Hot off the Press Pokie Review

 

Hot off the Press is a five-reel online pokie with 25 selectable paylines. It was created by Eyecon, which is one of the many gaming subsidiaries of Playtech.

The game has a vintage look, as the symbols are made up of fruit, bells and various bar icons. The screen is surrounded by a printing press, which is where the name of the pokie comes from.

Betting Options

Online pokies are increasingly offering a fixed number of paylines, but this is the rare case where the player gets to choose the number of active lines. As such, you can choose up to 25 lines.

Overall, the wager options range from $0.01 to $12.50. If you want the smallest wager with all lines available, then it’ll cost you $0.25 per spin.

Based on these numbers, it’s safe to say that Hot off the Press is ideal for players on a budget. If you have a large or medium-sized bankroll, then you may want to look elsewhere.

Volatility

This is a high volatility poker machine. That means winning spins won’t occur quite as often, but the resulting payouts should be more impressive.

RTP

According to the Eyecon website, the RTP for Hot off the Press is 95.2%. That means you’ll win back an average of $95.20 for every $100 wagered.

Of course, keep in mind that short-term variance also results in a great deal of fluctuation. If you want to reach the RTP, you’ll need to engage in thousands of spins during a session.

Hot off the Press Paytable

In this section of my review, I’ll take a look at the various symbols and payouts that can be found in the game. To calculate a prize, multiply the wager per payline by the numbers listed below.

  • Orange, Bananas, Cherries – These symbols offer multipliers of 5 for three matches, 10 for four and 100 for five.
  • Bell – This symbol provides a multiplier of 5 for three matches, 20 for four and 200 for five.
  • Bar – This symbol provides a multiplier of 10 for three matches, 50 for four and 500 for five.
  • Double Bar – This symbol provides a multiplier of 10 for three matches, 75 for four and 750 for five.
  • Triple Bar – This symbol provides a multiplier of 15 for three matches, 100 for four and 1000 for five.
  • Blue Seven – This symbol provides a multiplier of 5 for two matches, 20 for three, 200 for four and 1250 for five.
  • Red Seven – This symbol provides a multiplier of 5 for two matches, 50 for three, 500 for four and 2500 for five.
  • Hot off the Press – This symbol is both a wild and scatter. While it substitutes for all icons besides the Newspaper symbol, it also pays based on the total wager (instead of wager per line). If three or more land on the reels, it activates the Prize Pick Feature.
  • Newspaper – This is another scatter. It doesn’t offer a payout, but three or more trigger the Free Games Prize Pick Feature.

Prize Pick Feature

This feature triggers when three or more Hot off the Press scatter symbols land on the reels. For each symbol in the triggering combo, the player receives a pick.

Next, a series of newspapers are shown on the screen, and the player must choose one of them. This will reveal a multiplier, which is combined with the total wager. The most lucrative multiplier is worth 500x.

This bonus is available during both base and free games. Once all picks have been made, the multipliers are added together and then multiplied by the triggering wager to determine the payout.

Free Games Prize Pick

This feature triggers when three or more newspaper symbols land on the reels. The player gets one pick for each symbol in the triggering combination. Before any picks are made, you’ll receive six free games and a x2 free game multiplier.

Next, you’ll be taken to a screen with a series of newspaper images. Each symbol has a hidden prize, which can be either free games (up to three per pick) or free game multipliers (from 1x to 3x).

The number of free games is added to the other six spins you received. The multipliers are added together and combined with the previous free game multipliers.

This feature can be re-triggered. However, there’s a maximum limit of 15.

Final Thoughts

While I was unimpressed by the game’s below-average RTP, I felt it made up for it by offering some impressive payouts and multiple bonus rounds. In the case of the latter, though, I would’ve preferred to see a bit more variety between the two.

Overall, Hot off the Press is a solid game for players on a budget. I also appreciate the fact that it allows you to choose the number of active lines, which is something that’s lacking with many contemporary pokies.