Advantage Slots

The second part of the risk scale can apply to several machines: It depends on the numbers when you find it.

There are some different one-off scenarios, but the easiest way to explain HooDoo Link is to say “Look at the ways.” And by “ways,” I mean the number on the bottom left of the screen, as seen below:

In this example, the number is 2,160, and a rule of thumb is to play at 2,000 or higher for HooDoo Link. I mentioned “ways” above because slot machines frame it as “ways to win,” so “2,160 ways to win” in this case.

You’ll notice this looks quite similar to Hexbreaker 3: the same pay symbols, the same creepy black cat at the top, and numbers we’re awarded at the top of each column when they’re reached, which is achieved by getting horseshoes on random spins.

Unlike Hexbreaker, HooDoo Link has a smaller board and the columns move up toward the prizes quicker. That’s especially the case for the outside and middle columns, which can often crawl up in Hexbreaker 3 but move at close to similar rates as columns two and four in HooDoo Link.

This game can get a little in-the-weeds to explain with different scenarios, such as being one spot away from a bonus and thus not needing over 2,000 ways to play it safely, but playing anything 2,000 or higher is a good starting point as you begin or continue your slot journey.

Be careful to read the fine print when you’re combing through denoms and bets looking for a play. For instance, something like this might look like a great find, but notice what it says above the number in the left corner:

It’s a little hard to read here, but in the flesh it’s as clear as day: “last game played 4,410 ways.” 

Finding something at 4,410 ways would normally be considered a grand slam for this game, but in this case, the previous spin hit both the minor (second column) and 850 credits (fourth column). Therefore, the next spin will be considerably lower than 2,000 ways; both of those columns reset to the minimum of three spaces up, rather than the max of six spaces up.

Why does it matter when the columns are tall? One, you’re closer to the prizes at the top. But more importantly, you have much better chances of getting big line hits and triggering bonuses. And if you think about it, it makes plenty of sense. If there’s double the board to play with, let’s say, you have more space to land matching symbols and bonus symbols.

What’s fun about Hex-type games is that the pays aren’t just left to right; you can also line up symbols right to left. Suppose you hit a bunch of raven symbols in columns two, three, four, and five, with no ravens in column one. On most casino games, that would be a swing and a miss; in Hex-style games, it’s a nice hit. For our purposes of looking for plays, we don’t need to remember it, but sometimes it’s nice to know how the sausage is made.

In general, as long as you’re playing at over 2,000 ways, I wouldn’t worry about what the prizes at the top of the reels pay. Sure, it’s nice to be one away from a minor or bonus, but it’s more important to play a large enough board.

There are two ways to hit a bonus in Hoodoo Link. If you reach the top of a column that has the word “bonus” on it, you get a bonus. And if you land three bonus symbols on the screen, you get a bonus. What’s nice about Hoodoo Link — unlike Hexbreaker 3 and the game we’ll get to after that, Wheel of Fortune High Roller — is that you don’t need the full word “bonus” to show up in the reels; even a partial rendering of the word will suffice.

This bonus has an added element that’s different from the other two as well. As you spin “unlimited” free games until a column reaches a prize with a skull and crossbones above the number, you can also build toward the mini, minor, major, mega, and grand. Like with many games, the first four are attainable and hitting the grand is like winning the lotto. That said, the bonus generally pays fairly well just on line hits, with the chance to win a couple of progressives as well.

I don’t have a video for HooDoo Link yet, but here’s some footage of the game courtesy of Gamble Every Day:

Gamble Every Day’s non-tutorial video