Bonus Slots Update: Ripley's Believe It Or Not, Money In The Bank, Winning Riches, Yukon Gold

6 December 2001

By Gayle Mitchell

Lucky Post #13 follows, dedicated to those slot players who believe (with fingers crossed) that the number 13 can indeed be lucky. One of the slot manufacturers--Mikohn, who has become a slot designer of note, offers up their version of Ripley's Believe It or Not and Konami, a new name to some, presents Money In The Bank to begin this post.

1) Ripley's Believe It Or Not: Unlike other bonus slots where a player randomly chooses buttons or pokes the screen, this game actually involves strategy. Is this the wave of the future? Let's hope so. The central feature of this game is a frequent bonus round that occurs three times more often then most video slots. The bonus event features "Rip" the parrot squawking instructions to the player. You are prompted to select one out of three possible answers to a trivia question and you keep at it until the correct answer is selected. A bonus amount is guaranteed and the sooner you make a correct selection, the higher your bonus. Be sure to pay attention to "Rip's" advice. A secondary bonus presents the player with a series of grids displaying globes (Robert Ripley was a world-wide traveler) hiding bonus $$. This game is entertaining and the winnings can be beyond belief.

2) Money In The Bank: Traditional poker symbols, gold coins, gold bars, a white-haired banker and a safe are some of the graphics of this new game. When the Banker and two or more of the Safe symbols land on an active payline, you receive ten free games and all jackpots won are doubled. This feature can also pop up during the bonus round, thereby rewarding the player with twenty or more free games. Any time the Banker lands alone or lands with one Safe, those reels are frozen and you are prompted to re-spin once for a chance at the ten free game feature. Bank on Fun and Freebies here.

3) Winning Riches: This game has no bonus feature rounds, replaced by a high hit frequency. It's appeal is geared toward high-limit slot players averaging a hit every three spins and better odds for the top jackpot versus other multi-line slots. The top jackpot is set at $1000, thereby avoiding the required tax form needed with hits of $1200 or more. The wild symbol is "Lucky the Penguin" and the most common version of this game is five coins per line or 25 coins in. Max. coin for a max. win is required for Winning these Riches.

4) Yukon Gold: The primary game bonus occurs if two or more "chuck wagon" symbols appear on reels 1, 3 or 5. The player is then prompted to pick one of three wagons appearing on the screen. If two wagons have triggered the feature the reward is 3, 5 or 7 times the bet. Three wagons multiply your winnings 50, 75 or 100 times the bet. Second screen bonus occurs when three "Yukon Gold" symbols land on the payline. The player then picks one of twenty squares and continues until three symbols match. A mountain scene appears at which time the player continues picking from the remaining active squares. The goal is to match all the symbols before revealing three "bandits" that will end your run. Also, a random bonus of 10-200 times the bet is awarded if the player manages to pick the three bandits before matching any symbols. Three matching symbols count as one pick out of five chances and the "wild" symbol awards you another pick. When the last match is made or after three bandits show up, a map appears and the player checks out their earned picks to reveal multipliers up to 250X. This is one of the highest hitting games currently available and you should dig in for these 'golden' wins.

One more bonus slot post for 2001 is coming up in two weeks.