Is RTG’s Goldbeard a Hidden Treasure?
Everyone loves pirates. The blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise proves this. But what about pirate-themed pokies? There aren’t many of them available in online casinos, but Goldbeard by RealTime Gaming (RTG) is one.
Goldbeard is a typical RTG machine. It’s solid, functions well, offers decent prizes, and has a light-hearted theme. Is all this enough to make Goldbeard a hidden treasure, or will you make it walk the plank? Let’s find out.
Goldbeard Fundamentals
RTG launched Goldbeard in October 2012 and it’s still popular in Aussie online casinos to this day. It isn’t as polished as some of the more modern pokies. But the fact it’s still played after almost eight years in service speaks for itself.
Goldbeard has a traditional 5×3 layout that houses 20 win lines within it. It’s a cheap pokie to play because the minimum coin size is a mere 0.01. This means Goldbeard costs as little as $0.20 per spin. The higher stakes players among you can fire up to $100 per spin.
This medium variance pokie comes with an attractive 97.5% RTP, which is above average. The payouts are lower than some higher variance games, but you can still win 5,000 coins in a single spin. Playing the maximum stakes means the largest possible payout weighs in at $250,000. That’s some treasure!
Goldbeard Symbols and Payouts
Everyone has heard of the infamous pirate Blackbeard, but it is Goldbeard where it’s at! The titular pirate is a major symbol in his game. He not only acts as a wild, but any wins made with him are automatically doubled.
The Goldbeard symbol only lands on reels 1 and 5 and he acts as a wild symbol.
You also have the traditional royals from nines up to aces. Three matching symbols are needed to trigger a win, or two plus a wild. Tens and nines pay between five and 100 coins, while aces and king pay from five to 200 coins. Remember, these wins are doubled when Goldbeard is involved.
The top four paying symbols only require two matches to trigger a win. Treasure chests and cannons pay from two to 500 coins. Parrots pay from five to 1,000 coins with pirate ships awarding from five to 2,500 coins. It’s this pirate ship, combined with at least one wild, that pays the pokie’s maximum 5,000 coins.
Does This Pesky Pirate Have Bonus Features
You’ll be celebrating with a bottle of rum if you land Goldbeard on reels 1 and 5 at the same time. Doing this increases your chances of a big win because he’s the wild, but it also triggers the free spins round where untold riches await.
The pokies gives you two, three, or four free spins during the bonus round. These can be retriggered for a maximum of 24 free spins in total. All free spins winnings are tripled, which is another added bonus. We’ve seen substantial wins during the free spins round.
Several Pieces of Eight land on the reels and these multiply your winnings. Land three to see your winnings multiplied by five. Four Pieces of Eight see winnings increased 20-times. Landing five, however, multiplies your winnings by 100-times!
There’s also a completely random progressive jackpot. It can land at any time, even if you’ve not enjoyed a winning spin. The jackpot is hit regularly so make sure you keep an eye on its amount when you start spinning.
Conclusion
Goldbeard isn’t going to win any awards for innovation especially in today’s market because of its age. Trying to compare it to modern pokies is like comparing apples to oranges; it’s pointless.
What Goldbeard is, is a classic pokie with plenty of charm. Its sounds and graphics aren’t great but we couldn’t help but smile each time Goldbeard made an appearance and danced a little jig! This machine is definitely worth giving some love to, even if only for nostalgic purposes.
Why not give it a try at Ace Pokies where you can claim a $1,000 bonus and 50 free spins?
