Software

Another New Microgaming Slot

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Microgaming is releasing online slot games left and right. Each time a new holiday or season appears Microgaming develops an exciting new game to entice the masses. In this instance, the industry-leading software developer has created a party-themed slot game, which is appropriate for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day festivities. The game is aptly entitled, “Party Island” which takes place on, you guessed it, a secluded island.

The symbols on the reels are rather interesting and include:

  • Disco
  • Record player
  • Range of cocktails
  • Party Island logo

When placed in winning combinations, the disco and record player display some exciting animations. The disco lights come on which causes the girls to dance wildly under the ball. The record player spins the record which the disc jockey adjusts the volume. Both animations feature party music playing in the background. The normal background in the game is a girl lying on the beach in a bikini under clear blue skies close to the sea.

The most important symbol is that containing the Party Island logo as it doubles as the wild symbol. The jackpot offers an enormous payout of 10,000 coins. This occurs if five symbols are aligned in any active payline.

One major downside to this game is that it lacks many common game features. There is one free spins round activated by three or more scatter symbols. In this round, 15 free spins are granted with triple payouts. Also, the Microgaming gamble game is available after each win. In this version, players must select the correct color to double the payout or choose the correct suit to quadruple the payout. Unfortunately there is no bonus game set for the second screen.

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Party Island features nine paylines with players having the ability to wager 5 coins per payline. The coin denomination runs between $0.01 and $1.00. If the player sets everything at a maximum they have the opportunity to win $50,000 with a single spin.

Party Island recently went live at River Belle Casino which creates an environment full the Southern hospitality commonly found in Mississippi gambling boats. The casino is owned and operated by Tower Rock Limited and is licensed by the regulatory body in Gibraltar. The casino is an excellent place to engage in a game of slots. With the addition of the Party Island slot game, this is all the more reason to visit and try your luck.

Newest Addition to Rival Gaming

Friday, March 11th, 2011

One of the most popular themed slot games is horse racing. This is primary due to the fact that slot and racing enthusiasts have a similar goal; to win big. Therefore, one of the leading online gaming software developers, Rival Gaming, has produced a slot game based on racing entitled, “A Day at the Derby.” The title alone gives players the feeling of taking a trip to the track on a warm summer day.

The background in the game furthers the horse racing atmosphere with the reels set on a race track. When the reels spin, the background transforms to a transparent scene allowing players to clearly view the racetrack. Also the symbols portray horse racing including:

  • Horse shoes
  • Binoculars
  • Cold drink
  • Betting slip
  • Horses
  • Jockeys
  • Male and female racing fans
  • Roses
  • Trophy

In addition to the other thematic objects in the game, the animation makes them come to life. The horses snort and neigh, the binoculars are raised and zoom in on the racing action. The male symbol wipes sweat from his brow while the female enthusiast fans herself. The most interesting and important animation is the betting slip becoming a wad of cash while the crowd cheers in the background.

The wild symbol is a brown horse which appears only on the first, second and third reels. When hit, the payouts are proliferated by the total number of brown horses on the reels. The green jockey symbol is representative of the jackpot which provides a payout of up to 2,500 coins.

The blue jockey awards the free spins round. Therefore, when multiple blue jockeys appear on the reels, the round is triggered. Three spins equates to 5 free spins, four is worth 10 and five equals 20. During this round all payouts are tripled.

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The most exciting feature is the bonus game which appears when three or more grey horses emerge on any of the reels. The game consists of a race between three horses with the player required to select one of the horses. When the race has ended the player receives a bonus based on the final position of the horse.

A Day at the Derby is a fun, innovative online slot game that already has a large following despite being recently released. Since Rival Gaming is such a major online gaming player, the game has gone live at a number of casinos.

Magic Themed Slots are in the Air

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

With the recent release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, online casino game developers are jumping on board. With the vast success of Harry Potter series, it is unlikely a developer will create a game based on the series. However, new magic-themed slot games have been released similar to the characters and witchcraft of Harry Potter. Most major online gaming providers offer slots with a magic theme.

Industry-leader Microgaming recently released Magic Spell, an online slot game that most resembles Harry Potter. The game takes place at a magic school for cats. The wild symbol is Master Tom with the higher paying symbols being students Catrina, Leo and Baz, all of which bear a resemblance to Hermoine, Harry and Ron. Other symbols include:

  • Building
  • Emblem
  • Satchel
  • Teacher
  • Tie
  • Scroll
  • Lamp
  • Snacks

A school bell-type audio is heard in the background as the reels spin. Additionally, there are magical animations such as when Master Tom appears during winning combinations. The bonus game occurs when the letters M, A, G, I and C appear from left to right. At this point players are awarded the golden key which gives them access to the Secret Library.

Another excellent game is Witches and Warlocks, developed by Cryptologic. The scatter symbol is the witch and the wild card symbol is the warlock. Other symbols include, a cauldron, potions, cat, skull, crystal ball, pumpkin, broom, witches hat and spell book.

In the Witches and Warlock bonus game, which is triggered by three witches, players must choose to battle a witch or a warlock using spells and potions. A prize is awarded for each spell or potion that causes damage and the fight continues until one player drains the other of all their life. Victory and consolation prizes are awarded.

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Vegas Technology has also decided to get in on the action with the release of Black Magic. The symbols on the reels of this game propagate black magic such as, a snake, vial, skull, spider, bat and grave stone with a wild-card witch. The Black Magic bonus game features six crystal balls that must be correctly selected by the player to win bonus credits.

These games are extremely fun and exciting, especially around Halloween. Themed slot games continue to retain veteran players while attracting interested individuals. Online slots providers are developing so many themed games there is one for almost all categories of life.

Cryptologic Blackjack Settings

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Cryptologic-powered casinos offer a number of variants of blackjack. One of the most popular is Atlantic City Blackjack. Within the game is a settings button that allows players to configure the game to their liking. Important actions and warning messages are two of the options that can be configured after clicking the settings button.

There are a few tips to using this button that will improve the experience at any Cryptologic casino. The settings button is divided into two sections:

  • Insurance
  • Player warnings

In the Atlantic City Blackjack variant an insurance bet is available when the player’s face up card is an Ace. If the player feels the dealer will draw blackjack, he can place a side bet equal to half the original wager as an insurance measure. If the dealer has blackjack the insurance bet pays two to one so the player does not completely lose. However, if the dealer does not have blackjack the player losses the insurance bet and the original wager is played out.

In the Insurance category the player has three options:

  • Always offer insurance
  • Always buy insurance
  • Always decline insurance

Keep in mind the insurance bet is not a profitable move in the long run. Therefore buying insurance on a regular basis is a losing proposition. Ideally it is best to always decline insurance. Therefore, by selecting one of the three aforementioned options, you can auto play this aspect of the game. Typically it is best for new players to always decline insurance until they are comfortable with the game.

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In the Player warnings section, which are always defaulted to enabled, warnings are issued when a player hits on a hand of hard 17 or higher, stands on 11 or less and doubles on hard 12 or more. These are moves that should never be made by the player. Therefore, these warnings are issued to protect the player against an accidental clicking error and do not indicate correct or incorrect play.

The warnings can be disabled through the Settings option but is an unwise move. Although the warnings can become irritating, they always cause the player to rethink that specific move. Those that are confident in their moves and not making errors are taking a risk by disabling the warning messages.

These settings are important to consider when playing any variant of Cryptologic Blackjack as they can help you remain focused and eliminate errors. Since there are no checks in a live game, these settings make it much easier to play blackjack online than in person.

Microgaming Craps Options

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

Online gaming industry leader, Microgaming, is well-known for developing highly customizable software. One example of the many customization options found in their software is Microgaming Craps. Some of the features are useful while others are not. Therefore, it is important to learn how to utilize these customized functions to maximize your winnings.

There are two customizable options available in the craps game including:

  • Sound settings
  • Bet settings

Within the sound settings selection, there are four options; game sounds, background sounds, advanced sounds and win sounds. The software allows players to enable or disable each option. New players should experiment with different sound combinations to make the gambling experience more enjoyable.

The game sounds are the shaking and rolling of dice, the background sound contains light chatter and background music; the advanced sounds are commentary on the current game situation and the win sounds which are better suited for online slot games. Players that wish to gamble in silence can simply click the “switch off all sounds” option.

The bet settings menu allows the player to toggle specific bets during a come out roll. These bets include, Hardways, Buy, Place, Come and Big 6 and Big 8. The advantage of this feature is each bet can be addressed individually given the player much more control than at other casinos.

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For example, if a player is betting on a Hardway Eight and the point is a six, then if the six is rolled ending the round, the Hardway Eight continues to stand because no decision has been made. If the next round begins with a come out roll, bets are conventionally turned off or not aloud. This is signified by a marker labeled “OFF.” Therefore, the outcome of the roll will, once again, have no effect on the Hardway Eight bet.

Although these options do not make a significant difference in gameplay, they give the player much more control over the virtual environment. This results in a comfortable setting for placing quality bets and can, in turn, become profitable. Most online and all land-based competitors (especially in a busy, noisy casino) do not provide any of these options.

The games Microgaming develops add a little extra advantage to the player. In this instance, these options can make a difference on the mood of the player at the table. Customization of any type of gaming software in favor of the player is always a great feature.

U.S. Football Themed Slot Review

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

The American football season is now underway and so is the release of football-themed slot machines. In 2010, there are quite a few leading gaming software developers that cater to American clientele with the release of football-themed slots. Each year, many Americans not only look forward to the beginning of football, but also the release of new slot games.

Vegas Technology

Industry-leading software developer, Vegas Technology, has released the $5 Million Touchdown game. This particular game can be found within the English Harbour Group network of casinos. To win the $5 million, 5 Strategy symbols must appear anywhere on the reel with maximum coins and maximum paylines wagered.

Other symbols originate directly from American football such as, kicking, throwing and tackling moves, cheerleaders, the football, a whistle and the goal post. Additionally, there is an integrated bonus game. Football players are lined up on both sides of the screen. The player selects one player from every row which simulates passing the ball from one to another. Every selection rewards the player with bonus credits which continues until fumble or touchdown.

Rival Gaming

Rival Gaming also provides their share of American football-themed slots called Pigskin Payout. The reels display as a scoreboard with the backdrop of a stadium. The numerous symbols include cheerleaders, referees, the stadium, a strategy board, a football, a quarterback, fries, beer and the 50-yard line. The software features vivid graphical animations and crisp sound during a win.

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In the Jackpot Can’t Lose game, stadium scatter symbols distribute 25 free spins at triple payout with the first and fifth reels being wildcards. The cheerleader wild symbol in the normal spin games doubles the payouts. Also, when five wild symbols are aligned, the subsequent payout is 7,500 coins.

Realtime Gaming

This year Realtime Gaming has released a version of American football-themed slots aptly named Fruit Bowl XXV. This game differs from earlier versions in that the symbols are fruits including, grapes, bananas, pineapples and strawberries which represent the football players, plums are the cheerleaders and cherries are the spectators. Other symbols include stadium, trophy, football and cap.

The bonus game is called Fruit Bowl which involves the player bypassing opponents with moves such as right, left and duck in order to score a touchdown. The amount of success determines the number of free spins acquired. These three gaming companies continue to provide exciting, interesting games to maintain the attention of avid gamers. These football-themed slots provide further excitement during an already exhilarating sports season.


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