Today Microgaming online pokies with 243 ways to win in the 5×3 format are fairly common. There was a time when there were only two pokies with 100 paylines. Cashapillar and Summer Holiday can be played at Australian online casinos like Spin Palace, Platinum Play and Casino Mate.
Cashapillar video pokie was released by Microgaming in 2008. It had 100 paylines over five rows of symbols across the five reels. Though the 100 paylines was an attraction, the five rows resulted in high variance because the defined paylines covered only a small percent of the possible combinations. The theme was the caterpillar’s 100th birthday, which fit in with the number of paylines. The main symbol is the birthday boy himself. His friends at the birthday party are ladybug, snail, rhino beetle and wasp. The symbols are designed in a comic manner with the insects being given a human touch. The Cashapillar Logo is the wild symbol with a 2x multiplier property. It also appears stacked on the reels. The birthday cake with 100 candles is the scatter symbol that awards payouts multiplied by the total bet. It can also trigger 15 free spins in which all payouts are tripled. Cashapillar online slot also includes the Microgaming gamble game.
Summer Holiday was released in 2009. The immediately noticeable gaming difference was that the 100 paylines traversed four rows of symbols across five reels. This reduced the variance, attracting the more conservative players to the online pokie. The graphics were created in a photo-realistic manner. An introductory video clip introduces the symbols through photographs in a holiday album. The reels are set in the background of an inviting lake. The high paying symbols are outdoor summer holiday activities like boating, biking, fishing and swimming. The low paying symbols are refreshing foods like bread, cheese, fruits, cold cuts and cold drinks. Again, the wild symbol is the Summer Holiday logo and it appears stacked on the reels. The duck is the scatter symbol that triggers a free spins bonus round. Three scatters award 15 free spins, four scatters award 20 free spins and five scatters award 25 free spins. The payouts in the free spins are tripled and the feature can be retriggered. You have to make a call when the free spins are completed. You can collect your winnings and return to the main game. Or you can play the free spins again, but without any option at the end. Or you can settle for a mystery prize.