Pick the Pig Slot Machine
The range of online slot machines from Casino Technology is a pretty diverse one, with games based around a wide range of topics, but Pick the Pig is certainly the only slot from the company that combines classic fruit machine symbols with a cartoon piggy bank. In fact, it’s probably unique, but when a game looks as good as this does, and has the potential rewards that it comes with, the subject matter isn’t important.
Rather than using plain pictures of cherries, plums, watermelons and so on, Casino Technology have filled the 3 reels of the Pick the Pig video slot with beautifully designed symbols, each looking very colourful and realistic. There’s a bright green background image highlighted with swirling blades of grass and flowers, and on each side of the reels, we see some richly decorated columns in a nice reds and golds.
Just 5 paylines cross the reels and winning combinations are made up of 3 matching symbols filling a line, although special wild symbols and a piggy bank scatter icon can help players to pig out on extra wins when they appear. It’s a simple slot machine to learn, with nothing complicated about it, but if you want to test things out anyway, Casino Technology provide free Pick the Pig video slots, and there’s just 0.05 needed to play for real cash.
Opening the Piggy Bank
Traditionally, fruit symbols have a lower value, and this online casino game sticks with the format, awarding gamblers 1x the triggering stake when the cherries or plums land across a line. Oranges and lemons are worth a little more and the peach or apple filling a line will be worth 2x the bet value. It’s a win of 4x the stake when a watermelon appears, and maybe Casino Technology ran out of suitable fruit symbols, as the top wins in normal play come from a four-leaf clover symbol, that’s worth 5x.
All of these symbols are colourful, have a slight 3D graphics effect to them, and should bring in some steady, reliable coin wins as you play.
By far the biggest wins in the base game are paid out by the big $ coin, which is valued at 25x the total stake, plus it’s got the added advantage of being a wild symbol, so players who only have 1 or 2 of any symbol across a payline, and the wild is in the right positions, will still get a prize.
Big Prizes from a Little Piggy
We finally get to the piggy bank bonus symbol, which is what this slot game is all about. There’s no need to land the pig in any particular places, as it’s a scatter symbol, and any time 3 or more appear, the main bonus feature is triggered.
It’s a very simple matter of clicking on any pig in view to be awarded a bonus prize, which can be 4x, 6x, 7x, or a massive 200x the total triggering bet. While any gambler who gets the 200x payout is going to be very fortunate, this feature seems to get triggered quite often, and there’s a guaranteed win hidden within each pig.
Multiplying wins with a Gamble Feature
Any time you get a win of 10x the stake or less, there’s the option to enter a special gamble feature, which plays out on a second screen. A face-down playing card is in view and correctly guessing the colour doubles the win, while a correct suit choice will quadruple it.
Of course, a wrong pick loses the initial prize, that’s why they call it a gamble feature, but if you get it right, there’s the option to collect the win, or multiply it again, potentially over and over until the limit of 50x the triggering win is reached. There’s also the useful option to gamble just half a prize, so all is not lost of it goes wrong at any point.
Other Piggy Slot Games
Anyone with a penchant for pigs may like to spin the reels of a few other online casino slots that have a similar theme. Lucky Pig, by Australian developer Aristocrat, has the 243 ways to win format, plus wild symbols, free spins and 3 progressive jackpots, while the amazing Harry Trotter the Pig Wizard slot machine from Blueprint Gaming is a real treat.
This 3D-effect slot has random expanding wild symbols, pick a prize rounds and a fun Squeal or No Squeal bonus game.
Our Thoughts on Pick the Pig
Although it has a fairly simple 3-reel and 5-payline format, the Pick the Pig video slot is a great-looking game that’s reliable, fair, and spins up some frequent winning combos. The design is outstanding for this type of slot, although it’s not mobile-optimised, which is the main downside that we found with it.
If you are looking for lots of pig-related bonus features, then Harry Trotter is going to be a better option, but is you enjoy a classic style, with plenty of winning potential, then Pick the Pig could leave you in the pink.
