5-Reel Slots

The 5 reel slot games first came to the fore in Vegas and have eclipsed the old 3 reelers in terms of entertainment and fun value - in most cases anyway! Most online casinos carry both, but frankly I don’t touch the old 3 reel slots anymore. My penchant is for free spins slots and most of the ones reviewed here have that feature. That’s not to say that some of the more standard bonus rounds aren’t fun, it’s just that the free spins slots give more scope for larger wins, in theory having no upper win limit.

Ladbrokes casino sent me a mailer yesterday indicating that the new Lord Of The Rings slot from Microgaming is imminent. By imminent, I think it’s due a September 2010 release and we have a few details trickling through. What we know so far (see the screenshot, below) is that it’s a 243 line slot (wht IGT dub “Multiway” as a comparison), it has a free spins bonus triggered by 3 bonus scatters anywhere in view and it has Stacked Wilds along with an extra expanding wild symbol on Reel 3. It will also have a 96%-97% expected return (Microgaming…finally publsihing RTP’s?? wow!) and it will be “medium volatility” - medium variance in true slots parlance. Finally, it’s dubbed “The Fellowship of the Ring” which is a good indicator it will be the first in a trilogy of slots.

To the left is the first screenshot we have of the new Lord Of The Rings - Fellowhip of the Ring. Other than what I describe above, this doesn’t really tell us anything more apart from the fact that the model being used is clearly similar to the excellent Thunderstruck 2 slot they recently launched.

Actually, back in November 2009, WMS (the land-based slot game manufacturer) launched a version destined for B&M casinos in Vegas called Lord Of The Rings and also based on the film. I’m guessing New Line Media who are the LOTR rights-holders have done seperate online and offline licensing deals and the Microgaming version will I’m sure be a very different game.

You can actually see a promo video for the WMS version of LOTR on the Lord Of The Rings page at OnlineCasinosVegas for a flavour of that one. It’s based on their Star Trek slots concept with the chair and surround sound audio. Obviously a far cry from the online version. For more indepth information on both versions, with screenshots and videos, check out my LOTR-dedicated Lord Of The Rings Slots microsite which I will be keeping up-to-date with all the latest info.

I will update this site with details of Microgaming’s version when more becomes available.

In May 2010, Microgaming have pencilled in the release of the new Thunderstruck II slot which will be eagerly awaited by online slots players I’m sure. Well…it is by me anyway LOL. A new microsite, dedicated to the Thunderstruck II slot has been launched where the first screenshots will be available to view.

All we know at this stage is that it will look and feel very different to the original. There are four different types of free spins bonus and 243 payline in the style of IGT’s Multiway system. Early indicators suggest it will be more akin to the Tombraider 2 slot in the way it plays than the original, but we’ll have to wait and see…

Unfortunately for USA residents, new Microgaming slots are not available to them because of the grey legal landscape surrounding online gambling in the States, but for everyone else, 32Red will undoubtedly have the game early doors.

Pre-release Special Offer: Ladbrokes have also announced that new players who signup and deposit £25 and turnover at least £150 on the original Thunderstruck slot in April 2010 will receive 50 free spins on Thunderstruck II as soon as it is launched.

More information when I get it.

Thought I’d share half a dozen great wins from one of my favourite slots, Great Blue. These wins were all generally at Tote Casino or Bet365 Casino where I play most. I’ve lost count of the times that the Great Blue slot has rescued a session for me. It has stacked wilds on all 5 reels but the killer is the free spins bonus. Get 3 or more scatters and you pick to clam shells which reveal 7, 10 or 15 free spins or a 5x or 8x multiplier. You get 8 spins at 2x by default so if say you pick a clam with 15 free spins and the clam with the 8x, you get 23 spins at 10x. When the stacked wilds drop, you’re quids in.

Anyway, take a look at these wins and drool

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Oh my word! For those of you already familiar with one of the greatest online slot machines to be designed in recent times, you might be interested to know that the excellent King Kong slot has now been made available to play online at Virgin casino. Previously it’s only been available at Intercasino and it got some serious acclaim - not least from me! - when it was first released in 2009. So what’s the fuss about? I’ll tell you! But first I have to apollogetically state that no USA players can play this slot. Sorry - it’s a legal thing.

The King Kong slot is all about the free spins! yeah, yeah…every slot machine has those now right? But how many give you up to 150 free spins and to top that off, allows retriggers! And it gets better. When you get a retrigger, it gives you the same again - so if you hit the 150 free spins and you get a retrigger - bingo - another 150 free spins. More…»

An interesting new online slot machine arrived at Virgin casino last week. IGT’s popular Treasures Of Troy slot game, using the patented Multiway system has gone live. For those unfamiliar with this slot machine, it’s unusual in a couple of ways. It retains the tried and trusted free spins bonus (10 - 20 games at 2x) but the look and feel of the Treasures Of Troy slot machine is not like anything else.

For a start, Treasures of Troy has 4 symbols per reel (20 panels) and what’s more, each of the 20 symbol positions is a reel in itself! So effectively it’s a 20 reel slot in More…»

Oh. My. God! I saw the Gladiator slot at the ICE show on the Playtech stand in a kiosk and thought “wow”. Coulda played it for ages. And now…it’s come out online at Playtech casinos such as the excellent Bet365 (where I play). I don’t know where to start LOL. I’m trying to write this and play the damn thing at the same time and it ain’t easy!

Anyway, as slots go, I’m gonna put my rep on the line and say that you won’t see a better slot game come out in 2009! The graphics are stunning, the gameplay smooth, the music is great…the whole thing oozes class, but it’s the gameplay that will ultimately prove whether the Gladiator slot can fight with the best. And it’s good. It’s very good! If you don’t believe me then you can play the Gladiator slot free in your browser and see for yourself.

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Now let’s be frank here, there aren’t going to be many people who can afford to bet $500 a spin on an online slot machine! So when you see a screenshot like the one above with a life-changing win of $240,000, that ain’t gonna happen to most of us, right?  Right. I mean can you imagine the adrenaline rush of betting max and pushing the button, then seeing a win like this come in? It would be enough to send most people over the edge, me included. If not emotionally, certainly financially. So my advice…don’t do it!

Anyway, when Intercasino announced this week that they were releasing their King Kong slot machine, it was too good to ignore. I played the King Kong slot in Vegas so had to check this one out to see if it was the same. It’s More…»

Wagerworks, a subsiduary of IGT UK, have just released a new online slot called “Triple Fortune Dragon“, a 243 payline slot with a Japanese theme based on the Land based casino slot game of the same name. I’ve just been playing it at Virgin Casino and am pleased to say it offers something a little different rather than just being a clone of an existing slot as so many new ones are these days. Actually it reminds me of the popular 50 Lions and 50 Dragons slots that you see in Vegas and even more prominently in Macau, although this one doesn’t have stacked wilds like those two do.

When I say 243 paylines (IGT term this “Multiway”), what this essentially means is that a symbol can appear on any reel of the slot and be in a winning combination. With the exception of 9’s and 10’s, you need 3 of any symbol to get a win. To initiate the free spins bonus, you need 3 bonus symbols (or more) on the first 3 reels (as in the screenshot here). The bonus round gives you 15 free spins where all wins More…»

Allslots casino is now running a mega-slots competition entitled the World Series Of Slots. Running on the excellent Microgaming software platfrom with the slot tournament module, the competition is free to enter and runs from September through to November with $500,000 of prizes on offer.

The competitions take the form of s eries of qualifiers with free buy-ins, leading to semi-finals and finals. Players can qualify for each stage or buy in to specific stages and compete for the top prizes.

Allslots casino is part of the Jackpot Factory group, a well-established and very reputable operator. US players are accepted from all bar 11 States, along with casino players from most other countries. The casino also offers a first-deposit sign-up bonus. Support is reasonably responsive, and cashouts are processed after 24 hours. Deposit opions are also very wide ranging and it’s a casino I have played regularly and trust implicitly.

If you’re a slot player and been to the Meccas of Vegas or Macau, you’ll probably be familar with Davinci Diamonds. I played it first at the Wynn in Vegas and again at the amazing Venetian in Macau and I couldn’t quite make up my mind if I liked it or not but thought I better add a heads up to Online Casinos & Slot Machines [.co.uk] at least as it’s a recognisable game and features “Tumbling Reels”! Ooh-er!

Now, Wagerworks - a wholly-owned subsiduary of slot machine manufacturer IGT - have released the anticipated online version and amazingly, on time too! It is now available to play online at Virgin Casino, Get Minted, Blue Square and Paddy Power Casino, although unfortunately for Americans you can’t play Wagerworks casinos (it’s the law!. Also available now is the Davinci Diamond freeplay slot - but again, no Americans

For those that aren’t familiar with Davinci Diamonds, it’s a slightly new concept More…»