Sizzling Scorpions Pokie Machine
Anyone freaked out by deadly bugs may think that they need to give the Sizzling Scorpions Poker machine a miss, but they shouldn’t worry as the ones here are friendly critters that are not only harmless but could also award them jackpots of up to 5000 coins.
It’s a fairly typical 3-reel, single payline release from Microgaming, but there’s a fun side game to make it stand out and a nice design that may not be the last word in sophistication, but means this is an easy game to learn and it can spin up plenty of nice wins, despite a limited bet range.
Sizzling Scorpions Gameplay
A cartoon scorpion with something of a cheeky grin is the main character in this game and he sits below the reels and the title, basking in the desert that makes up the background image. Anyone who has seen a Microgaming 3-reel pokie before will understand the layout straight away, but the bet range is a little unusual, so we will head to the control buttons below the game to see how players adjust their stakes.
The first thing to realise is that the coin value is fixed at 0.50 and the only real option players have is to activate 1, 2 or 3 coins for a maximum wager of 1.50 per spin. That’s extremely low and will put off anyone who likes to play for big wins, but having said that, there are many people who just like to enjoy a casual spin of the reels and maybe pick up a few Dollars along the way.
An Expert option lets the reels spin for a number of times without input required from the player, while it can also be set to stop spinning them once pre-selected win or loss limits are reached.
As with most pokies of this type, much of the game is taken up by a payout table that lets players see just what they stand to win each time the right symbols land on the single payline that runs through the centre of the reels. As there are 3 bet levels, it’s divided into 3 columns, with the relevant one highlighted depending on how much is being staked.With the exception of the jackpot win, the prize values are in direct proportion to the amount wagered and for clarity we will assume a single coin is being used.
The lowest value win comes from landing an image of the Sun on any point of the payline, with players winning 1 coin, while 2 Suns will pay 2 coins. Traditional Bar symbols come next, with any combination of them stopping right across the line paying out 3 coins and the single Bar being worth 5 coins.
Double and triple Bars pay out 10x and 20x respectively and then it’s back to the Sun again, as a whole line of them will be worth a win of 50 coins. A green 7 symbol, that looks vaguely like a cactus, will award a prize of 70 coins, but the biggest wins of the game come from our friendly scorpion scuttling across all 3 reels on the payline.
He’s worth 1000x the amount bet if 1 or 2 coins are in play, but if the maximum of 3 coins are activated, instead of a3000 coin prize that would be expected if the pattern was continued, the award is boosted to 5000x. This acts as a bit of an incentive to bet the maximum amount, with a cash value of 2,500.00 paid for this combination.
Sizzling Scorpions
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As with most pokies of this type, much of the game is taken up by a payout table that lets players see just what they stand to win each time the right symbols land on the single payline that runs through the centre of the reels. As there are 3 bet levels, it’s divided into 3 columns, with the relevant one highlighted depending on how much is being staked.With the exception of the jackpot win, the prize values are in direct proportion to the amount wagered and for clarity we will assume a single coin is being used.
The lowest value win comes from landing an image of the Sun on any point of the payline, with players winning 1 coin, while 2 Suns will pay 2 coins. Traditional Bar symbols come next, with any combination of them stopping right across the line paying out 3 coins and the single Bar being worth 5 coins.
Double and triple Bars pay out 10x and 20x respectively and then it’s back to the Sun again, as a whole line of them will be worth a win of 50 coins. A green 7 symbol, that looks vaguely like a cactus, will award a prize of 70 coins, but the biggest wins of the game come from our friendly scorpion scuttling across all 3 reels on the payline.
He’s worth 1000x the amount bet if 1 or 2 coins are in play, but if the maximum of 3 coins are activated, instead of a3000 coin prize that would be expected if the pattern was continued, the award is boosted to 5000x. This acts as a bit of an incentive to bet the maximum amount, with a cash value of 2,500.00 paid for this combination.
A Buzzard Bonus
Sizzling Scorpions features one other symbol, with the cartoon Buzzard triggering a bonus game for players staking 3 coins, whenever it lands on the payline. It’s a simple game that sees 3 scorpions called Sting, Venom and Striker lined up for a race. Players pick one and they’re off!
If the chosen scorpion wins the race, players get a win of 100x their total bet amount, second place is worth 50x and even if they come last, they still get a multiplier prize of 30x, so it’s a no-lose round, although only triggered at the highest bet.
Any Sting In The Tail?
While Sizzling Scorpions may feature pretty simple graphics, it’s still a fairly good example of the 3-reel pokies that Microgaming are so well known for. The design is bright and cheerful enough and some decent enough bet multipliers can be won, but why, oh why is the maximum bet so low? Surely Microgaming could have given players the option to stake more per spin, as this is going to put off a large portion of potential fans.