Genie’s Gems Pokie
We’re all used to seeing basic pokies, and many players like them for the very fact that all that’s required is for them to choose a bet size, click a button to spin the reels and see what combinations of symbols land.
Genie’s Gems is just such a game, where there are no extra features and nothing to distract from the simple pleasures of spinning up some prizes. It’s one of the older pokies from the Microgaming collection, but has remained popular throughout the years, with some colourful symbols decorating the screen and the chance of some decent payouts along the way.
An Arabian Nights theme with castles, flying carpets, gems and lamps makes the game look quite appealing despite its’ age, but with 5 reels and just 5 payines it could be an ideal pokie for beginners to try out, as there’s not much to learn about playing it.
Genie's Gems
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Bright blues dominate the screen, with the plain backdrop to the reels giving away the age of this game. Symbols are equally basic, but at least they are neatly rendered and smoothly animated. The reels pretty much fill the screen except for the numbered jewels down each side that act as payline indicators.
The payout schedule is actually better-looking than the main game, with a stereotypical image of an Arabian city behind the details of what each symbol is worth, and a slightly bonkers-looking genie grinning at players from one side of the screen.
Winning combinations come when identical symbols line up across an active payline, running from the 1st reel on the left side. Payouts are listed as the amount bet per line, and the lower value symbols are the traditional 10, J, Q, and K, with higher-value ones being images related to the theme.
The advantage of the card symbols is that players know which are going to be of the least value, but on the other hand the disadvantage is that they are not very interesting to look at. However, when just 2 of the 10 or J symbols stop on a line it’s enough for a payout, while 3 or more of any others are needed to earn a prize.
The picture symbols carry values of 10x the line bet when 3 examples of the domed building land on adjacent reels on a line, up to 1000x should a full line of 5 run right across the screen. Prizes increase with the flying carpet, genie’s lamp and diamond, until we get to the Genie himself, who pays out 100x for 3 on a line up to the jackpot of 10,000x the stake per line when he lands in the right spots.
How much is won depends on the size of the bet made, and so there’s the standard Microgaming control panel beneath the reels that lets players decide their stakes. By using the + and – buttons, the amount wagered on each line can be adjusted from 0.25 up to a maximum of 5.00, and then players can activate just a single line or go up to all 5 for a 25.00 maximum stake.
It’s worth nothing that if anything less than all lines are in play, then any potentially winning combinations that land on ones that have not been activated won’t count, so by placing at least something on them all and adjusting up to suit the budget, players will be paid out no matter which lines the symbols land on.
That’s all there is to Genie’s Gems. There’s no wild symbol to help compete winning lines, and no scatter payouts, while anyone looking for bonus rounds is really looking in the wrong place. This pokie plays out like the traditional games found in pubs, where lines of fruits fill the reels.
Instead of fruit we have an Arabian theme, but other than that, it’s the same thing.
A Genie-Ous Game?
This is a game that will divide opinion, with some players loving the simplicity and ease of play, and others taking a quick look at the reels and deciding that it’s really not for them. Fans of this type of pokie however, may appreciate the design and potential for some big wins, with the jackpot being worth 50,000.00 at maximum bet.
Like all Microgaming pokies, it’s a reliable and trustworthy game that’s independently audited for fair play.