Gameplay and Paylines
Firehouse Hounds is a 5-reel slot machine with thirty lines continuously in use. They accept equal bets ranging from one to fifty credits. In addition, it is mandatory to put ten coins bonus bet. Accordingly, the range of amounts taken for a spin, ranging from forty to two thousand units.
Pictures on the screen are lined up in three rows. The gameplay options offered include simple pictures, special symbols, free spins with more favourable conditions, prize winnings and some other features discussed below.
Basic elements form paying combinations on the active lines. Several identical pictures are required. They must be placed next to each other, starting from the first column on the left. Only the longest sequence on a particular strip is considered as winning, although on different positions in one spin there can be several payable chains. Exceptions are discussed in the next section.
Winnings are calculated according to the standard formula: line bet is multiplied by the coefficient of the formed combination, which can be from x5 to x500. If there is more than one sequence, the payouts are added up. The money is immediately withdrawn to the account, because there is no odds game.
According to the reference section, Firehouse Hounds has a theoretical return of 91.99% to 96.06%.
Special symbols
• The Wild symbol is capable of replacing missing images in a sequence. It appears on any of the 5 reels. On the first and fifth reels, it can fill all three cells vertically. In the main game, wild symbols can cover one or two reels at once. This does not apply to scatter symbols.
• The scatter symbol is the fire alarm. It may appear on the second, third and fourth reels. To “trigger” a symbol, you must catch three of these images on the playing field. For the combination the user will receive 30 coins and activates a series of free spins.
Free spins
A series of freespins is triggered when three alarms appear on the screen. The images appear on reels 2, 3 and 4 and count as a combination regardless of position. After getting such a combination, you need to select one of the scatter symbols by clicking on it. Once clicked, you will know how many prize spins are available. A series can consist of 4, 5 or 6 freespins.
During the prize rounds, the game is played at the bet assigned to the main game. The free spins have a number of advantages:
• During the triggering of the picture change, the user’s account is not debited with the bet amount.
• The first and fifth reels are completely covered with wild symbols during the prize spins.
• A series of freespins can be restarted by collecting three alarms and selecting one of them.
• With special luck, the player can make 200 consecutive free spins.
The prize spins are considered the most profitable part of the game session. During such spins, the user does not lose credits, but can add to the balance through prize combinations. Considering that the first and fifth reels are fully occupied by wild symbols, and in addition, joker symbols can also appear on other reels, the probability of getting a prize combination increases.
