Silk Road Pokie
For many, Silk Road was the ill-fated dark web marketplace where you could purchase everything from class-A drugs and bogus driver’s licenses to guns-for-hire and cigarettes. For others, Silk Road is an ancient overland network of trade transmission routes spanning the Asian continent. And for less still, Silk Road is a slot game that boasts a range of unique features as well as promising a bumper pay-out.
The five-reel pokie has nothing to do with the mysterious dark web and everything to do with pay-lines, jackpot symbols and free spins. Manufactured by Aristocrat, one of the market’s smaller slots game developers (and itself a subsidiary of Amaya), this gaudy attraction lures gamers in with its claim that you have “243 ways to win”. Once a land-based slot clogging up casino floors, it now exists primarily in the virtual world, cluttering the web pages of Cryptologic-powered gambling dens.
Based on the storied journey of tradesmen on the criss-crossing routes of old (and not on the nefarious sale of illicit paraphernalia online), Silk Road is a pokie that’s pretty easy to get to grips with. All players need to do is hit a matching symbol in adjacent columns starting from the far left-hand side.
Pay-lines Everywhere
If you’re intent on trekking across the Silk Road, you’re in the wrong era, pal. If you want to play the slot machine equivalent, well, that’s a more realistic aspiration.
The symbols that fluoresce across the screen are obviously derived from the historical trade routes from which the pokie takes its name. Theme-related emblems appear in the form of Oriental artefacts, wine bottles, earthenware jugs, a trading post and even a trade ship, an invisible wind billowing its sails. The typical 9-through-to-ace symbols also make appearances against a golden sand background. The roll of silk represents the Wild and substitutes for all of the game’s symbols (bar the Scatters) to complete winning combinations. The coveted roll pops up only on reels 2 and 4, while the ornamental moth acts as the bonus feature.
As stated, your goal is to get matching symbols on adjacent columns rather than to hit them on the same pay-lines. Users need to stake a minimum of 25 coins (the lowest coin value setting to activate the game is 0.02) to cover all 243 pay-lines. In other words, 0.50 is the very minimum cost per spin of the slot.
Silk Road
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Bonus Bonanza
Everybody loves a freebie and the makers of Silk Road understand this truism perfectly. Land 3, 4 or 5 golden moth symbols and you’ll get a bundle of free spins (10, 15 and 20, depending on your moth count). If you hit the Wild on reel two during a round of complimentary spins, your win will be multiplied by three. If a Wild appears in reel four, your win increases by a factor of five, while twin Wilds equate to 15x.
The best part is that during a free spin, you can trigger even more free spins. Just ponder that for a second. Imagine sitting at your computer and spinning till you can’t spin no more – being snapped out of a fugue state after whirling on the virtual Silk Road for aeons. I digress…
With the exception of the free spins, there are no bonus games up for grabs on the Silk Road. However, the prospect of free spins is so damn enticing that the game scarcely needs them.
Making Money
The jackpot on Silk Road is not unsubstantial. Players who hit all five sultan symbols will be rewarded with a pay-out of 2,500 coins for each roll of coins wagered on the base game spin.
It’s tempting to chase the big money, but as with all pokies that follow the format of multiple pay-lines, it’s wise to stick to a prudent policy where staking is concerned. Chasing the Wilds and the attendant free spins is a dangerous (though potentially lucrative) strategy. You might get lucky, you might not. Ultimately you must exercise caution and keep a level head.
Smooth as Silk?
When traditional land-based slots spring up online, they rarely pack the same punch. While Silk Road is an enjoyable pokie, it’s not the kind that yields endless amusement. Rather, it’s a basic game at which you will try your luck, have fun for a bit and forget about entirely ten minutes later (unless you hit pay dirt, that is). Have fun.