Eagle Bucks’ RTP is 94.09%, which is below average for an online slot. The high win frequency is certainly nice, but the RTP suggests that your chances of winning decrease a lot as youcontinue playing.
Eagle Bucks Slot Machine
Developed by Ainsworth Gaming, Eagle Bucks is a 5 reel, 20 pay line slot machine that was developed for land based casinos, then later formatted for online play. Keep in mind that it’s not aneasy game to find at online casinos.
Eagle Bucks is themed around wildlife and the American wilderness, making it similar to Rival Gaming’s Blazin’ Buffalo, which we’ll offer a comparison to later.
The name is clever, combining the powerful eagle with every player’s desire to win money in slots. But the tough part about making a game like this is not being cliché in terms of symbols andgraphics.
We can tell you that Eagle Bucks does have some originality in its symbols and differs in certain ways from Blazin’ Buffalo.
As for where else it excels, keep reading as we review this game’s atmosphere, sound effects, animations, pay table, graphics, and bonuses.
Eagle Bucks Slot Machines Overview
Atmosphere / Background
The background of this game is the sun setting on a forest filled with pine trees. Ainsworth Gaming did a good job of creating synergy with the background and symbols, notably how the eagle androck archway also feature a setting sun.
We wouldn’t say that the sunset wilderness is enough to blow you away and keep you hooked on this game. But the atmosphere certainly reflects the game theme and is a positive aspect.
Music and Sound Effects
You won’t hear music during the main game, but you’ll hear sound effects during winning payouts. Most of these sound effects are the cliché variety that are heard in many slot machines.
The one sound that sticks out, though, is a banjo playing when the eagle wild appears in a win.
This is one of the strangest things that we’ve witnessed in a slot machine and makes no sense when considering the theme. Slots like Eagle Bucks typically incorporate Native American music andsounds in them – not banjos, which are closely associated with hillbillies.
Animations
The eagle also leads to the only animation in this game. You’ll see the eagle bob its head while dollar signs shoot out from behind it.
This isn’t as strange as the banjo music, but it still doesn’t fit the tone of an otherwise serious game.
It’s hard to know if the crew at Ainsworth was having some fun when designing this slot. But we’d say that the sound effects and animations only create confusion in regard to the game’satmosphere.
Eagle Bucks Symbols and Graphics
Eagle Bucks features a buffalo, deer, eagle, eggs, rock archway, wolf, Eagle Bucks icon, and generic letters and numbers.
This is the first time that we’ve seen a wilderness slot with eggs, which assuredly belong to the eagle. The rock archway is also a first, which we like because it adds some originality.
Our one complaint with the symbols is how Ainsworth used generic letters and numbers. Considering that they were willing to use a stone archway and eagle eggs, it seems like they could’ve addedmore things related to the animals and wilderness.
Symbol Graphics
Older slot machines that are adapted for online play don’t usually look good. Eagle bucks is an exception, though, because it offers above average symbols that add to gameplay.
The deer, eagle, and eggs all look really good, while the archway, buffalo, and wolf are adequate.
Payouts
The eagle is not only the wild symbol, but it also offers the highest payout at 1,000 credits when you land 5 symbols in a pay line.
Other animals / objects that pay high amounts for 5 symbols include the rock archway 300 credits, coyote 200, and the deer / buffalo / eggs 150.
Thanks to expanding wilds in the bonus round, the maximum possible payout that you can get in this game with 20 pay lines is 16,520,000 credits.
Eagle Bucks Slot Bonus Features
As is common with older Ainsworth games, the only bonus in Eagle Bucks is free spins. You trigger 10 free games by getting 3 or more Eagle Bucks scatter symbols anywhere on the reels.
Aside from triggering the bonus, the scatter symbol also awards you a multiplier on your triggering bet, including 100x for 5 symbols, 10x for 4, and 2x for 3.
The bonus round has the following two variations:
- Free games where the eagle covers reel 5 with wilds.
- Free spins where the eagle doesn’t cover reel 5.
Obviously you want the first option, but there’s no telling what you’ll get because this is randomly determined.
In either case, you’ll receive a boost from the eagles during free games because they expand to cover reels 2, 3, and 4.
It’s also worth mentioning that you can retrigger 5 more free spins by landing 3 or more Eagle Bucks scatters anywhere on the reels.
Gamble Feature
The Gamble feature isn’t a bonus per say, but it’s a fun option that you can choose after any win.
When you click the Gamble button following a win, you’ll be taken to a second screen where you can either double or quadruple your winnings.
To double your winnings, you choose whether the card color will be red or black. To quadruple your winnings, pick whether the card suit will be clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades.
You can win the Gamble feature up to five times before you have to quit playing and enter the main game. You can also stop at any time and collect your winnings.
But be aware that if you lose at any point, all of your winnings will be lost too.
Betting Options
You can play 1, 10, or 20 pay lines per spin, and your coin denomination can be adjusted from $0.01 to $12.50. This makes the minimum bet worth $0.01 per spin and the max wager worth $250.00.
Considering that you can bet one cent per line and there are only 20 pay lines, we recommend that you just play all the lines. This makes your minimum bet worth $0.20, which most players canafford considering the wins they’ll collect.
Other Options
Other than the aforementioned Gamble feature, Eagle Bucks doesn’t offer any other options. But you can speed up play by clicking the Spin button, then clicking it again to quickly stop the reels.
Win Frequency
The win frequency in Eagle Bucks is high, which is no surprise given that there’s only one bonus and the top paying symbol offers 1,000 credits.
We played 20 pay lines while varying our bet from $0.01 to $0.05 per line and never had trouble sustaining our bankroll. In fact, we actually increased it some thanks to the free spins.
Return to Player RTP
Comparison to Other Animal / Wilderness Slot Machines
Blazin’ Buffalo
Rival Gaming’s Blazin’ Buffalo is a 5 reel, 50 pay line online slot that deals with the same type of wilderness theme as Eagle Bucks.
This game opens with an introduction video that shows a herd of buffalo running through a prairie, before one jumps towards the screen and leaves a trail of fire.
We don’t understand the association between fire and buffalo, but the bottom of the reels also catch fire every time that you spin them.
Symbols in this game are very similar to Eagle Bucks since you’ll see a bear, eagle, ram, rattlesnake, and wolf.
If you land 3 or more Blazin’ Buffalo icons anywhere on the reels, you’ll trigger free spins. These are notable because the first reel catches on fire and remains wild throughout the durationof your spins.
The graphics in this game are better than Eagle Bucks, given that Blazin’ Buffalo is a newer slot. But other than the graphics, these games are similar in most ways, especially with their focuson animals/wilderness.
Savannah Sunrise
We included Amaya Gaming’s Savannah Sunrise because it focuses on the same subject matter as Eagle Bucks – only on a totally different continent.
This game takes you to the African Savannah, where you’ll see an elephant, giraffe, lion, monkey, zebra, and tree. The lion is the wild symbol, while the tree is a scatter symbol that triggersfree spins.
The tree awards you 20 free games when 3 or more symbols land anywhere on the reels, and your triggering bet will be multiplied by up to 100x for 5 symbols.
Savannah Sunrise only features 5 pay lines, which can make play dull since you’ll experience less wins per spin. But it’s fun when you do win because you’ll see some cool animations, like thelion roaring and animals running past the tree.
The graphics are also good in this game, especially the background, which shows a detailed African Savannah scene.
But overall, Savannah Sunrise isn’t any better than Eagle Bucks. Your choice will all come down to whether you like the African or American wilderness better.
Conclusion
Animal and wilderness themes have been used in plenty of slot machines. Eagle Bucks is just one more game that falls into these genres, but it does have a few standout qualities.
For one, the background offers a good presentation of North American wilderness. You’ll also see plenty of animals that would live in dense woodland like this, including eagles, deer, and wolves.
The sound effects make this game stand out, but only for the wrong reason. The dueling banjo sound during winning eagle payouts is confusing since it doesn’t fit the theme at all.
Eagle Bucks’ graphics aren’t outstanding, but some of the symbols offer good detail, like the deer, eagle, and eggs.
The top regular payout is only 1,000 coins, which will disappoint some players. On the other hand, the small top payout and limited bonus features help keep the win frequency high.
If you’re somebody with a small bankroll, you’ll definitely appreciate how often you win in this game, mainly due to how many eagle wild symbols appear.
As for the bonus, the only available feature is free spins. But at least these have a twist since there are two different variations, and the eagle can form stacked wild wins.
Another nice feature to Eagle Bucks is that you can gamble your winnings after any successful spin. We don’t recommend gambling your wins too often, but this is always fun to do with smallpayouts that you’d like to increase.
Downsides to Eagle Bucks include that this is a dated game, it has limited features, there are few betting options, and it falls into crowded genres.
If you enjoy slots about animals and / or nature, then you’re going to like this one. Otherwise, don’t go out of your way to find Eagle Bucks at land based or online casinos.