Dungeons and Dragons Adventure

A week or two ago I promised to bring you updated screen grabs from the Virgin Casino Dungeons and Dragons slot machine. My apologies for the slight delay in preparing these - I've been busy playing online and also in my local land based casino. I know, I'm a slackbum. But at least I get there in the end! Playing the Dungeons and Dragons slot machine at Virgin Casino is a blast, and the features are awesome. You can win huge amounts when the feature comes along - if your lucky roles of the dice manage to kill your adversaries along the way. Even without the features, the Dungeons and Dragons slot machine pays well - just look at this nice win of 1575 credits! Aces and my special symbol both hit at the same time!


That said, the real fun begins when you trigger the feature with three dice symbols. When you trigger the feature, the Fortune Free Spins Bonus screen appears, with information that will guide you through your high paying adventure!


The Fortress Free Spins bonus begins by taking you through a series of labyrinths. Moving from space to space, which you decide upon, you'll pick up further multipliers and games - or encounter dragons and other beasts to overcome. Fighting the beasts requires you to roll your magical dice - hopefully your score will beat the score of the beast - and you can continue on. Within the labyrinth squares, there are hidden stairs to deeper levels - with even more multipliers and free games available. The deeper you progress, the more you're likely to win - so find those stairs and venture forth! Here's a battle in progress against a beast.


Some stairs have been found, and we're descending to another level of riches. In this case it's to the very deepest level of the labyrinth - the Dragon's cave.


Here's our mighty battle with the dragon. I guess it makes sense, since this is the Dungeons and Dragons slot machine! We managed to prevail, and picked up a further 4x multiplier here!


And here's the result of our hard work through the labyrinths, battling monsters, finding stairs, and picking up treasure. Our Fortress Free Spins bonus is 16 Free Spins with a 10x multiplier. No doubt you can already see how lucrative this bonus can be. When you play, you might win even more - after all, every game is random. HUGE bonuses are possible in this feature.


The Free Spins are in progress. This screenshot shows a single spin giving us 2000 credits!


At the end of the Fortune Free Spins Bonus, we had received 12550 credits. Looking at that from another perspective, it was approximately 125x our stake for the game (100 credits: 20 lines at 5 credits per line). That's a GREAT bonus. Of course, when you play, you can play as little as 1 credit, or as many as 100 credits per spin - so this game will adjust to your needs.


I really enjoyed playing Dungeons and Dragons slot machine at Virgin Casino - and I'm sure you will too. Don't forget that Virgin Casino offer a 100% match play bonus when you join - giving you even better chances to take some of that casino cash home! Play now - and let me know how you get on at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk. Not ready for real money play? No problems, there's a free game option also - as there are with ALL Virgin Casino games (except progressive slot machines, which are real money play only). Good luck on your Dungeons and Dragons slot machine adventure!

Multiplay Video Slots - IGT

Ever wanted to play more than one slot game AT THE SAME TIME in your local casino? This is now a reality thanks to IGT who've brought out their new range of Multiplay Video Slot machines. This technology has now been licensed in 38 jurisdictions, so if the technology is not yet at your local casino, it's probably not too far away.

Here are some details from the press release: "IGT announced that its MultiPLAY video slot has been approved and released in 38 jurisdictions including Nevada, California and Oklahoma, along with five additional pending jurisdictions. The MultiPLAY video slot is the only one of its kind in which players can choose to play up to four video slot games on the same machine – at the same time.

In addition to playing up to four video slot games on the same machine at the same time, players can hit four progressives sequentially or even hit four bonuses on one spin. Bonus rounds fill the base game screen, and play one after the other. "It's the multi-hand video poker experience now in a multi-game video slot for the very first time," said Ryan Griffin, IGT product manager for Standard Products. "And the flexibility, superior design and options provided by MultiPLAY Video Slots set it apart from all the competition."

MultiPLAY Video Slots themes available today include Cleopatra MultiPLAY Video Slots and Wolf Run MultiPLAY Video Slots. A variety of additional themes are already in development, guaranteeing to keep casino floors fresh with new content. Another benefit is the screen layout with four equal-sized game screens, causing less eye strain and making it easy to follow the action. Plus, each game spins independently, allowing a clear understanding of each outcome." Sounds pretty cool huh!

Want to see what the Multiplay video slots look like? There's a picture of the Cleopatra slot machine cabinet here. Have a look. I'm going to ask our local slot machine supervisor to investigate getting these at the casino I play in - they look really cool!

Have you played these machines? Let me know of your adventures at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk so I can tell others about how they play, and what to expect!

Aristocrat Viridian Is A Winner

I’ve been playing some slot machines at my local casino (including Show Me The Game, the new release of Geisha, and others), based on Aristocrat’s Viridian platform, and I have to say that I really do like them. They’ve got great stereo sound, good clear LCD displays, and importantly, that nice new feel about them. As a regular slots (and table) player, I often get bored playing the same old games, day after day. These new Viridian cabinets and game varieties are enjoyable, and for the time being at least, they’re appealing to me. That’s quite something. Well done Aristocrat.

Viridian slot machines (or at least the ones I've been playing) also include the “Player Information” (i) button. Now I no longer need to guess how high the payout percentage is on my favourite slot machines. Just one press of the button tells me the odds of hitting winning combinations, and also the long term theoretical payout / hold of each machine. Just knowing this information is useful - I switched from playing one favourite game to another for good the other day - because the old game I liked paid 91%, but my new favourite game pays 95%. And that’s on a 2c game denomination.

As our local casino players club adds about half of one percent in cashback, I’m playing a slot machine with a hold of 100% - 95% - 0.5% = approx 4.5%. For a land based casino slot machine, that’s pretty good. Factor in the free food / drinks I’m able to access, and it’s basically an “even money” proposition. As I’m part of my local casinos VIP program, my extra comps / days out / theatre and sports tickets actually puts me in the positive. Theoretically at least.

Online I do find better slot machine payouts - 96% - 98% is common - and I’ll continue to play online (as its been profitable for me). And of course you can get a great deal of free bonus cash when you join up to online casinos (see those adverts featured on the right hand side of my blog pages, for reputable places to play), which you don’t typically get in the land based casinos. But that said, 95% return on a 2c slot in a land based casino with full amenities is not to be sneezed at.

I’m not sure if all of the Viridian games will continue to be in that high paying range, or whether our local casino has just bought a higher denomination version as part of a promotional period, but if this payout percentage begins to be the norm on those slot machines, I’ll continue to play them! What are the slot machine conditions like in your local casino? Feel free to email me at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk with your thoughts, or leave a comment.

How To Win Deal or No Deal

“Deal or No Deal” has been a popular gambling game on TV for many years. The game has also been available online for quite some time, in a number of online casinos such as Totesport Casino. You'll find links to Totesport Casino and other reputable online casinos to play in, in the right hand column of my blog.

Like a normal slot machine, Deal or No Deal relies on luck. Picking the right box at the start of the game will to some extent dictate your final win. Unlike a slot machine though, you have the chance along the way to stop the game at various points and accept the banker’s offer. This does change the nature of the game, and whilst I’d stop short at calling this approach “skill”, it does mean that you might be able to get a slight edge on the game, short term, simply by knowing when to quit. How do you know when to do this?

If you’re playing simply to make any short term profit, no matter how small, then I believe it’s as simple as leaving the game at any point when the banker’s offer is more than what you paid to play the game. If you did this EVERY TIME, then you’d be a winner in the long term. Of course if your initial picks are less than optimum, or you eliminate the top prizes early, then the banker’s offer will never exceed the price you paid to play. And on those games, you’ll likely lose money. So in the long term, the house will still have an edge. But this is a game for fun, not for investment.

Totesport Casino lets you play Deal or No Deal for free. That’s a great way to learn, with ZERO risk! Have fun playing, and don’t bet too big or too often. I believe those tips alone will help you to steer clear of serious problems. If you decide to play for real cash, Totesport Casino offers a 100% match play bonus, up to 100GBP. Let me know at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk if you sign up to Totesport Casino via my blog links - and I'll give you some extra cash from me (to your bank account, or via Paypal) as a thank you!

The Lucky 88 Slot Machine

Lucky 88 is a fairly recently launched slot machine by Aristocrat, and I found it in my local casino the other day. So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Lucky 88. I played a 2c denomination slot machine the other day, and with just $40 in I won around $250. That’s not a bad result from a small denomination machine, and from the free spins bonus. I’m not sure of the overall payout percentages - but i’d expect it to be in the 80c-90c range. Probably not too much higher, based upon the small denomination for play. Higher denomination machines may be set higher.

The gameplay on this machine is quite good. Eight is considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture, so the Lucky 88 represents the chance to get double good fortune for players. The game is set in China where regal lions guard players’ fortunes; majestic cranes stand for peace and long life; drums beat the sounds of power and strength; lanterns illuminate the path to luck; and a friendly guide shows the way to free bonus games.

You can play up to 25 lines at a time on Lucky 88. From my own experience, volatility in the game is high, and the feature frequency range is average. When you get the feature (triggered by three lucky red lanterns), you can choose a range of possible payouts for winning combinations, in conjunction with a number of free games. Take 20 free games paying 8x or 18x winning combinations, or 15 free games paying 18x or 38x winning combinations, etc.

The choice is yours. You must play in PowerPay mode to be able to choose the lucky dice game. I didn’t like the “roll the dice” feature option when I played, and preferred the standard free games - but this is all down to personal choice. Long term I’m sure the payouts on all of the feature games are probably pretty similar. Lucky 88 slot machine is probably available in your favourite land-based casino.

Double Bonus At Virgin

So you like playing slots huh? Make sure you play at a casino that gives you a nice juicy signup bonus, like Virgin Casino. These signup bonuses really do put the odds in your favour - you've got a great chance to win. It's nice to get something for free huh? Get your bonus now, whilst the going is so good!

Virgin Casino, has doubled its signup bonus to 100% and 100GBP. That's a fantastic offer and worth taking up if you haven't already! You can use your bonus to play many of the Virgin Casino games, including recently launched Battleship Search and Destroy.

Give Richard Branson, the owner of the Virgin Group, a run for his money, and sign up at Virgin Casino today!

Dungeons and Dragons Slot Machine

Dungeons and Dragons slot machine has arrived at Virgin Casino. We'll have full launch details and screenshots in a week or so, but until then you can play the game via the banner advertisement below. Clicking will take you to the Virgin Casino website, with excellent slot machine games on offer.

Don't forget that Virgin Casino offer a 100% matchplay bonus up to 100GBP!

2009 Slot Percentages

Here's a copy of my recent article on Beat The Casinos. This article seeks to give some indication of the house edge on your favourite slot machine. The house edge will differ from machine to machine, from manufacturer to manufacturer, and often from coin / play denomination to denomination.

Generally, the higher the average bet likely to be acheived by the slot machine, the higher the slot machine payout percentage. So if a 5c slot machine returns say 82%, a 25c slot machine might return 90%, a $1 slot machine might return 93%, and a $5 or above slot machine might return say 96%. I say might, because each casino decides individually on the slot machine game configurations they purchase from the slot machine manufacturers, and on the style of slot machine games they purchase.

It's generally difficult to get true payout percentages for slot machines, because they are closely guarded secrets from the slot machine manufacturers - well, as far as players are concerned anyway. Imagine you walk into a casino and see a big sign on a machine: "I only give you back 83c for every $1 you put in me". Would you play that machine? It's unlikely. But in reality this is what's REALLY happening. Every so often this manufacturer information gets reported on in an industry publication, or magazine like Strictly Slots. I read these publications, so often take note of these stats.

For your playing benefit, I've assembled a table of likely payout percentage ranges for a variety of slot games popular in 2009. The figures range because the manufacturers produce these games in various formats / configurations, and the casinos can choose which configuration to buy to meet their slot floor purchasing policies. The games may differ by jurisdiction / country also. The ranges below show the approximate payout percentages that the manufacturers offer the games in. By looking at these percentages, you can get a feel for which games are better to play than others.

Aristocrat Slot Machines Payout Percentages
African Storm: 87.86% - 94.84%
Boot Scootin (US market): 87.20% - 97.15%
Dinosaur: 87.98% - 94.96%
Double Happiness: 85.96% - 93.05%
Mr Woo: 90.63% - 92.17%
Tiki Talk: 87.95% - 94.86%
Wild Panda: 88.00% - 95%

IGT Slot Machines Payout Percentages
Addams Family: 88% - 93.5%
Austin Powers: 88% - 98%
Diamond Jackpots: 87.9% - 96.5%
Elephant King: 85.03% - 98.04%
Enchanted Unicorn: 85% - 98%
Fortune Cookie: 85.03% - 98.01%
Imperial Dragon: 88% - 94.99%
Neon Nights: 87.53% - 98.03%
Pink Panther: 88% - 95%
Price Check: 85% - 98%
Price is Right - Cliffhangers: 85% - 98%
Red White and Blue: 85.03% - 97.45%
Soul Train Mystery - Progressive: 87.59% - 94.27%
Texas Tea: 87% - 97% (Note: Virgin Casino offer this game online also).
Viva Las Vegas: 87.5% - 87.8%
Wheel of Fortune Super Spin: - 87.5% - 89.40%

Konami Gaming Slot Machines Payout Percentages
Splendors of India: 82% - 96%
African Diamond: 82% - 98%


This list is of course just a very small subset from the slot machines available in your typical casino. Is there a machine you really enjoy playing that you'd like me to source this information for? Is there a slot machine manufacturer i've not yet listed that you'd like information about? Let me know at davewestlondon@yahoo.co.uk, and I'll do my best to help.