Slot machine providers create and manufacture slot machine games for casinos throughout the world. Some of these manufacturers work exclusively with brick and mortar casinos. Others offerboth online casinos and traditional casinos their games. And a few companies only offer Internet casinos access to their games.
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Dancing Drums has become so popular that many Asian-themed games you’ll find in both online and live casinos are now ‘inspired’ by it. You can’t miss the red design, with the smiling faces of Fu babies in traditional costume looking down from the top of the cabinet.
There are a lot of smaller details which go with the Asian theme. Bets end in the number 8, and the symbols show money trees, golden coins and koi carp. This game uses a ‘reel ways’ (all-ways) setup. A pot on top of the reels will fill with coins, sometimes closing to start a jackpot game. If you trigger the free spins bonus, you get to choose how big the reels will be – with more or less free spins depending on how big you go.
You can play Dancing Drums in live casinos or online. There is more information on where to find Dancing Drums after the game play and available casino bonuses below.
Basics: How Dancing Drums Slots Work
Reel ways means that you need to line up Asian themed symbols on consecutive reels (starting on the left). This is an alternative to traditional win-lines which makes spotting winning combinations easier.
Dancing Drums has a 5-reel, 3-row setup – with 15 symbols in total. Those symbols are a mix of Asian classics, with bold playing card symbols stopping the screen becoming too crowded.
Here are the symbols with the biggest prizes, listed in order
- Golden Lions
- Traditional Sailing Ship
- Money Tree
- Golden Ingot
- Gold Coins
Symbols showing a red and gold design are wild. They will often connect wins (sometimes more than one type). They will also fill the money pot above the reels.
The final symbol shows drums. These pay 44x your total bet for the maximum 5. They also trigger the free spins bonus, which starts with a picks screen.
Dancing Drums: Close the Pot to Start the Jackpot Picks Game
As you hit wild symbols, the pot above the reels will appear more and more full with gold coins. This can close at any time during either the base game or the free spins bonus. When it closes, the regular reels disappear. They are replaced with a grid of gold coins (Asian style ones, naturally).
Your task is to pick them by tapping on them. They reveal a colored traditional Fu baby character, each one relating to one of the 4 progressive jackpots. You get the first jackpot which you pick 3 times. This game is designed to up the anticipation levels by often revealing 2 of several types before you get your prize.
Free Spins Bonus: Your Pick of Screen Size
No matter how many drum symbols you trigger it with, you start the free spins bonus in the same way. A row of 5 choices of spins / reel sizes appears. These are 15 spins with a 5×3 setup, 10 spins with a 5×4 setup, 5 spins with 5×5 reels or 3 spins with 6×5 reels.
The final choice is a ‘mystery pick’, which randomly gives you one of the setups and number of spins.
With bigger reel sets, the all-ways system gives you a lot more potential winning combinations. This needs to be balanced with the smaller number of spins.
Where Can You Play Dancing Drums Slots?
Almost every live casino in the country will have this game (and several ‘versions’ of it from other slot studios).
You can also find this game at online casinos in regulated states. A lot of the iconic titles from Scientific Games have made it online. These work on mobile devices, as well as desktops. States with regulated online casinos include:
It is hoped that this list will expand as we go through the year.
Red and Gold with Fu Babies: Dancing Drums Slot Design
Scientific Games went all-in on the Asian theme for this game. The red and gold design sees an ornate pot with detailed inscriptions sitting above the reels. Above this you’ll see the jackpots, each with a Fu baby alongside.
The reels are crowded, with each unique symbol drawn in a lot of detail. The lion / dragon symbols look stunning, as if carved out of solid gold. When you hit a wild symbol (whether you win with it or not), a special effect sees this move to fill up the pot.
There are plenty of Asian inspired sound effects. These include a tune for the free spins bonus, giggling Fu babies for the jackpot game and those drums signaling that you hit the free spins bonus.
Wrapping Up: How Does Dancing Drums Compare?
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This Asian themed slot is a classic. It has seen multiple ‘clones’ as other slot studios try to emulate the success that Scientific Games had with this game.
When you strip away the excellent design, Dancing Drums is a relatively simple game. You get a single free spins bonus (with choice of reel size), and a jackpot picks game. What makes it work is the solid game play, reel-ways wins and the ever-present opportunity (Fu babies permitting) to hit a huge progressive.
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Everi’s Mata Hari Slot Review
The original Mata Hari, officially known as Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (nee Zelle) was a Dutch dancer and courtesan. Having once studied to be a kindergarten teacher, the German spy and femme fatale worked as a circus horse writer, artist’s model and an exotic dancer.
Mata Hari was a well-known seductress and would use this to her advantage by seducing influential men for intelligence. She was ultimately exposed to the French as a German spy, was tried for espionage and executed by a firing squad. It’s said that she blew a kiss to the firing squad after refusing to be tied to the stake.
Everi pays homage to the captivating enchantress in this five-reel slot game featuring the “man-eater” Mata Hari.
Mata Hari: Core Gameplay
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The Mata Hari slot machine features five reels, four rows, and 40 paylines. Players can bet a minimum of $.50 up to a maximum of $1,000 per spin.
The Mata Hari symbol is the highest paying symbol within the game and can appear on the reels in purple during the base game or green, during the bonus round. The Mata Hari symbol reigns supreme during free spins where her symbol becomes wild—and her seductive dancing proves it so!
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Other valuable symbols in the game are three intriguing male figures—who clearly have some sort of designs on the seductive lady.
Regular wild symbols are easy to spot with the word “wild” clearly shown. The wild symbols will substitute all other symbols to complete winning combinations, except for the “Free Spins” symbol.
The Mata Hari slot machine is equipped with all of the standard functions including an auto-spin button. When clicked, you’ll be provided with the option of 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200 spins. You can quit the auto-spin feature at anytime by pressing the stop button.
Compare Game Features – Paylines – RTP
| Software | Everi |
| Type of Slot | Video Slot |
| Paylines | 40 |
| Reels | 5 |
| Min. Bet | $0.50 |
| Max. Bet | $1,000 |
| Max. RTP | 95.79% |
| Max. Jackpot | 30,000x |
| Features | Wild, Nudge, Free Spins |
| Mobile | Yes |
This is a medium volatility slot with a reported RTP of 95.79%.
The Game’s Good Looks
During her heyday, Mata Hari gained fame as an exotic dancer in the glittering city of Paris. Her act was inspired by the artistic rage of her day for Orientalism.
On stage, the seductress dressed in sexy garb inspired by the harem girls of the Far East. The soundtrack features exotic sounds that reflect Mata Hari’s stage performances.
Everi is making a name for itself based on its brightly colored games. This one is no exception.
Bonus Round: Free Spins
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Mata Hari’s depicted beauty aside, the most enticing feature of this slot game are the free spins. Indeed, these spins brim with lucrative potential.
To trigger the the free spins bonus round, you will need to collect 3, 4 or 5 free spin symbols across anyone of the five reels.
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- 3 Free Spin Symbols: 2 x multiplier and 10 free spins
- 4 Free Spin Symbols: 3x multiplier and 15 free spins
- 5 Free Spin Symbols: 10x multiplier and 20 free spins
The bonus round includes a nudge feature. If the Mata Hari slot symbol appears on any one of the five reels, the symbol turns into a wild and will fill the entire reel to complete winning combinations. Three or more Mata Hari symbols can equate to fairly substantial wins.
Our Final Thoughts
Everi has infused the notion of the femme fatale into this game’s design through creative artwork and subtle animations.
The Mata Hari slot combines elements of traditional slot games with a few of the modern touches that Everi has become known for.
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The game lacks the complex bonus rounds available from other software houses. The free spins feature is the main attraction to the game but is quite difficult to hit. If you do manage to win those free spins, the potential for a substantial win increases significantly.