Double Diamond Slot Game Review

In 1990 International Gaming Technology (IGT) released two electro-mechanical slot machine games to Las Vegas-style casinos. These games, Double Diamond and Red White Blue, took land-based slotgaming by storm. Both games are still in play more than 25 years later. When people discuss the most popular slot games of all time Double Diamond is usually mentioned in the top few games bymost long-time players.

The basic machine design was intended to facilitate many different games. Although it used three physical reels like traditional slots the results of any spin were determined by an on-boardrandom number generator which picked the positions on the physical reels where the games would stop. This design allowed the game to pay a remarkably high theoretical return to player in the areaof 95%.

The original game only has one pay line. Any other game with multiple pay lines is a later generation variant. Because there are only three reels the order of symbol alignment does not matter,with on e exception. Any Cherry symbol even by itself pays no matter what else is displayed on the other reels.

The Double Diamond emblem is the game’s Wild symbol. It substitutes for everything and even doubles the value of the prize it contributes to. Two Double Diamond symbols lining up with any othersymbol paid four times that symbol’s normal prize. And three Double Diamond symbols paid the highest prize for 1 coin, a fixed jackpot for two coins, or a progressive jackpot for three coins.

The remaining symbols consisted of a Single Bar, Double Bar, Triple Bar, and a Red 7.

The lowest paying Bar combo consisted of one of each of the three bar symbols. After that you had to get three of a kind or (two of a kind) and a Double Diamond.

The Red 7s only paid in combinations by themselves or with Double Diamond symbols.

Some later variations of the game might add more symbols, such as a bar with a 7 in it. The online game just uses the basic symbol set.

Most slot gaming experts will tell you there is no strategy involved in slots, although that is less true of the most modern slot games that involve interactive features. However even the classicDouble Diamond slot machines could be played according to a simple money management strategy.

The general idea was to roll your money up from, say, $20 on a quarter machine to the point where you had a few hundred dollars. You might lose your $20. Remember this is all random and there areno guarantees you’ll come out ahead. Still, if you had $300 or more you could try your luck on the dollar version of the machine.

With the online version of the game there is almost no reason for anyone who doesn’t have money to burn to play it. The single denomination restriction undermines the clever money managementstrategy above. You have to deposit enough money, probably several thousand dollars, to ensure you can play long enough to get a good prize. The online casino’s chances of keeping your money aremuch better.

Still, you could win some nice prizes. Three triple bars pay 40 times the bet amount, or $4000. If you get on Double Diamond and two Triple Bars you’ll be paid $8000. Two Double Diamonds and aTriple Bar pay you $12,000.

The Double Bar combo pays 25 times your wager. So one Double Diamond increases that to 50 times your wager and two Double Diamonds increase the prize to 100 times your wager.

These are heady numbers. All you really need to stay in the game is a constant supply of Cherry symbols and mixed bar combinations. If that is all you get you’ll eventually lose your money butwith enough spins you have a reasonable expectation of getting a prize with a Double Diamond.

However, if you are not careful you end up overthinking the game. Remember, there is no strategy for spinning the three reels. The outcomes of the spins are determined by a random numbergenerator. The game uses three “virtual” reels consisting of, say, 10 or 20 slots with a mix of blank and non-blank symbols. There may be only one Double Diamond symbol in each virtual reel. Therandom numbers tell the game which slots will appear on the pay line next. So you click Spin, the machine grabs three random numbers, and uses each random number to move a counter that manypositions on a reel, wrapping around if it gets to the end.

If you cannot vary the coin amounts you are simply betting on random events with no flexibility.   That is not a strategy it’s just pure, old-fashioned gambling. You pay your money, youspin the reels, and you see what happens.

As slot games go Double Diamond may still seem appealing for nostalgic reasons. Many experienced slot players may just want to relive old jackpot moments. That’s a dangerous feeling but if youhave the money to lose you may enjoy a few spins. You could also win.

Some players may want to experience that old time slot experience their elders used to talk about. The online game is an expensive tour of the old days.

What makes the game addicting, though, and what long-times players remember, is that long series of bell rings when the game tallies up a nice prize. It counts up to the total in singleincrements of your wager: Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!  When you spin up a 7 and two Double Diamonds, for example, you will hear 320 dings. That’s when the old timeplayers lit up a cigarette, sat back, and took a deep breath.

A 320 times bet prize might get you back to where you started, or close to it. If nothing else you know that in the worst case scenario it gave you another 320 spins. At least with the onlinegame you don’t have to scoop up filthy tokens and go wash your hands. You can take a quick break, reassess what you want to do, and go on about your business. But once you hear that long sequenceof bell rings for the first time you’ll understand why Mom, Dad, and the Grandparents spent endless hours at the casino putting coins and tokens into these machines.