Slot reviews
[Slot review] 9 Pots of Gold — Microgaming
This catalogue holds seven Microgaming titles with 'Pots of Gold' in the name, and the earliest by release date is 9 Pots of Gold from 2020. Published RTP 96.24%, Medium volatility, bets 0.2 to 240, and no published max win. This review reads all seven side by side using their published figures.
Overview
9 Pots of Gold is an Irish-themed video slot Microgaming released on 2 July 2020. The format field says 'Video slot' and the feature list is empty. Published values are RTP 96.24%, Medium volatility and bets of 0.2 to 240.
What makes it interesting is what followed. This catalogue has six later titles in the line — 9 Pots of Gold Megaways, Fishin' Pots of Gold, Fishin' Bigger Pots of Gold, Fishin' Christmas Pots of Gold, Fishin' Pots of Gold: Gold Blitz and Mining Pots of Gold — all released after this one. This review reads it as the starting point of that lineage.
Layout and rules
With only 'Video slot' in the format field, reel layout and features can't be read from the catalogue. What the '9 Pots' in the title means inside the game isn't explained in the published data either, and this review doesn't infer rules from the title.
The bet range stands out. 0.2 to 240 has a maximum nearly ten times higher than the other two series titles that publish a range — Fishin' Pots of Gold (0.1 to 25) and Fishin' Bigger Pots of Gold (0.2 to 25). A shared name doesn't mean a shared stake design. The remaining four titles publish no bet range.
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Seven titles, side by side
In release order, the RTPs are: 9 Pots of Gold (2020) 96.24%, Fishin' Pots of Gold (2022) 96%, Fishin' Bigger Pots of Gold (2022) 96.05%, Fishin' Christmas Pots of Gold (2022) 96.0%, 9 Pots of Gold Megaways (2023) 96.10%, Fishin' Pots of Gold: Gold Blitz (2023) 96.00% and Mining Pots of Gold (2024) 96.00%. The original's 96.24% is the highest of the seven; the later titles cluster around 96%.
Volatility splits more widely. The original, the Christmas edition and Mining are Medium; Megaways and Gold Blitz are High; Fishin' Pots of Gold and Fishin' Bigger Pots of Gold are Very high. Three grades, from Medium to Very high, within one brand means the series name tells you nothing about the character of the maths.
None of the seven publishes a max win. Formats vary too: Mining is listed as five reels and 1024 ways, Megaways under Win Booster, Bigger with the Fish Flurry Feature and UPSIZER. Even when the name carries on, it's safer to assume the structure was rebuilt each time.
Presentation
The cover shows a leprechaun on a heap of coins with both fists raised in triumph. There is no opponent anywhere. Victory without an opponent is the genre's default pose, and this is the textbook version — the most typical of starting points, given the later titles moved the scene to fishing and mining.
A demo is available, so the empty feature list and the meaning of '9 Pots' can be checked on screen. Opening it alongside the later titles' demos is a good way to see how the brand reshaped its structure over time.
Strengths
- Highest published RTP of the seven series titles (96.24%)
- A natural starting point for comparing the series
- A wide bet range (0.2 to 240)
Weak points
- Max win is not published
- Structure can't be read from the format field or feature list
- The series name says nothing about the later titles' volatility
Verdict
9 Pots of Gold starts a large series, but by the published numbers each later title went its own way on RTP, volatility and format. It's more accurate to read seven different games under one name.