River Dragons / Fire Wolf 2 / Forest Dragons / Winter of the Dragons / Wolf Queen

HOW THE ADVANTAGE WORKS
  • River Dragons, and other similar AGS games like Fire Wolf 2, Forest Dragons, Winter of the Dragons and Wolf Queen, feature two must-hit-by progressive jackpots of $500 and $5,000.
WHEN TO PLAY
  • $486
  • $4,920
Additional notes​
  • The playable numbers listed above are somewhat conservative. They take into account potentially lower RTP settings. But you could still lose money on these plays, particularly if you are max betting. Or even if you have a bad run min betting on a machine with a lower RTP. Waiting for the numbers to get higher will lead to more of a profit.
  • Most APs will take these machines at much lower numbers. Anything approaching $480 or $4,900 often gets jumped on. Some APs will take the play early hoping to get lucky or else just to stop other hustlers from getting the play. And some APs are fine with losing money on the play as long as they get points on their card, which could lead to lucrative freeplay offers.
  • Once the progressives start to get high, the game will start to attract a lot of ploppy action. So if you are slowly watching and waiting for the numbers to become playable, you’ll need to begin to keep an eye on the play more closely as the numbers begin to get within range.
  • Like all MHB progressives, it’s crucial to spin at the lowest bet level that fits within your time constraints in order to lower your variance. It’s possible to lose thousands of dollars max betting a MHB $500 if you have a horrible run. The higher the bet level you play, the more “gambling” you are doing. And as a machine pro, your aim is to do as little gambling as possible. Betting the minimum will smooth out the ups and downs. Also, at max bet you will have the potential to get handpays, which can require a lot of waiting around for slot attendants. It’s much better to get lots of smaller wins (and no W-2Gs) at min bet.

  • Time requirements
  • These are extremely rough ballpark estimates of how long it will take to hit the progressive if it runs to the very top. Your results will differ based on how fast you spin, how many breaks you take, etc.
$500 starting at $486
  • $0.88: two hours
  • $1.76: one hour
  • $3.52: 30 minutes
  • $5.28: 20 minutes
  • $8.80: 12 minutes
$5,000 starting at $4,920
  • $0.88: 16 hours
  • $1.76: 8 hours
  • $3.52: 4 hours
  • $5.28: 3 hours
  • $8.80: 90 minutes

  • It is recommend having access to a bankroll that is 5x the jackpot. So $2,500 when chasing the $500 and $25,000 when chasing the $5,000. That might sound like overkill, but there is nothing worse than having a bad run and going bankrupt without ever getting the jackpot. If that sounds like a crazy amount of money to have on hand, then you should avoid large plays like these. You can probably safely get away with a lower bankroll if you aren’t taking the play early and have the time to min bet. But I always recommend having extra cash on hand, just in case.
  • If you are chasing the $5,000, then it is important to factor in taxes. Depending on your tax situation, you might have to pay a big chunk of that $5k to Uncle Sam. If that is the case, wait for the numbers to be even higher before you play.
  • If you don’t use a player’s card, then you will be missing out on lots of points, especially when chasing the $5,000.
  • The jackpots on these machines are weighted to hit at the very top. You start to have a realistic chance of hitting the jackpots once the $500 progressive reaches $490 and the $5,000 progressive reaches $4,990. They can hit much earlier, but that is exceedingly rare. So don’t ever play with the hopes that you will get lucky and hit one early. Always assume they will go to the very end.
  • I’ve heard from another AP that Forest Dragons is not weighted to hit at the top like the other games. I can’t confirm this. If it’s true, you can play with lower numbers. But again, I can’t confirm this, so I would recommend just playing at the numbers I gave above. If I get better data, I will update this info.
  • Some versions of these games don’t always have the MHB progressives. I know there is an “Xtreme Jackpots” variant of Wolf Queen and Winter of the Dragons that doesn’t have any MHBs.
  • The $500 progressive resets to $200. The $5,000 progressive can either reset to $2,000 or $4,000 depending on the settings of that particular machine.
  • River Dragons has an RTP that ranges from 86% to 95%.
** Make sure you calculate your jackpot - cost to trigger it = profit **
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