A Day at the Derby

Slot review of A Day at the Derby, a fun slot released by Rival Gaming. Quite popular game see the various winning ways.

A Day at the Derby by Rival Gaming

This game was released by Rival Gaming in February of 2011. Even though it has been on the market since then this slot has quite a few followers. Many of the features that Rival slots are known for are here. Read more about them in the review below and you may want to try the game out too.

A Day at the Races

A Day at the Derby is all about a day at the horse races. Whether the Kentucky Derby or just a day at the local race track is not completely clear but it could be. Based on the characters and symbols in the game, many do mimic what one would see at the Kentucky Derby.

So pick your favorite horse, place your bets and have some fun spinning the reels to gain your derby wins.

Introduction to the Game Symbols

Any theme that surrounds horse racing certainly has to have jockeys. The premium symbol in the game is the green jockey. Next up is a trophy, and since the derby is the run for the roses a symbol of a dozen red roses is fitting. There is a lady spectator, and she obviously has to have a big hat on. The hats have become know as a “Fascinator hat”. Also a gentleman that could easily be a thoroughbred owner.

Additional symbols are a mint julep drink, horse shoes, a betting slip and a pair of binoculars. All very fitting symbols for a day at the derby.

A Review of the Paytable

A closer inspection of the payout structure on the paytable reveals the match amounts.

• Green Jockey for matches of 5 = 2500, 4 = 500, 3 = 75.
• Trophy for matches of 5 = 1500, 4 = 250, 3 = 45, 2 = 8.
• Roses for matches of 5 = 1000, 4 = 125, 3 = 30.
• Lady Spectator for matches of 5 = 500, 4 = 75, 3 = 25.
• Owner for matches of 5 = 300, 4 = 50, 3 = 20.
• Mint Julep for matches of 5 = 200, 4 = 30, 3 = 15.
• Horse shoes for matches of 5 = 100, 4 = 20, 3 = 10.
• Betting slip for matches of 5 = 80, 4 = 15, 3 = 5.
• Binoculars for matches of 5 = 50, 4 = 10, 3 = 3.

Keep in mind these matches need to be like symbols, counted left to right on a payline. The amount of the prize is multiplied by the coins bet per line.

Brown Horse is Wild

The wild symbol in the game is the brown horse. Wild will only land on reels #1, #2 and #3. It acts as a substitute for all regular symbols in the game except the bonus symbol or the scatter.

Any time you use 2 wilds on a payline the multiplier is 2X and if you use 3 on a payline the multiplier goes to 3X.

A Day at the Derby Scatter

Scatter symbol is the blue jockey. Do not confuse him with the green jockey the premium regular symbol. When you land 3 or more scatters anywhere on the game board the reward is free spins.

Landing 3 scatters is 5 free spins, landing 4 is 10 and landing 5 is 20 free spins.

Bonus Round Horse

There is an additional horse symbol, the white horse that is a bonus symbol. The bonus will land on any reel. Any time you get 3 or more bonus symbols you will start the bonus round.

Landing 3 will trigger the round at 3X, landing 4 will be 4X and landing 5 will be a multiplier of 5X.

How the Bonus Round Works

When you start the bonus round, your ability to pick the right horse will be challenged. You will choose one horse from 3 possible candidates you think will win the race.

The choices are Lucy in the Sky, In a Pickle or Budapest Gambit. Your bonus amount is determined by whether your pick is 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the race. This win can be substantial, depending on the coin bet you made that triggered the round.

Bet Adjustment in Multiple Ways

This particular slot allows a lot of freedom in bet ranges. You are able to change the coin sizes from $0.01 up to $0.25.

But that is not the only adjustment you can make. You can also change the number of coins used on each line, from 1 to 10 coins. Number of lines from 1 to 20 can also be changed.

With these size and coin adjustments the total amount of maximum bet is up to $50.00.

RTP of A Day at the Races

The average rtp of this slot is sitting at 93.1. We were surprised it was rated at that as we felt like it was much higher on our tests. It is likely we might have had a few good sessions during our testing so we did want to be accurate with the rtp.

An Honest Conclusion

We think the biggest surprise we had in this game was learning what the true rtp was. In a few different sessions playing the game for review we felt the return was far greater. This is a bit disappointing as we had fun with the game and felt the return for us was reasonable. We like bonus rounds where you get to make a choice as a player that affect the outcome of the round. And based around a choice of a horse in a race fits the theme of the game well.

As noted based on the real rtp we have to say it is a game that you might play less, if you choose slots based on the rtp. But we had fun with it and will probably give the game a chance at times while visiting Rival casino.