BLOCK BONANZA
HOW THE ADVANTAGE WORKS (HAWAII / RIO)
- Block Bonanza features colored blocks with credit values positioned above the reels. Each block corresponds to a matching position on the reels below, so the block in the top left aligns with the top of the first reel. When a dollar symbol appears on each of the first three reels, the player wins the credit value of the corresponding block above. The key advantage is to play when the credit values of the blocks are significantly higher than usual.
- A common approach is to look for a yellow block in the first three columns. This is always worth playing unless it is the smallest yellow block, which is worth 16.6 times your bet size. The total credit value of all blocks in the first three columns should be at least 38 times your bet size. For instance, with a $3 bet, the total should be $114 or more. This typically involves one yellow block along with several red or green blocks, as these have the highest values after yellow.
Additional notes
- Block Bonanza comes in two themes—Hawaii and Rio. They differ in how the free games bonus works. In the Hawaii version, all surfer symbols count as dollar symbols. In the Rio version, the game simply adds more dollar symbols to the reels. The result is the same: it increases the likelihood of hitting block wins during the bonus games.
- Landing the three dollar symbols needed to trigger the block wins can be challenging, and even if you do trigger the blocks, there is no guarantee you will get the block you are targeting. Consequently, the game has extremely high variance. Yellow blocks in the first three columns are rare, so if you chance upon them, maybe you should give it a play.
- Don't bother doing the math to determine if a board is worth playing if it consists entirely of blue and purple blocks. Instead, look for a yellow block or multiple red and green blocks before adding up the values. The block values, from smallest to largest, are purple, blue, red, green, and yellow.
- The largest prizes are found on the fourth and fifth reels, but they are very difficult to hit. It's not worth trying to chase those.
- The dollar symbols are not scatter symbols, so they need to appear in sequence starting from the first reel to trigger the block win feature. While it's possible to land three dollar symbols in a single reel, you must have at least one dollar symbol in each of the first three reels to win the block prizes. Blue diamond dollar symbols act as regular dollar symbols for triggering the block wins, but they also increase the value of the corresponding block win by a random amount.
- The blocks disappear after you win them and are replaced by new blocks that fall from the top. Over time, all the blocks will drop down one row, and the bottom ones will move off-screen completely. You should stop playing if the numbers are no longer in your favor. Many of your block wins will come from the free games bonus, which appears fairly frequently.
