Kings of Chicago Review - Editor’s Impressions
Ready to visit the old Chicago casino scene and throw your best poker strategy? You didn’t read it wrong; the Kings of Chicago slot machines will ask you to join them in a poker game. It might be one of the online slots with a distinctive layout, so you should read our Kings of Chicago slot review to prepare yourself before joining the intense poker table.
Unlike all the games we’ve seen before or we’ve featured in our online slots reviews, Kings of Chicago provides something different to players. We love how the slot fused a poker game in a slot mechanism, but the fact that we could get a payout by making poker hands was exciting.
Overview of Kings of Chicago Game
The Kings of Chicago from NetEnt presents 5x3 reels with five paylines, but the game doesn’t resemble regular slots. Instead of ‘spinning’ the reels, every time you play one ‘spin’, you’ll be dealt 15 cards. These cards work as the reels’ symbols, and you’ll find a standard card deck with four suits in different colours.
Most online slots will give payouts when matching symbols are on the grid. As the Kings of Chicago slot machine uses a poker concept, you’ll receive a payout when you form ‘Three of a Kind,’ ‘Royal Flush,’ or other poker combinations. It doesn’t mean you must understand poker to play Kings of Chicago, as the slot will highlight the successful combination like other slots usually do.
Besides the creative gameplay, the Kings of Chicago game features Wilds and Scatters. The Scatter could activate a Free Spins game, while the Joker Wild can substitute other symbols to help form a winning combination.
Kings of Chicago RTP, Payout and Volatility
The Kings of Chicago RTP is 97.8% with high volatility. You can’t change the number of active paylines, but you can increase or decrease the bet level. The minimum you can wager is £0.01 to £1 per payline, and you can increase the bet level to 10x.
You’ll receive a payout when you create a winning poker hand. They can be anything, including Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, Royal Flush, Five of a Kind, and Natural Royal Flush. The highest paying one is Natural Royal Flush, and you can double your winnings if a Wild completes the combination.
Kings of Chicago Graphics and Gaming Experience
The Kings of Chicago slot machine specifically chose the era of Al Capone to present its poker table. You’ll notice it from the face card symbols, containing drawings of partying ladies and gangsters wearing 1920s-style clothing. The theme is also supported by small items on the side of the virtual table, like a cigar and a revolver.
A classic green casino table and a regular playing card deck are in the background. Upon clicking the spin button, the card will stack on the left side before spreading to form a 5x3 grid.
Instead of using music in the background, you’ll hear the casino’s ambience. The sound of the spreading cards is relaxing. You’ll also hear soft, slow music when hitting a win.
Kings of Chicago Bonus Features
Besides the multiplier Wilds, you’ll find a Scatter label that will land on the slot reels. These Scatters will be your entry to the Free Spins or the Free Deals bonus game.
Kings of Chicago Free Spins
The number of triggering Scatters determines the Free Spins you’ll receive at the start of the free game. When you land three Scatters, you’ll receive ten Free Spins. Landing four Scatters rewards 15 Free Spins. You’ll receive 30 Free Spins and a 500x cash reward when you get five Scatters on your grid.
While you’re still in the free game, all your winning combinations receive a 2x multiplier. When a Wild completes any combination in the Free Spins feature, you’ll receive an extra 2x multiplier. Scatters will still land in the bonus game, so you can retrigger the Free Spins and extend the free game.
The poker-slot concept is new and can be confusing. We recommend you taste the gameplay through the Kings of Chicago slot demo to familiarise yourself and get a firsthand experience!
What Are the Pros and Cons of Playing Kings of Chicago?
With its unique presentation, the Kings of Chicago slot machine is appealing. Here’s a complete pros and cons list of the features of Kings of Chicago.
Pros:
- Creative gameplay with poker elements
- Good betting range
- Players can earn more spins in the Free Spins feature
- Wilds carry a 2x multiplier
Cons:
- Might not appeal to players who don’t like poker
Where to Play Kings of Chicago Online
NetEnt supplies its games to many reputable online casinos, so you can easily find the best Kings of Chicago online casino. To make it easier for you to pick, we have a list of NetEnt online casinos. These casinos feature most of NetEnt’s collection, including Kings of Chicago real money and the developer’s other real slots.
Our top recommendation is Croco Slots Casino.
Summary of Kings of Chicago - Aiming for The Royal Flush
With the innovative base gameplay, the Kings of Chicago game successfully merges two types of games into one. NetEnt released Arcane Reel Chaos, which shapes the symbols like a card, but Kings of Chicago takes cards to another level.
The theme can be a double-edged sword. Players with zero interest in poker might not like how Kings of Chicago offers its mechanisms. Still, trying the Kings of Chicago slot demo first will make it easier to understand if it’s up to your liking.
The Free Deals feature is fun and rewarding, with the 2x multiplier active throughout the bonus game. The 2x multiplier from Wilds can be a good sidekick as well.
I remember some years ago when I was playing poker at online Grand Poker website literally everyday, collecting up to a few billion points, until I finally left it all behind and concentrated on slot games instead. Those points were not worth any money at all, just fun points, so I didn't lose anything by abandoning them. After years of not playing poker, it was indeed fun to be playing it again with this Kings Of Chicago game from NetEnt.
Poker is a 5-cards game, so this slot also plays with just 5 paylines, but still using the same 5 reels and 3 rows format, with each payline counting as one hand. So with each spin, you are playing with 5 hands at a time. Nothing complicated in that. All payouts are based on Poker's winning hands, like Royal Flush, Straight Flush, 5 Of A Kind, and so on, starting with 10,000x win for the Royal Flush, down to just 2x for the lowest 3 Of A Kind winning hand. Again, a very simple and non-complicated payout concept. However, getting 5 of those randomly appearing Scatters anywhere on the cards would pay a very nice 500x the total bet, which is not in any real Poker's payout scheme of course, and that includes the non-paying Joker Wild symbols too.
For real Poker players, playing this slot game would be another great thrill for them, unless they don't like playing anything else except real Poker. Still, Kings Of Chicago is indeed a good game to play even for non-Poker players, with small wins coming in frequently, and with the occasional big wins once in awhile. Needless to say, trying to get that Royal Flush hand can be a very daunting task indeed, just as hard as getting a 5-Wilds or 5-Scatters win, but the possibility is always there for the taking.
I've played Kings Of Chicago on irregular basis, simply because it isn't one of my favourite games, but the truth is that I have not won anything significant from it. Not a single withdrawable win on the game so far, so I didn't and don't want to play so much on it, not even now. However, for other players, some may love it, others may not, but I personally found the payouts as not interesting enough for me. I had given up on playing Poker before, so perhaps this had a profound effect on me, who knows.