Slots Adventures

this is one of the new games that microgaming released in the middle of December this year.  i wonder if that means there will be no new games come new year’s eve, or if they simply work a little overtime and double the games output for the holiday season?

anyway, it’s a three reel slot game, with 5 different paylines.  this is the same configuration as the Golden Dragon slot and the Jackpot Express, both slots that i really like.

here’s a screenshot:

i just love the graphics and the colors of this game.  the green, red and gold, LOVE it!

as you can see, playing more than one coin activates a payline, so if you want to be able to land winners on all five paylines, you have to play five coins per spin.  the top payout for each line is different as well, so hitting the bells and holly on the diagonal pays better than across. 

i’m currently playing at All Jackpots (since they game me that $15 no deposit bonus for being such a nice customer) and the minimum coin size for this machine at that casino is a quarter.  which, i wish it was lower, but i might just be being a bit of a cheapskate because of the holidays.  i’m not sure.  i know quarter slots are really reasonable. 

i dig this machine a lot.  heh, i do wonder though if i’ll feel odd about playing the Jingle Bells slot at say, Easter time.

now, this was quite the pleasant surprise.  opening up english harbour this morning to check out how things are going with the different tournaments, and more specifically where i stand in them, i noticed this week’s new slot tournament was open.

so, i sign up for the tournament on the Monte Magic slot machine.  the tourney, called “Keep your Eye on the Prize” has over $500 in prizes that are a mix of $330 in cash and $250 in bonus money.  which is fine and dandy, i would have signed up for any amounts really.

the payouts are weighted towards the top ten, so 11th place is worthless.  kindof the new “go big or go home” strategy at the harbour for their tournaments.

the slot machine itself is an old fashioned three reel single line, the “classic” version of a slot machine.

if you look at the payout tables, you’ll notice that the payouts for two coins are double that for a single coin wager.  that sounds about normal.  the payouts for three coins, are the same as the payouts for two woins.  that, is not normal.

i didn’t notice that early on, and was playing my usual max coins on each of my qualifying spins.  But, during those spins i hit the bonus round symbol, twice.  that’s right, this mild-mannered looking classic slot has a video bonus game added to it.

it’s a pick’em game.  actually, it’s a layered pick’em game.  the game starts with a set of probably a dozen cards turned face up.  on each of the cards is a prize package, which probably depends on your coins size.  the cards are flipped face down and scattered around the table in a slight-of-hand manner that resembles someone dealing a game of three card monty.  which, now it sinks in, is part of the name of the slot.

after the shuffle is over, you get to choose three cards.  they are turned face up, so you can see what your final prize might be.  they are then turned face down, and shuffled a la three card monty.  then, you pick the final card, and receive that prize. 

it’s really cool to have that kind of bonus game attached to an old school classic slot.

now, that’s part one of the interesting things about this slot.  part 2 is the fact that playing max coins does not “triple” the pyaouts for most winners.  it only seems to unlock the bonus game.  so, for example, if the wnads winner is worth 10 when betting one coin, and 20 when betting 2 coins, it is NOT worth 30 when betting 3 coins.

see how that works !!

the third coin on the wager unlocks the bonus game if you land the right symbol.  but, that seems to be all it does.

i’m not sure exactly how to play this game to get the best overall expectation, but i do know that during my warmup spin stage, the bonus round appeared enough to make up for the lost in winners vs the extra coin spent in the wager.  on my qualifying spins, i spent 20 coins on that extra wager, and hit 80 coins in winners.  so, for me, it turned out to be a good wager!

well, i’m not completely caught up with my chores, but i got caught up enough to take a trip over to english harbour and check out how the $5,000 free slots tourney has been going. 

they’re up to over 4,000 players in the event.  actually, right now they’re at 4,510 players.  yours truly is sitting right nice in 158th place.  it’s not a money spot, and i will have to make a move before the whole thing is over (and i’ve already made moves south, so there’s no expectation of landing ITM [in the money]).  but, 158 out of 4,510 is really good!!  that puts me in the top 96.5%.  but, ahem, not in the money

i’m going to hold off on doing any playing in that tourney for a while.  i don’t think i’ll back into the money, but i’m kindof savoring the event, and not wanting to act too hastily.  especially when they’re running another freeroll on the Cash Grab machine.

so, i decided to settle in a do a bit of playing over there. the tourney starts you off with $300 in credits, and offers these prizes:

Cash: $535

Bonus Money: $250

there are, wow, over 2,000 players in this tournament.  things sure have taken off at EH for these tourneys. 

let me go take my warm up spins . . .

after my first several spins, i hit a couple of winners.  actually, it was nice.  i built my $300 starting bankroll up to $361, which apparently puts me pretty far from the lead.  having so many players makes a difference i guess.

here’s a shot of the machine . . .

 it’s not quite the standard three reel slot, although it looks it.  they’ve added some sound to the game for winning combos.  now, after you land a winner, you can hear the tinkling of coins hitting the metal landing after falling out of the pay chute.  i love that addition.  it doesn’t make me feel “like i’m right inside the casino”, but, it’s fun to hear.  it makes the game better.

the slot itself has a wild symbol on it, and a bonus symbol. 

there’s a bit of a kicker on this game.  the only way to unlock the bonus round is to play max bet.  there are some wild symbols that, according to the payline kick in when playing max bet. but, none of the regular payouts pay any better for three coins instead of two.

 so, if you bet two coins and land a cherry, you get paid 4 credtis.  if you bet 3 coins and land a cherry, you get paid 4 credits.  not six.

the jackpot payout doesn’t increase when playing max coins, as it usually does.  so, the only benefit may be in unlocking those wild symbols.  let me do some more playing and find out how this game really works . . .

well, that answers that.  i’ve been playing 2 coins for a hundred spins, haven’t hit a bonus screen, but i finally hit a winner that used a wild symbol.  here’s a shot of it . . .

you don’t have to play three coins to get credit for the wild symbol.  so, from now on, i’m playing two coins per spin on this machine!

i’m shutting it down for the night.  probably be back tomorrow to finish out this tourney if i can get the time.

the new microgaming slots are live! so, i thought i’d go back to All Jackpots (the latest of the microgaming casinos that i’ve been playing at), and do some “test” spinning this afternoon.

there was some sort of weekend “money back” promotion going on. i didn’t read too much about it, but i know that my $50 purchse gave me $5 in bonus money.

the Jungle 7’s machine is a classic slot machine, with three reels and a single payline that stretches across the center.

the symbols on the reels are a cartoonish version of some old standards. there are bars, sevens, and cherries, along with the wild seven shield symbol.

by cartoonish, i don’t mean “goofy”, i mean a new, vivid drawing of the traditional symbols. i like them, to tell you the truth.

the coins sizes (and this is casino-dependant i believe) range from a quarter a coin to $5 a coin, so the minimum cost per spin at All Jackpots is $.75. you can play up to 3 coins per spin.

the wild is a multiplying wild symbol, and a pretty good one at that. using one wild to complete a payline fiples (ok, multiplies by 5) the value of the win. useing 2 wild symbols will make the winner 25 times more valueable.

if you land all three wild symbols on the payline, you hit the big jackpot, 15,000 coins.

the Jungle 7’s is definitely a fresh version of a classic style slot machine. it’s interesting what you can do with a time-tested formula and a fresh coat of paint. i’d give this machine a thumbs up for fun.

since that $10 i won in the draw at English Harbour doesn’t spend as an entry fee into the tourney on the Cleopatra machine, i thought i’d put it to use elsewhere in the casino.

being a fan of the Wheel of Welath from microgaming, seeing the Vegas Technology version of the slot, Wheel of Chance, i thought i’d sit down and take a few spins.

the symbols on the reels are good classic images. sevens, cherries, bars, and a flashy diamond thrown in along with the bonus round symbol itself.

you only need to land one bonus round symbol to unlock the game, but you have to be playing max coin at the time. so, i turned the coin size down to dimes, and had some spins. and, sure enough, i hit the bonus symbol.

the wheel spins, and you earn whatever it lands on. then, you get the chance to spin again. but, it’s a bit harder the second time around because they take whatever you landed nt eh first time and turn those places into a “bankrupt” space. so, you’re taking a chance of busting out with each bonus spin.

you can stop and just cash out your bonus game winnings instead of re-spinning. i respun once, and ended up winning on both spins.

oh yeah, here’s that link to the Wheel of Chance Bonus Game from the guys at EH. if you’re thinking of playing there, take a spin on the wheel first and see if you can’t step into some bonus cash.

well, i got into the liberty 7’s tournament, aptly titled since the game was played on the Liberty 7’s machine.

the slot is an old-fashioned three reel. there are a handful of symbols that can turn themselves into a laundry list of winning combinations. between the 7’s of several colors (red, white and blue, in tune with the liberty theme), and the bars (also multi-colored) and even blank spaces coming into play there are more than enough ways to win.

Tournament Overview:
NO ENTRY FEE
23 places paid, cash to the top 3 finishers
$632 in cash (plus any “rebuy” money from now until the tourney’s end
$250 in bonus money

that’s nearly a thousand dollars out there, and it doesn’t cost anything to play. i’ll give that scene a thumbs up.

everybody starts the tourney with $200 in credits on the Liberty 7’s machine, and by everybody i mean 1280+ players. there tourneys are getting a bit of a following i must say. after completing my warm-up spins, i find out that i’m in 73rd place, so a lot of people must be hitting winners.

i managed to find the coldest machine on earth for this tourney. i got in 100 spins, at $3 each. i was playing $1 coins, and played max coin because the top 2 payouts paid a premium if you were playing max coins.

so, after $300 in action, i was broke. the long cold streak kept me waiting for this big winner to land, but it wasn’t happening. i think i experienced a 66% payout tonight. maybe that’s just deserts for the hot machines i hit in other slot tournaments, or, maybe i can hope for a hot machine in the next one!

oh yeah, i’m going to tag this to all my english harbour posts, but after checking in here at the guys at english harbour hooked me up with a Wheel of Chance Bonus Game  that anyone who stops by can take a spin on. there’s a couple of bucks in what i think is bonus cash up for grabs. if you’re thinking of getting in on the free slots tournaments action at english harbour, take a spin on the wheel first. no sense turning it down, and who knows what spin is going to be the lucky one, so while they’re handing out cash, take it.

the new game that will come out at the end of spetember in place of the Mega Moolah slot is the Jungle 7’s machine. it is a three reel slot, and appears to have a single payline, making it what i call a “classic slot machine”.

the fun feature of the game is the gold coin symbol, which is a wild multiplier. use the wild to complete a winning combination, and the payout is fipp-lled (ok, ok, multiplied by five). use two wild symbols to complete the combo, and the payout is multiplied by 25!

Triple Triple Gold

Oh Those Crazy Cherries!!