Added: May 18, 2017
Playtech has just released a makeover version of an online pokie titled Vacation Station. This pokie has a unique structure with 9 reels and 8 paylines that you will find only at Playtech online casinos like Omni Casino and Mansion Casino. The launch of Vacation Station Deluxe has again brought to focus this set of online pokies.
The reel positions are laid out in a 3x3 grid. Each position is an independent reel and spins separately. Therefore you have 9 reels. The 8 paylines are also aligned differently to the usual zigzag format running across the reels. Three of them run horizontally, three of them run vertically and two of them run diagonally. Normally, in all the online pokies you will have to get the same symbol in all three positions on a payline to receive a payout multiplied by the line bet. However, there are some exceptions. There is also usually a designated scatter symbol. If more than the specified number of this symbol lands anywhere on the grid you will be awarded payouts multiplied by the total bet. Gold Rally and Chinese Kitchen are reviewed in brief to highlight the nuanced difference in gaming features.
Gold Rally has a gold mining theme, which is quite popular at Australian online casinos. You have symbols like horse shoe, pickaxe, lantern, pistol, cart, gold and dynamite. Gold Rally includes a bonus game that is triggered by landing the dynamite symbol on each corner of the grid. You will be awarded bonus credits or a number of free spins. The second feature that is included in Gold Rally is a progressive jackpot. The scale is the scatter symbol and it awards payouts multiplied by the total bet when five or more appear anywhere on the reels. However, if you land the scale symbol on each of the nine reels you hit the progressive jackpot.
Chinese Kitchen features Chinese cuisine that is another popular pokies theme. The reels are set in a kitchen and this adds to the visual appeal. The symbols are the food items used in Chinese cuisine and include starfish, duck, octopus, frog, caterpillar, fish, snail and turtle. These are portrayed in a comic manner with some amusing win animations. All symbols except the crab pay out when three appear on a payline. The crab is a special symbol that pays out when it appears in one or two or three spots on a payline. There is no scatter symbol.
