Midway Money Pokie Review

 

Midway Money is a virtual pokie that was designed by Reel Life Games and released by Yggdrasil. The theme involves the gaming (“midway”) area at a county or state fair, which is similar to the Australian concept of a sideshow alley.

This online release has five reels, 40 paylines and a maximum multiplier of x7,752. Bets range from $0.02 to $50 per spin, and the hit frequency is listed as 35.5%.

RTP and Volatility

This is a highly volatile pokie with an RTP of 96%. That means you should win back an average of $96 for every $100 wagered, assuming you play 1,000 times or more. Winning spins are likely to be more spread out, but there’s an increased chance of getting large payouts close together.

Finding the Game

In order to play Midway Money, you’ll need to track down an online casino that supports Yggdrasil. This shouldn’t be too difficult, and Australian gamblers can choose from quality options such as Hell Spin or National Casino.

Midway Money Paytable

In this section, we’re going to take a look at the paytable for Midway Money. Each symbol has a series of set multiplier, so you just plug in your wager to determine the payout.

  • Ten and Jack – Pays x0.2 for three matches, x0.5 for four and x1.5 for five.
  • Queen – Pays x0.3 for three matches, x0.6 for four and x2 for five.
  • King – This symbol pays x0.3 for three matches, x1 for four and x2 for five.
  • Ace – Worth x0.3 for three matches, x1 for four and x2.5 for five.
  • Milk Bottles – This symbol pays x0.4 for three matches, x1.5 for four and x3 for five.
  • Stuffed Bear – This midway prize is worth x0.5 for three matches, x2 for four and x4 for five.
  • Firebreather – This red-haired beauty pays x0.5 for three matches, x2 for four and x5 for five.
  • Strongman – This moustachioed individual pays x0.5 for three matches, x2 for four and x6 for five.
  • Carnival Barker – This fast-talking fellow pays x0.6 for three matches, x2.5 for four and x7 for five.
  • Midway Money Logo – The game’s simplistic logo pays x1 for three matches, x3 for four and x10 for five. This also serves as one of the game’s wild symbols.

Virtual reels on the Midway Money pokie

A Trio of Wilds

There are three wild symbols in this game. They are:

  • Midway Money Logo – In addition to offering a payout, this symbol substitutes for most others.
  • Man with Mallet – A 1×2 wild that also requires the Test of Strength to activate.
  • Test of Strength – A 1×2 wild that also requires the Man with Mallet symbol to activate.

Strength Meter

In order to get a shot at the strength meter, you’ll need to fully land the Test of Strength and Man with Mallet symbols on the fourth and fifth reels. When this happens, the man will use his mallet to strike the board. This is reflected to the right of the reels, as a puck is sent upwards by the force of the blow.

If you fail to ring the bell at the top of the tower, then the meter increases by five percent. This is meant to improve your odds on the next opportunity.

When you do ring the bell…

Ferris Wheel of Fortune

The next phase of the game triggers when the player manages to ring the bell at the top of the Test of Strength construct. As soon as this happens, they’ll get to spin the Ferris Wheel of Fortune (I’ve dubbed it that because it looks like a cross between a Ferris wheel and a wheel of fortune.

There are three symbols on the wheel:

  • Fire Eater – All bonus symbols are converted into the 10 icon. This also happens to all the other poker symbols. Finally, two wild logo symbols appear in random positions.
  • Duck Shoot – All strength meter wilds are converted into bullseye targets, which then transform into the logo wild.
  • Strong Man – The reels expand, creating five to eight rows. This results in anywhere from 50 to 80 paylines.

Based on the result of your spin, you may trigger one, two, or all three of these symbols. When two or three are active, they take effect at the same time. This is the point when the game really gets interesting.

Free Spins Bonus

This special feature triggers when you get a scatter icon on reels one, three and five. You’ll receive five free spins, and you can re-trigger the bonus to get up to 35 spins.

Each free spin has a minimum win amount attached to it. This starts at x1, but it grows each time you get a win that’s larger than the current minimum. With any luck, you’ll be able to raise it to the maximum of x10.

Final Thoughts

Midway Money is a well-rounded pokie with a solid RTP, multiple bonus opportunities, and a fun, festive theme. My only real complaint is that Yggdrasil allows casinos to choose from multiple RTPs, so there’s a chance that you encounter the lowest payout option of 86% instead of 96%. Unfortunately, most casinos aren’t likely to let you know if the percentage has been altered.