Lucky Darts Pokie Machine
Playing pokies and Darts are a couple of the most popular pastimes at pubs and clubs, but until now trying them both at the same time was likely to get players into big trouble or take someone’s eye out. Luckily then, Microgaming have managed to combine the two activities into the Lucky Darts pokie that can now be found at the many online casinos where their software is featured.
This classic 3-reeler has just the one payline, but there’s loads of bonus rounds including the potential for higher payouts in a side game, and the chance to multiply any win several times over.
It’s all presented in a vividly coloured game that has a swirly blue background and lots of red highlights around the screen. The reels are plonked right in the middle, and surrounding them is all the information needed to get started, including control buttons at the bottom of the game which are used to set a bet size.
As there is only a single payline, players simply need to adjust the amount staked per spin from as little as 0.10 to as much as 10.00. This is a pretty low maximum bet which could put off a few players, but the majority should be OK with it.
Under the reels is a payout schedule which lines up all the symbols and shows how many times the bet amount will be won each time they land in the right spots.
Unlike most pokies where a full line of 3 identical symbols is needed to win anything, here it’s possible for just 2 of certain symbols to be worth a prize, starting with the grapes, bells and blue bar where 2 on the first and second reels running from the left are enough to earn a prize equal to 2x the bet.
Next up the scale is the green double bar and red triple bars, where landing 2 examples wins 5x, while the Lucky Darts logo symbol pays 10x for the same combination. Full lines of lemons, oranges and grapes will be worth 5x, bells and blue single bars pay 10x and the double bar icon is valued at 40x when filling the line.
Land the Lucky Darts logo symbol across the reels for an 100x the bet payout, and then the highest value combination is the logo again, with a full line of 3 paying 200x.
Lucky Darts
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Bonus Features
So that covers the basic payouts, but Lucky Darts is much more than a game where players just spin the reels to see what happens. In the main game, players can choose to play a double or nothing gamble game and flip a coin to multiply their last win, or lose it, while they also have the option of collecting a win or clicking the Change Game button and transferring it over to the Clubmeter.
Once there are enough credits in the Clubmeter, they can trigger the second game whenever they choose.
Playing the Club Game costs 2 credits from the Clubmeter and a single credit from the players’ balance, but the action unfolds on a different set of reels with 5 paylines rather than just 1 and the rewards can be bigger. New symbols like number 7’s come into play, although full lines of identical ones will be needed to win anything.
It’s also possible to trigger a jackpot darts game in this mode. Landing 3 darts symbols anywhere on the reels takes players to a board where they have 3 attempts to hit the 1000x bullseye section. Even if the bullseye isn’t hit, there are smaller prizes on the board which are much easier to collect.
The Verdict
Lucky Darts is an unusual game that combines 2 pokies and a game of Darts into a single machine. The base game is fairly straightforward, although opting to gamble wins is a pretty risky business best thought of as a fun diversion which can be used when a small prize has been won, rather than a way to make a bigger win into a huge one.
The Club Game may look more interesting, with 5 paylines and more symbols, but it’s not necessarily more rewarding and can cost quite a bit to play. At least triggering the Darts round is pretty much guaranteed to result in a win.