Pirate Gold slot

By Pragmatic Play. A pirate crew: a red-haired captain in a tricorn hat and a bearded, eyepatched first mate against a harbour at dusk.

RTP: 96.50%
Volatility: High
Max win: 32,270x
Reels: 5x4, 40 paylines
Free spins: 10 free spins from 3 compass scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4

Pirate Gold is a 5x4 slot with 40 fixed paylines, so the floor is around R4 a spin at 10 cents a line. The 32,270x maximum is far above most games in the catalogue and the volatility that comes with it is high. Line wins from the parrot, the cannon, the treasure map and the royals pay the small stuff. The money bag and the two pirate characters pay the rest.

Money bags carry a cash value and land on every reel. Eight or more on one spin start the respin round: the bags lock, the rest of the board clears, and you get three respins to land more. Every new bag locks and puts the counter back to three. A bag can also show a 2x, 3x or 5x multiplier, which is applied to the total of the round, or a Mini, Major or Grand jackpot label. Fill all 20 positions with bags and the Grand jackpot is paid.

Three compass scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4 give 10 free spins. In the round the captain and the first mate become wild on reels 2 to 5, and they land stacked, so a whole reel can turn wild on one spin. Two stacked wild reels next to each other on 40 lines is how a single spin reaches the hundreds of times the stake. Three more compasses add 10 more spins, with no limit on retriggers.

The standard RTP is 96.5%. Some operators run 95.55% or 94.51% builds, so check the paytable in the game before you stake. The sources list no bonus buy and no ante bet for Pirate Gold, so both features land naturally or not at all, and a session can run a long time between them. Scorebet carries the game in its Pragmatic Play catalogue, and the 40 line stake makes it one of the dearer spins there.

What the features do

Money Bag respins: 8 or more money bags on one spin lock in place and start 3 respins, with the counter reset to 3 each time a new bag lands
Bag multipliers: a bag can carry a 2x, 3x or 5x multiplier that is applied to the respin total
Fixed jackpots: Mini, Major and Grand values can land on bags, with the Grand paid for filling the whole board
Free spins: the two pirate symbols turn wild on reels 2 to 5 and land stacked, so a full reel of wilds is common
Retrigger: 3 more compass scatters inside the round add another 10 spins, with no cap

Before you spin

Eight bags is the trigger, not six. Seven on screen is a miss, which happens often enough to feel unfair on a long session.
A single 5x bag in a respin round multiplies everything collected, so one multiplier bag is worth more than two or three plain ones.
The free spins pay through stacked wilds, so a round with no wild reels can pay almost nothing. The variance inside the round is as high as the variance getting there.
Size the stake for a 40 line, high volatility game. R4 a spin over 300 spins is R1,200 of turnover before a feature is due.

Pirate Gold questions

What is the RTP of Pirate Gold?

96.5% on the standard version. Pragmatic Play also issues lower settings to some operators, around 95.55% and 94.51%, so check the in-game paytable.

What is the maximum win on Pirate Gold?

32,270 times the stake, which is one of the highest in the Pragmatic Play catalogue. At R4 a spin that is R129,080. It needs a retriggered free spins round with stacked wild reels across the board.

How does the Money Bag respin feature work?

Land 8 or more money bags on one spin. They lock, the board clears and you get 3 respins. Each new bag locks and resets the counter to 3. Bags can carry 2x, 3x or 5x multipliers or a jackpot label, and the Grand is paid for filling all 20 positions.

How do the Pirate Gold free spins work?

Three compass scatters on reels 2, 3 and 4 give 10 free spins. The two pirate symbols become stacked wilds on reels 2 to 5 for the round, and 3 more scatters add 10 spins, with no cap.

Can I play Pirate Gold in South Africa?

Yes. Scorebet is licensed by the Northern Cape Gambling Board and carries the Pragmatic Play slots catalogue, Pirate Gold included. Players must be 18 or older.