New Slots Featuring Pop Culture Icons
Pop culture themes from movies, TV, music and games have long been part of the fun of playing the slots. Let’s check out a few of the new themes we’ll be playing in the coming year.
gambling
Monopoly Hot Shot Mashup
Ever since Scientific Games acquired WMS Gaming in 2013 and Bally Technologies in 2014, it’s been inevitable that we would see WMS-Bally mashups in new slot machines.
Monopoly Hot Shot, on its way for 2018, combines long-standing successes from both companies.
Throwback Thursday: Slot Player Favorites
Every year, slot machine manufacturers roll out dozens of new games, and I’ll be featuring several coming attractions next month.
Before we ring in the new, though, let’s ring out a few old. I asked some of my slot-playing readers to tell me about old favorites that are long gone but they wish they could still play.
Three Card Poker: Pair Plus vs. Ante-Play
I’ve long used Three Card Poker as a change of pace game. I don’t play it as often as I play blackjack or video poker, but it’s easy and I enjoy relaxing over a session now and then.
When I play, I stick to the ante-play option, where you match up your hand against the dealer. Most of the other players bet both on ante-play and on the Pair Plus option, where any pair or better wins.
Blackjack is the Game of Changing Odds
One thing I like to stress to players trying to learn the games is that the odds are unchanging. No matter how long it’s been since a 7 was last rolled in craps, the odds are 1 in 6 on the next roll, and no matter how long it’s been since the ball landed on 00 in roulette, the odds are 1 in 38 on the next spin. The exception is blackjack. There the odds change on every hand as cards are dealt and removed from play until the next shuffle.
Slots Coming in 2018: Konami’s Beat Square
Skill-based gaming is a niche slot machine manufacturers hope to grow, especially as young players who grew up on video games come of age.
There are many approaches to attracting new gamblers, with one innovative new product being Konami Gaming’s Beat Square, expected to roll out early in 2018.