Odd Shaped Balls Slot Machine
Odd Shaped Balls is a peculiarly-named video slot from the OpenBet gaming platform. A cursory glance at this casino game reveals the title to be entirely relevant however, as it’s all about rugby. If you’re a rugby fan, you might disagree that the ball in question is odd shaped – but it inarguably is, so let’s say no more about it.
Odd Shaped Balls is a classic 5-reel slot with 20 paylines. Specially released for the seventh Rugby World Cup in 2011 – eventually won by host nation New Zealand – Odd Shaped Balls is a non-progressive slot game that nonetheless gives players the chance to win some attractive sums. If you’re a fan of rugby, or even if you aren’t, this one’s certainly worthy of your attention. Odd Shaped Balls is available to play in free slots version or for real money at a multitude of online gambling dens.
Kicking Things Off
To get started, you’ll need to determine your stake. In Odd Shaped Balls, the coin denomination starts at 0.5 and tops out at 50. Players can play on any number of lines between one and 20. As such, the maximum bet is a whopping 1,000 credits. Most players won’t be able to afford that, and if you have to ask if you can afford it, you probably can’t afford it! As ever, choose a sensible wager and keep track of your wins and losses.
You can determine your bet by using the buttons at the bottom of the screen, and there’s also a control which lets you set up auto-spins. The 5x3 reel grid has no backdrop, although blades of grass form a dashboard for the buttons.
Rugby Heroes and Red-Headed Streakers
The aim of the game is simple: form matching combinations of three, four or five symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost reel. The only exception is the scatter, which pays wherever it lies. Malfunction voids all plays and only the highest win is paid per line.
Let’s discuss the game’s symbols, shall we? Thankfully, they’re all rugby-related; there are no pesky playing cards. After all, playing cards have bugger all to do with rugby, right?
There are ten symbols in total, and each depicts a rugby scene in comical cartoon form. For example, one of the symbols is of a demented, dreadlocked All Black player, his mouth agape, his eyes like golf balls. Mid-haka no doubt! Other icons include three Welsh players in a huddle, a player in a white shirt (English?) lining up a penalty kick, a burly Scottish player preparing to throw the ball, a huddle of Irish players – and so on. The symbols are good fun; the effect is very much akin to a rugby-themed comic book.
The image of a player in a white strip preparing to kick the ball is the most lucrative. It grants 200 credits for three in a line, 500 for four and 2,000 for five. Next best is the squad of Welsh players, which pays out 100 for three, 200 for four and 400 for five. Then it’s the Irish scrum, paying 50 for three, 100 for four and 300 for five. Interestingly, the Welsh and Irish icons also grant ‘of a kind’ pay-outs. In other words, you’ll win dough if you’re able to find two Welsh and one Irish on adjacent lines. Mixed combos pay 8 for three, 16 for four and 32 for five.
As well as regular symbols, Odd Shaped Balls features both a wild and a scatter. The scatter is a voluptuous red-headed streaker running across the pitch as the crowd roars in the background. Land three or more of this busty lady and you’ll win either 15, 20 or 25 free spins. You’ll also win a multiplier on all subsequent wins, equal to 2x for three, 3x for four and 10x stake for five. Imagine landing 25 free spins plus a bumper 10x multiplier on all wins!
The wild card shows a bunch of riotous rugby fans and can substitute for all other icons except the scatter. It also doubles wins it helps to create.
Balls to the Wall
Odd Shaped Balls is a pretty good slot game. One can’t help but admire the developer’s commitment to the theme, with every image somehow related to rugby. There are also wild and scatter symbols to enhance gameplay, and even a few multipliers to watch out for. If sports-themed slots are your bag, this one should hit the mark.
