Wheel of Fortune New Orleans Slots

One of the ways in which the Wheel of Fortune television show has often tried to keep the program fresh – a challenge, considering it has been on the air for decades now – is by taking the show on the road to various locations and giving a week of episodes some local flair. You might not think this would have much of an impact, considering the game is shot in a studio that could literally be anywhere, but it’s still a fun way to mix things up from time to time.

With that little trick working out so well for the TV series, why not try it with the casino slot machines based on the show? Wheel of Fortune New Orleans by IGT tries to do just that, throwing in a little Mardi Gras flavor to differentiate itself from the many other slots based on the program. However, this is more than just a regional theme: this particular machine also uses a unique reel set and some interesting special features that show that this isn’t just one of the traditional slots that this line of titles is known for.

It’s Time to Party

The Wheel of Fortune New Orleans video slot is a game that is designed to look as festive as possible, an appropriate art style considering the city that is inspiring the theme. These cabinets are pretty much average sized, but they’re usually banked together on casino floors with a large video board above the entire group of machines, advertising the fact that these are penny slots and using bright colors – a combination probably meant to attract casual, low limit gamblers. As we’ve said many times when it comes to these games, this particular title is not available at online casinos; however, many older versions of Wheel of Fortune can be enjoyed at online gambling sites, where you can play for free to get a basic idea of how the theme works.

While many games in this line use base three reel setups on mechanical reels, this new game takes a more modern approach, utilize a five-reel setup with a unique set of reels. While this game has an all ways format, it offers much more than the typical 3x5 layout that gives you 243 ways to win. Instead, the reels have different numbers of positions in a 3-4-5-4-3 pattern, meaning you’ll actually have 720 possible winning combinations each time you spin the reels.

For smaller wins, players can be content with matching up the frequently used card rank symbols, ranging from tens through aces. Mardi Gras masks offer up slightly bigger rewards, while masked men and women feature the biggest payouts. These revelers also come as stacked symbols that can fill even the big five position reel, making them even more likely to trigger large numbers of winning combinations on a given spin.

Taking Spinning to a Whole New Level

While the Wheel of Fortune New Orleans video slot has several bonus features, most of them are all tied up in a single bonus symbol. Hitting at least three of these anywhere on the screen will trigger a round where you’ll get a spin on a special wheel that can offer up a number of potential rewards. First, of course, it’s possible that you might just get an instant coins prize, which is always a nice bonus.

But there are plenty of other rewards possible as well. You might trigger as many as 6 additional pointers with the Pointer Frenzy Feature, allowing you to earn even more credits or additional prizes. You might also win entry into a free spins feature where you’ll gain a lot more stacked symbols to improve your shot at winning big prizes. Perhaps most importantly of all, you can work your way into a jackpot bonus round where you can win one of the five jackpots or a large credits prize. The bottom four jackpots are available no matter how much you’ve spent, though the top Gold Jackpot can only be won by those who have a bet multiplier of at least 3x or more (in other words, those that are playing for $3 or more a spin). Make out your bet at 5x, and you’ll be guaranteed a jackpot win in this feature.

Finally, it’s worth giving a quick mention to the wild symbols in this game, all of which are multipliers. Each one features a 2x or 3x multiplier, and these are cumulative, so hitting more than one on the same winning line can lead to some very big payouts.

A Trip to Remember

Wheel of Fortune New Orleans by IGT is definitely a new and interesting take on the ever-evolving WoF series of slots that seem to be a constant force on casino floors. In contrast to so many of these machines which feature three reel setups, this is a dynamic, modern layout that should appeal to a broader range of players. At the same time, it shares some of the features that have always been popular among gamblers, including the wheel bonuses and the massive jackpots – the Gold Jackpot has the potential to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars for the lucky player who wins it. If you’re a big fan of these games but want to see the concept with a modern setup – or just one that takes you to Louisiana for a few minutes – then you’ll want to take a look for this on your next casino visit.