Best High Variance Pokies

28th Nov 2022, 12:39:01 PM

Many Aussies enjoy playing high-variance pokies. These are pokie games that are risky but potentially rewarding. When playing them, you might not win that often. But when you do, the payout can be quite large.

We’ve got lots of great pokies with high variance here at 777SlotsBay. Check out the top five high-variance pokies below:

Bonanza

This is the pokie that kicked off the Megaways trend. It’s from the provider Big Time Gaming and came out in 2016, debuting the Megaways feature, which is now hugely popular. In case you need a recap, here’s a rundown of how it works:

• There are six reels and each one can have up to seven symbols

• The number of symbols is determined at random

• You win by landing matching three or more matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right

• The more symbols there are, the more ways to win you have

When playing Bonanza, each spin can give you up to 117,649 ways of winning. On one spin, you could have a few hundred ways to win; on the next, you could have tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand, close to the maximum.

The Megaways feature contributes to the pokie’s high variance. You could, for example, go many spins with a low number of paylines. Then, you could have lots of ways to win and could score a big payout.

While Megaways put Bonanza on the map, so to speak, the pokie has more going for it:

• Reactions. Every time you win, all winning symbols disappear. Empty gaps are filled by symbols dropping down from above, which can create new wins. There’s no limit to how many consecutive wins you can get from a single spin

• Free Spins. Land scatters to spell ‘GOLD’ and receive a dozen free spins. Any additional scatters earn you more spins. The round has an unlimited win multiplier that increases with every Reaction and doesn’t reset until you return to the base game

Bonanza’s high variance and its Megaways feature make it very unpredictable. If you like pokies where you don’t quite know what could happen next, Bonanza is worth a shot. The pokie’s top payout is 26,000x your bet, which is quite lucrative.

Dead or Alive II

Another high variance pokie we recommend is NetEnt’s Dead or Alive II. It’s a western-themed pokie with detailed, high-quality graphics that bring the wild west to life. There are nine paylines you can win on and the RTP of 96.8% is impressive, to say the least.

The highlight is the free spins feature. Land three pistol scatters and you’ll get to pick one of three rounds to play. Each one starts with a dozen spins and has a special enhancement of some kind.

Old Saloon. All wins are doubled and wilds are sticky. You earn five more free spins if there’s a wild on each reel

High Noon Saloon. If two wilds land on the same reel, they become x2 multiplier wilds. If three wilds do this, they become x3 multiplier wilds. Five extra free spins are awarded when each reel has a wild on it

Train Heist. There’s a x1 multiplier that increases by x1 whenever a wild lands. Each wild also gives you one free spin. When it reaches x16, you earn another five spins

If Dead or Alive II sounds appealing, give it a spin. Bet sizes range from 0.09 to 9.00. The question is, which of the free spins rounds will you pick first? You could end up earning quite a large cash prize. The pokie’s top payout is a staggering 111,111x your bet, so the potential to win big is certainly there.

Check out the original Dead or Alive pokie too. Like the sequel, it has high variance and is well designed throughout.

Cosmic Voyager

Our next recommended high variance pokie takes us up into outer space. Cosmic Voyager is a Thunderkick creation with 10 paylines, an RTP of 96.16% and a maximum payout of 5,000x your bet. It has a mystical space theme, with its reels set amid swirling gas clouds and glowing stars. The visuals are detailed and the soundtrack is both mysterious and immersive.

This high variance pokie has simple gameplay. There’s only one bonus symbol and it’s the pokie’s logo. It acts as both a scatter and a wild. Land three or more anywhere and you’ll earn 10 free spins. The good news is that the free spins round can be retriggered.

The pokie has one other special feature and that’s Expanding Symbols. This comes into play whenever reel 1 contains three identical symbols. If there are any other matching symbols, they may expand to fill the reel provided they’re part of a winning combination. This can result in all five reels containing the exact same symbol.

Neon City

This is an interesting pokie. It was created by Wazdan and is one of many pokies by the provider to incorporate its unique special features. These include:

• Ultra Fast Mode. Speeds up gameplay and cuts down on animations

• Ultra Lite Mode. Optimises games for slow internet connections

• Big Screen Mode. Adjusts the view so the reels fill the screen

• Volatility Levels. Lets you choose the variance

The last feature, Volatility Levels, lets you change the variance whenever you want. There are three options: high, low and standard. If you want to play Neon City with high variance, keep clicking the button that shows three chillis until the variance is set to high.

Neon City is a visually stunning pokie with crisp, eye-catching graphics. It has a neon colour scheme, of course, and has a retro vibe to it. Beyond the reels, there’s a grid pattern with a city skyline in the distance.

There are two free spins rounds. The standard one awards up to 20 spins with a multiplier that can reach as high as x9. The other, the Mega Spins round, gives you eight free spins with an x8 multiplier applied to all winnings. The RTP is a decent 96.25% and you could win up to 1,250x your bet when playing.

Vikings Go to Valhalla

The last high variance pokie we’re looking at is Vikings Go to Valhalla. It’s from Yggdrasil and is one of the provider's many Viking-themed pokies. Others include Vikings Go to Hell, Vikings Go Berzerk and Vikings Go Wild.

This one focuses on Valhalla, which in Norse mythology is a hall where slain warriors reside. It’s a feature-heavy pokie with 25 fixed paylines, a bet range of 0.25 to 50.00 and a maximum win of 23,634x your bet.

Here’s a summary of the pokie's features:

• Collect Rage Points by winning with Viking symbols

• Trigger Berzerk Respins by collecting enough Rage Points

• Vikings fight against an evil snake and become sticky wilds if they win. The Viking whose symbol triggered the feature is Berzerk and always wins

• Land three or more scatters to earn free spins with Vikings becoming sticky wilds if they fight the snake and win

• The free spins round has one or more bonuses, including sticky wilds, sticky wild reels, Berzerk Vikings and extra spins

• Spin the Ragnarok Wheel at the end of free spins and you may trigger Ragnarok Free Spins, where all Vikings are Berzerk

• Treasure chests award a range of bonuses, including cash prizes, free spins, extra wilds, wild reels and multipliers

There are also several options to buy special features. These may not be available in all countries, however.

Vikings Go to Valhalla is a fast-paced and exhilarating online pokie. If you enjoy pokies with lots of features and plenty of ways to win, you’re sure to enjoy this one. Give it a spin and hopefully the features will help you bring in some wins.

Discover More High Variance Pokies at 777SlotsBay

We have just scratched the surface of high-variance slots. And it is worth mentioning that the NoLimit City game provider offers some ultra-high variance beasts such as Tombstone RIP, Folsom Prison and many others. You will find them all at 777SlotsBay Casino.

Enjoy the risk and thrills of playing high-variance pokies at 777SlotsBay - let’s hope they prove lucky for you.