through regular gameplay — spinning the reels until the required scatter symbols land — rather than purchasing it via a bonus buy. Natural triggers are the only collection method available to UK players on UKGC-licensed platforms (where bonus buys are banned), and are generally slower and more variable in cost than bonus buys. The balance delta method is the most accurate way to track natural trigger costs.
“Now Opening” Panel
A feature of the SlotDecoded OBS overlay that displays the name of the slot currently being opened during the opening phase of a bonus hunt stream. Triggered when the player clicks a bonus in the tracker to mark it as the active bonus. Updates the stream overlay automatically, giving viewers clear context about which slot is on screen throughout the opening phase.
O
OBS (Open Broadcaster Software)
The most widely used free streaming software for casino streamers, available at obsproject.com. OBS allows streamers to add browser sources — including the SlotDecoded bonus hunt overlay — to their stream scenes, displaying live hunt statistics to viewers without manual updating. See the full setup guide: Bonus Hunt OBS Overlay Setup Guide.
Opening Order
The sequence in which bonuses are opened during the opening phase of a hunt. Opening order is a strategic decision — some players open their lowest-upside slots first to “get the dead bonuses out of the way” and save moonshots for the end; others open randomly or let viewers vote. The order does not affect the mathematical outcome of the hunt but significantly impacts the entertainment and emotional arc of the session.
Opening Phase
The second phase of a bonus hunt, during which the player returns to each saved bonus in sequence, lets it play out, and records the result. The opening phase is typically the most-watched part of a bonus hunt stream — live stats update after each result, creating a running narrative of whether the hunt is on track to profit.
P
Pending Bonus
A bonus feature that has been triggered (or bought) but not yet played out — saved in the game’s server-side state by closing the game before the feature activates. The foundation of the bonus hunt format. When the player returns to the slot, the game resumes from the pending bonus state. Most platforms maintain pending bonuses reliably within a session day; leaving them overnight carries a small risk of loss depending on platform.
Provider Breakdown
An analysis of hunt results grouped by slot provider — showing which providers contributed most (and least) to the total return. The SlotDecoded tracker generates a provider breakdown automatically for every session. Over multiple hunts, provider breakdowns reveal which studios consistently deliver above or below average results for your personal session history.
Provably Fair
A cryptographic verification system used by some crypto casinos (notably Stake.com) that allows players to independently verify the outcome of each game round was predetermined fairly before the round began. Does not affect gameplay mechanics or the bonus hunt saving process, but provides an additional layer of result transparency not available on traditional RNG slots.
R
Required Multiplier
The live calculation of what average multiplier the remaining unopened bonuses need to return for the whole hunt to break even, updated after every result. Calculated as: (Total Cost − Total Return So Far) ÷ (Remaining Bonuses × Bet Size). The required multiplier rises after below-average results and falls after above-average ones. Tracked automatically and in real time by the SlotDecoded Bonus Hunt Tracker.
ROI (Return on Investment)
The total return from a bonus hunt expressed as a percentage of the total cost. Formula: (Total Return ÷ Total Cost) × 100. An ROI above 100% indicates a profitable hunt. Below 100% indicates a loss. A 150% ROI means £1.50 was returned for every £1.00 spent. ROI is the cleanest single-number summary of a completed hunt session.
RTP (Return to Player)
The theoretical percentage of all wagered money a slot returns to players over a statistically large number of spins. A slot with 96% RTP returns an average of £96 for every £100 wagered over millions of spins — the remaining 4% is the house edge. Published in every licensed slot’s paytable as required by gambling regulators. For bonus hunting purposes, bonus RTP is more relevant than overall RTP. Full explanation coming in: RTP Explained for Bonus Hunters.
S
Scatter Symbol
A special symbol type that triggers the bonus feature when a minimum number (typically 3) land anywhere on the reels simultaneously, regardless of payline position. The scatter is the key symbol to watch for during natural trigger collection. Some slots use alternative names — “Book” symbols in Book of Dead style games, lightning bolts, or specific thematic symbols — but function identically to scatters.
Session Budget
The maximum amount a player commits to spending on a single bonus hunt session — the collection phase ceiling. Distinct from the total bankroll, which covers multiple sessions. The session budget should be decided before starting the collection phase and treated as a firm limit. Most experienced players set session budget at 15–20% of their total bankroll.
Shareable Hunt Link
A permanent URL generated by the SlotDecoded tracker at the end of a bonus hunt session, containing the full results — every bonus, every result, total cost, total return, ROI, and all key metrics. Anyone with the link can view the summary without needing an account. Used to share results on Reddit, Discord, Twitch chat, and social media.
Sticky Wilds
Wild symbols that remain in place on the reels for multiple spins during a free spins feature rather than being cleared after each spin. Common in bonus features from various providers — Dead or Alive 2’s free spins mechanic is one of the most well-known sticky wild formats. Multiple accumulated sticky wilds on the same reels can create conditions for very large multiplied wins.
T
Total Cost
The sum of all money spent during the collection phase of a bonus hunt — the combined cost of every bonus buy or natural trigger. This figure is the denominator in both the break-even multiplier calculation and the ROI calculation. Accurate total cost tracking is essential for meaningful hunt analysis. Entered into the SlotDecoded tracker as each bonus is added to the hunt list.
Total Return
The sum of all payouts received during the opening phase of a bonus hunt — the combined result of every bonus opened. Compared against the total cost to produce the ROI and profit/loss figures. Tracked automatically as results are entered in the SlotDecoded tracker.
V
Variance
The statistical measure of how spread out slot results are from the average. High variance means individual results deviate significantly from the mean — producing more dead bonuses and more exceptional results than a low-variance equivalent. In bonus hunting, variance determines how much your session results can swing above or below the theoretical expected value. More bonuses per hunt reduces the impact of variance on the session total; fewer bonuses amplifies it. See: How Many Bonuses for a Bonus Hunt?
Volatility
A qualitative descriptor of a slot’s variance profile — typically rated as Low, Medium, High, or Very High by providers. Most bonus hunt slots are High or Very High volatility. Volatility ratings are indicative rather than precise mathematical measures; for exact variance profiles, bonus RTP and max win together provide a more useful picture than the volatility label alone.
W
Ways to Win
A slot win mechanic where payouts are awarded for matching symbols appearing on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of row position. A 6-reel, 4-row slot with ways-to-win produces 4,096 ways; Megaways mechanics extend this to tens of thousands. Ways-to-win slots used in bonus hunting include Bonanza Megaways and Dog House Megaways.
Wild Symbol
A symbol that substitutes for other symbols to complete winning combinations. In bonus features, wilds often carry multiplier values that multiply the win of any combination they contribute to. Wild multipliers that stack (multiply with each other rather than add) are a key driver of large bonus results — particularly in NoLimit City and Hacksaw Gaming titles.
X
xBet
A NoLimit City mechanic that allows players to pay an additional multiplier on their bet (typically 2x–10x) in exchange for enhanced bonus trigger probability or guaranteed enhanced bonus versions. When combined with xWays or xNudge mechanics during the bonus feature, xBet sessions can produce dramatically elevated multiplier stacking. xBet is optional and increases total bet cost accordingly.
xNudge
A NoLimit City mechanic where oversized wild symbols nudge into full view on the reels, with each position nudged adding +1 to the wild’s multiplier value. An xNudge wild that nudges 3 positions carries a 3x multiplier on any win it contributes to. Multiple xNudge wilds on the same spin multiply their values together, creating the potential for very large single-spin payouts.
xWays
A NoLimit City mechanic where special symbols reveal a random number of matching symbols (typically 2–5) on landing, massively expanding the ways-to-win count for that spin. xWays symbols during bonus features — combined with xNudge multiplier wilds — are the primary driver of the extreme results possible on NoLimit City’s highest max win titles.
Put the glossary into practice
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Open the Free Bonus Hunt Tracker →Related Bonus Hunt Guides
- What Is a Bonus Hunt? The Complete Beginner’s Guide
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- What Is a Max Win in Slots?
- Best Slots for Bonus Hunting in 2026