Do you have a slot which may be popular the others, but you dislike it for some reason? Why do you dislike it? Perhaps it burned you for a major amount of money without a single bonus round --- or you find you can never win anything on it?

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

There was a time where Konami was a series threat in the ongoing battle to occupy casino floor space. With early hits like, "Money in the Bank" and "3 Wild Bees" ... Konami was making serious inroads. Their graphics, animations and payouts were attractive.

There is one Konami game called, "Star Fever" which I can not stand. The top payout is 10000 coins --- if you play 5 coins on a winning pay line! There is a strange spinner around the outside which occurs every spin ... it is actually a multiplier for that spin. It sounds like there is potential -- a frequent hit machine with the excitement of a multiplier.

Only a few problems ...

Most of the symbols are worth so little, you might get 5 or 10 credits for 4 symbols ... or 50 credits for 5 symbols. It makes a big deal out of being able to "SPIN AGAIN" --- usually the "FREE SPIN" yields ... ah, nothing. There are a few bonus rounds which come up occassionally ... and they are mostly disappointing. The hit frequency you would expect with a low JACKPOT value is just not there. Most $20 bills have a straight line downwards --- it is so difficult to even double your money. You really need to play 45 credits to win anything decent. I have had one jackpot on this machine in all of the times I have played it.

This is a game I really did not enjoy.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

If you can find a 1-cent version of this game, it might make a difference. My review is about the 2-cent version. To cover all of the lines, you need to bet 40-lines ... to qualify for the "BIG WHEEL" aspect of things, you need another 40-credits. To cover the minimum, it is an 80-credit proposition each spin. With a 2-cent denom, this is $1.60 per spin. If the amounts to be won were significant, it would be different ... but the most you can win is 10000 x your line bet --- so, as much as $200 for $1.60 bet. This machine just drains funds so quickly, your dollars are quickly gone.

I bet some of you have had hours of fun ... but within a month, nobody plays this "dog" --- which has seating for 8 people.

The "Big Wheel" idea was fine ... but the execution was terrible.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

When this video progressive first hit the casino floor, it was a big hit. Many casinos bought a mininum of 4 units ... many 8 or 10. It's been a year now, and you can walk up to these machines which are rarely 10% occupied. The novelty has worn off now ... and people are getting tired of "burning themselves" by holding out for the "big money" case ... and ending up with something much less ... time after time.

It is no doubt a huge hit for Atronic ... hopefully they have a kit to update these machines to something else.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

I'm a huge fan on the WMS games. This company comes up with innovative and fun games over and over again. Unfortunately, "Mardi Gras Madness" just does not "do it" for me.

I have played the game long enough to know the bonus round is tough to get. You need to get 3 scattered symbols. When the bonus round finally arrives, you pick masked Mardi Gras revellers to get a number of free spins. You keep picking until the game starts. Typically ... the number of free spins in around 6 to 10. After each winning spin (if there are any) ... a float comes along with a muliplyer. Most are 2x or 3x --- it is possible to get 10x, but this is rare. Needless to say, most of the bonus rounds, when you finally get them, are busts!

The music that blasts is, "When the Saints Come Marching In" ... which I identify more as a spiritual tune ... and there is actually a woman singing the words.

Out of all of the times I had played this game ... I have jackpotted once. I'm sure the game plays as much as other WMS games ... but in my short sessions, this one just sucks the cash.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

Aristocrat machines are often the most popular in the casino. The graphics are often simple ... all of the music between machines is usually the same, but the free spinss are appealing ... especially games that offer 50 or up to 100 free spins.

Scatter Magic is a unique game, because the bonus round is triggered when you get a witch any place on the 1st and 5th reel. The bonus round is a single free spin ... with a scatter calculated in a way I have not figured out yet. I can only tell you --- if you get 3 pictures the same on adjacent reels (from left to right), it is going to pay well ... even two pictures the same pays okay. Unfortunately ... if you don't have the same symbols --- you get almost nothing ... and this happens a lot. While the bonus round may, on average, trigger more often than a regular game ... the single, "kick at the cat" means you are disappointed frequently.

Out of all of the Aristocrat games, this one is the least played at my local casino. I have not seen Aristocrat come out with another one either. Also, the bonus round scoring is not obvious (at least not to me).

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

Seriously ... IGT warns the players up front that you better have, "Deep Pockets" to play ... and they are right.

This was an early 25-line game ... meaning a nickel play ... normally .45 cents to cover all lines (9-line) is now $1.25 -- to encourage the full play, they did not send you into the regular bonus round if you did not have all lines covered (the target bonus).

There were two bonus rounds. The one with the Q-bert style, "jump your kangaroo downwards to reveal values" -- and the last jump featuring a multiplier. Unfortunately, a 25 coin bet, typically yields about 250 coins. Woo Hoo.

The other bonus round (triggered with 3 scattered targets), gave you a chance to pick the order of 3 unknown numbers. The smallest number was about 12 coins and the largest is theoretically 987 --- so not even close to a jackpot). You are given a chance to "modify your win" ... randomly, you could have to place 3 numbers again ... add a digit to your 3 numbers (which would make a 4-digit number and a likely jackpot) --- or it could turn into a 2-digit number ... so you might end up with less than your original bet.

From my experience, "Deep Pockets" gets played when every other machine is busy --- or when someone has not played the game much. I've had my share of times ... because I have been lucky enough to get the 4-digits ... but even more times, I've ended up with less than my original offer.

I have not heard of plans for a Deep Pockets sequal, so I will assume this game was somewhat of a bust for IGT.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

At one time, Bally was one of the great innovators of slot machines. While their Casino Management software is still very popular, their games have not kept up with the times. The graphics of their video slots were at least 3 years behind, the math was repetitive (same math, different graphics used over and over).

Personally ... I rarely play Bally games. I know they have fans ... and games like "Blazing 7s" are still popular. Their "Rapid Hit" progressives are interesting --- and I have seen some decent "hits" on this platform ... similar to the Blazing 7s model ... still ... for me, it is more for hardcore gamblers ... and not as interesting or entertaining an experience.

Quartermillions --- again ... BORING!

If Bally came up with something that looked like the year 2008, I might give it a shot (adding an old game with a large screen ... or using a Bally cabinet to house an IGT, WMS, Aristocrat or Konami game does not count).

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

When it comes to making video slots ... you can make a slot out of almost everything. Bars and Bells are classics. Multipliers and Wilds are very common. Playing cards are mainstays (9 10 J Q K A).

There are themes about cows, space, TV shows, celebrities, movies, etc etc.

So why is it so important to have characters in games who have a cigarette or a cigar hanging from their lips. In a game like IGT's, "Ducks in a Row", one of the ducks is munching on a cigar. IGT also has a game called, "Max Action". The cool, "Max" character is animated taking a drag on a cigarette and blowing smoke which morphs into a prize amount win.

It's not just IGT ... Aristocrat has a cigar chomper who uses teh stogie to light a TNT fuse in, "The Good and the Bad". Let's not leave out, "WMS Gaming" who renewed the rich lady in the bonus round of "Winning Bid" with the extended filter tip for the end of the cigarette.

What is the advantage of depicting smoking in slot machines? I would just call it a "bad trend".

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\

any slot that i lose money in i dislike