Money Vault Pokie Review
This five-reel pokie from Bally is all about money, treasures, gems and other valuable things that gamblers around the world love so much. Besides, this is one of the first pokies from Bally to have used a fabulous wheel of fortune bonus game that can produce thousands of dollars in instant cash and give you access to free spins. If you spin the reels for some time, you will finally experience a burst of dollar bills right in front of your eyes – this special effect emerges when you have a big win. Other prominent features include a money bag pick bonus and wild symbols.
Money Vault is based on a 243-ways system where no paylines are available. Instead of them, players have 243 probable ways to build winning combinations. If 2 or more symbols land on neighboring reels, beginning from reel 1 and to the right, you get a payout as per the pokie’s paytable. The gameplay is somewhat of the retro styling with very few animations but in general pokie fans love the game because it gives many opportunities of winning a wad of cash.
On the reels you will encounter a familiar package of playing card values, which are lower-paying pictures. Besides, you will see royal gold coins, a diamond ring, dollar bills and a safe stuffed with money. The top three payouts that non-feature imagery can pay you are $2000 (five safes), $1200 (five packs of dollar bills in a clip) and $1000 (five rings).
A bet is always fixed at 40 credits and you can change a credit denomination in a very wide range between a cent and $16. That said, a total bet per spin can be anywhere from 40 cents to a hefty $640. High-rollers will be happy to spin the reels in Money Vault because games with such a high maximum stake are rare these days.
How to win in a 243 Ways pokie?
Winning coins in 243 ways pokies like the reviewed one differs from how money is won in payline-based games. There are 5 reels and 3 rows in the pokie, which gives 3 of degree 5 probabilities (243) to build a combination. Once you hit three rings or three Aces close to each other (starting from the leftmost reel), you get a win. There is no need for the symbols to get aligned on a specific payline in order to pay out. This layout is characterized by frequent occurrence of winning combos, and you will have them on almost every paid spin.
Wild symbol
The wild symbol is portrayed by gold coins and dollar bills with the word “Wild” on top. Wilds are able to land on the second and fourth reels only, thus they cannot complete combos by themselves. But they are very helpful pictures in the game because they can substitute for missing regular symbols and help them form winning combos.
Money Bag bonus
A yellow money bag with radiating green light is a scatter icon that will bring you massive riches. You can see this alluring picture on three central reels only and all of them should be visible at a time to initiate the Money Bag pick feature. When it happens, you will get presented with three bags and you have to pick one of them to reveal a random prize value ranging between x3 and x50 the total stake. Let’s assume you place the highest stake of $640 and get the top bonus reward, in which case you win 640 x 50 = $32,000.
Cash Spin feature
Look out for colorful wheels on reels 1, 3 and 5 because they unlock the pokie’s highlight feature known as Cash Spin. Some of Bally’s pokies have this feature as well, and it is very popular with gamblers because it adds thrill and an element of suspense to the entire gameplay. When three of these symbols appear on the reels, you are taken to the wheel of fortune. As you know, it is divided into numerous spaces, each marked with a certain prize value. The wheel starts spinning and then stops, pointing at a reward. In this enticing bonus game you can win up to 20,000 credits ($320,000 at max). Apart from currency, the wheel can stop on a Free Games wedge, at which point you are immediately taken back to the reels for a free spin feature.
Free spins in Money Vault
This can only be won as a result of a Cash Spin bonus game. If you are lucky to trigger this particular feature, you receive an instant prize equaling your total bet, and 12 free spins, during which all prizes are paid at two times their normal values. Furthermore, a generous wheel of fortune bonus is still available during free spins and this gives you one more opportunity to win either currency or extra free spins. There are no surprises or unexpected bonuses here. The automatic free spins continue until they expire and you then return to base game with all the winnings added to your coin balance.
Bottom line on Money Vault
Money Vault is a 5-reel 243-ways-to-win pokie released by Bally. It is equipped with wild symbols, scatters and developer’s signature Cash Spin bonus that produces money prizes and free spin giveaways. The pokie has a simple Cash Bag bonus based on a well-known “pick to win” system, with the highest reward of $32,000. The top prize up for grabs amounts to $320,000, while non-feature wins are much lower.