This is a fun one, folks.
Fire and Roses Joker from Triple Edge Studios is exclusive to BetMGM for Michigan online casino customers, and it offers two very enticing ways to win big money. Additionally, with a RTP of 96.01%, it (generally) won’t destroy your bankroll.
Let’s jump right in, eh?
The facts
There are 720 ways to win on this curious slot, with the reel symbols organized in a 3-4-5-4-3 manner. You can win from either direction, and the wild symbol — a buxom joker, because of course — is wild for any and all lines that follow. Translation: You can win with numerous symbols scattered throughout the reels.
The “7” symbol is the big money maker, followed by the cherry, the dice, playing cards, and the playing card symbols.
But of course, the big money is to be made in the bonus games, of which there are a pair.
Jackpot wheel: Collect one or more jackpot trigger symbols — they are gold roses — for the chance to unlock the wheel. Fair warning: There’s no rhyme or reason about when the wheel unlocks. You might spin once, it unlocks. You might spin for 45 minutes, it doesn’t unlock, as I found out.
But each time there’s a trigger symbol without the wheel unlocking, the amount of each potential jackpot goes up by .5X. At the minimum amount per spin (20 cents), the jackpots are as follows: Mini starts at $1 (with a max of $15) minor starts at $2 (max $20), major starts at $10 (max $50), mega starts at $40 (max $200), and ultra starts at $200 (max $1,000.)
Each jackpot is assigned to each reel, so if the triggers drop in the mini wheel, the mini wheel jackpot goes up. If they drop in the ultra reel, the ultra reel jackpot goes up, and so on.
Free spins: Spell out the word J-O-K-E-R across the five reels, you trigger the free spin feature. You start at a minimum of six free spins, and for every letter on the reels, you get an extra free spin.
But wait there’s more.
If you get four of the five letters instead of all five, the multiplier increases by .5. So if you’re spinning and spinning and spinning, you might find your multiplier ends up at 6X, 7X, or more. These aren’t extra free spins; this is a cash multiplier. The maximum is 10X.
And so if the multiplier gets up there and you hit the J–O-K-E-R, the chance for a massive win becomes a real possibility.
Now here’s the rub about Fire and Roses Joker: This game is … well, it’s designed to keep you playing. I mean, duh, right? But for real.
As you wait to get the J-O-K-E-R and the free spins, that multiplier is going to creep up, and it almost seems — key word “almost” — like it’s -EV to stop when the multiplier gets to 6X, 7X, or more.
Same with the jackpot wheel: Those numbers keep creeping up, and — get this — they stay where they are even after you win, except for the winning spin. Meaning, if you hit the major jackpot, it starts over at $10, but the mini, minor, mega, and ultra stay where they are.
In short: There’s always more money just waiting to be won. It takes a little more — well, a lot more — willpower to walk away than it does for most other slots.
Look and feel
Relatively straightforward. Our buxom joker is off to the left of the reels, urging you on. And when she pops up as a wild symbol and you win money, she lets loose with a “Yeah!” or an “OK!” It’s fine.
The music is carnival-esqe, and it rises after a big win — and it stays there, slowly going back down to the standard sounds. Clever bit of design, right there.
The colors are poppy, and overall, just a fun slot to look at.
The results
Listen, I tilted at 20 cents a spin, at one point down more than $35, but I rallied with a few big wins and a free spins victory at 7X multiplier. I walked away — at least for the time being — up $6. Bully for me.
Overall, this is a very cool slot game, but again: It takes more willpower than usual to walk away.
