Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe slot by Novomatic

Learning how to play Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe takes about a minute: choose a stake, start the spin and read what the reels leave behind. The stake can be changed between spins at any point, and every Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe payout moves with it.

To read a result in Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe, follow the 10 lines from the leftmost reel: the pay is for identical symbols in an unbroken run, and each line pays its best combination only.

Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe keeps its own paytable one click away, and that is where to check Dolphin Wild rather than trusting a summary. The values shown move with the stake, so the table always matches the spin you are about to make.

Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe runs on 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 paylines. Wins are read left to right from the first reel, and only the highest combination on each line counts, so a second dolphin further along the same line adds nothing. The paytable is top-heavy. A dolphin carries the headline number, a pearl in its shell the next one, and everything below is filler.

Dolphin Wild does the substituting (the dolphin completes a combination and doubles it), and it is worth learning what it does not substitute for, which is the scatter. The maximum quoted for Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is 4,638× the total bet, and that figure is reached through the features rather than on a base spin — worth knowing before you judge the game by its first fifty spins.

On Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe one entry does the heavy lifting — Free Games: the shell opens fifteen spins carrying a x3 multiplier. So the honest way to read Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is as two games stacked: the base grid, which ticks over, and the feature, which does not.

The feature set on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe runs to three rounds, and it repays reading the paytable once before you spin.

Dolphin Wild. The paytable entry reads: the dolphin completes a combination and doubles it. Everything else Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe does on the base grid is a preamble to Dolphin Wild.

Free Games (the shell opens fifteen spins carrying a x3 multiplier). Free Games does not fire often on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe, and the game is built on the assumption that you are waiting for it.

Gamble. The paytable entry reads: double a win by calling the colour of a face-down card, on the 5-reel grid described above. Gamble does not fire often on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe, and the game is built on the assumption that you are waiting for it.

Taken together the set is what separates Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe from the rest of its shelf. The base grid is common enough across the catalogue; Dolphin Wild is not, and it is the reason the game has its own page here.

A spin on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe costs the line bet multiplied by 10 lines. Halving the line bet halves the Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe spin and every number in its paytable at the same time — the two move together. The maximum of Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is quoted as a multiple for exactly this reason (4,638× the total bet): it scales with your stake instead of being a fixed sum, so it means the same thing at any bet size.

Treat Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe as a high-volatility game — it concentrates its return into a small number of spins, which means most of them give back nothing. The return printed for Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is a setting, not a property of the game. Novomatic ships Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe in more than one configuration, and each casino picks the one it runs, which is why the figure in the table above is a reference point rather than a promise about a session.

Raising or lowering the stake mid-session leaves no memory behind in Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe: it settles each spin independently, and a run of losses does not make the next one better priced. If you autoplay Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe, set it to break on Dolphin Wild — the one moment in the game you want to be watching.

On Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe the stake wants to be small relative to the balance: the game can go a long way without paying, and the only protection against that is spin count. Whatever balance you bring to Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe, decide in advance what leaves with you; the limit tools sit in the account area.

Bonus play on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is straightforward: slots clear wagering at 100%, and the detail is on the bonus page. The specification sets the frame; Dolphin Wild is what fills it, and that only becomes clear with Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe running.

A dry stretch on Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe is not a signal. Dolphin Wild does not become more likely because it is overdue, and betting as though it does is the fastest way to shorten a session. If Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe stops being comfortable, the responsible gaming page lists the limits, the cooling-off options and the outside organisations we work with.

Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe suits a player who wants a game that can do very little for a long time and then do a great deal at once. It sits in our lobby alongside Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe 6, which shares the corner of the catalogue and differs in pace.

Put Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe beside Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe 6 and the shared parts fall away quickly. Start with Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe if you are prepared to sit through the quiet. Full specifications for Dolphin's Pearl Deluxe — the 5 reels, 3 rows and 10 paylines, volatility, the top end (4,638× the total bet), the feature list and the release year — are in the table at the top of this page.

Lucky Lady's Charm Deluxe 6