The feature works in a very simple way. You just go on like you would playing any other base game spin when you are offered a respin. This feature can work in two different ways. Most of the time one of the reels will respin automatically while on other occasions you’ll need to bet additional money to spin it. In both cases, the selected reel will respin while the others stay in place.
Usually, you can activate it randomly while playing the game or it may kick in when you’ve fulfilled some requirements like getting 2 of the 3 possible bonus symbols in the other reels. Some other slots offer you the ability to respin any one of the reels after the spin is over by paying a small fee.
Slots offering this can come with many features related to it. The most common one is the automatic respin that takes place by nudging the reel for a chance to hit the final bonus symbol you are missing to trigger free spins or a bonus game.
Starting with the upside, being able to get a specific reel to respin is a great way for you to make some extra money from each spin. On the downside, slots that offer the single reel respin feature tend to be highly volatile. This means that even though you can big you may go a big number of spins as getting a win, small or big, doesn’t happen that often.
Generally, there are 3 forms. The first and most popular one is the randomly activated respin where the reel spins for a chance to fulfill the requirements needed to trigger another feature. The other two forms are where the player chooses which reel he wants to respin or is only offered the option to spin a specific one with both cases requiring an extra fee.
Microgaming is known to be the pioneer of this particular slot feature. Here are the three most popular slot games offering it: