Pop

Pop Slot Review

Slot Provider: Big Time Gaming

RTP: 96.54% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 66,960x

Our Score: 8.8

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About Pop

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 9th April 2021

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

NOTE: Screenshots on this page were taken from playing Pop for real money at Casumo Casino.

You know them best for their expanding reels Megaways™ creations but Big Time Gaming have other tricks up their sleeves including a trio of simple 4×4 slots released between 2018 and 2021. Chocolates, Donuts and Pop, are sugar-hits with simpler engines than games like Bonanza or Wild Flower, but they are no less volatile and come loaded with the same blockbuster potential.

Pop, which we review here, was the third in the series, arriving in March 2021. It has an upbeat, seaside theme, with plenty of popping balloons and an alternative cascading wins mechanic. The games play on 4 reels and 4 rows with 256 paylines.

Stakes start at 10p per spin.

Design and Artwork

If you like your slots to take you to a happy place, rather than the dark ones Nolimit City head to, then Pop is one for you. The game is set on the promenade of a seaside town with a glorious glowing orange, red and yellow sun setting into the sea. A ferries wheel glides around in the background, and with a nod to an earlier game from the series, a Donuts stand sits to the left of the reels.

It’s as bright and cheerful as they come and totally on brand for Big Time Gaming’s crowd-pleasing style.

Pop Game Information

  • Release Date: March 2021
  • RTP: 96.54%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 66,960x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 4
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: Grid Slot
  • Minimum Stake: £0.20
  • Theme: Party
  • Features: Wilds, Free Spins, Reactions, Multipliers

What We Liked

  • Playful balloon and fairground theme
  • Wilds with 4x Multipliers
  • Free Spins round
  • 256 ways to win
  • 66,960x stake top payout

What We Didn't like

  • Very similar to other slots from BTG

Pop Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 9
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 9
  • Symbols and Paytable 9
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A frenetic party-themed slot from BTG with super high variance and a mind-boggling top payout to aim for!"

Overall Score: 8.8

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Pop has an RTP of 96.54% which is about average for Big Time Gaming slots. And like almost all games in their catalogue, it has a very high volatility rating. So despite its cheerful demeanour, Pop will be a tough nut to crack and you should set your stake accordingly. Like all BTG slots it has the potential to go off with some huge wins in the bonus round.

 Top Payout

The top payout for Pop is 66,960x. Compared to the other two 4×4 games from BTG, that is much higher than Donuts (20,000x) and just a little over what Chocolates has to offer (65,536x). And by any standards it’s a really good prize to shoot for.

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 9

In keeping with the games simple set up, the paytable is basic too.

There are 6 low value symbols, 9 through to Ace. They ONLY pay out for four on a line and values are from 0.2x up to 0.4x. Premiums are the four colored balloons and they pay out for three OR four on a line. Their values are from 0.8x up to 2x for four on a line.

Nothing spectacular there then, but paylines are easier here – you just need to land identical symbols on consecutive reels from left to right, regardless of position, to score a win. That creates 256 win ways on any spins (4x4x4x4).

There are also multi-colored balloons that are Wilds that come with up to 4x multipliers on reels 2 and 4. And BTG logo coin scatters required to unlock the bonus round.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Innovative as ever, BTG have tweaked the standard slots model a little here. Low value symbols drop downwards onto the reel set whilst the premium balloons float upwards onto theirs. It takes a few spins to get used to but it’s a fun feature of Pop.

This is also a slot with reactions – that means when a win happens, all winning symbols are removed to be replaced with new ones. But importantly, only premium balloons, scatters or wilds can replace those winning symbols.

Essentially with each successive reaction there is more chance of scoring higher value wins this way. The reactions continue until no more wins occur.

But the best stuff is saved for the free spins round …

You need 3 BTG scatters to trigger this and earn 12 spins. EVERY position on the 4×4 now has a multiplier value attached which stays through the round. They won’t go down, but they may go up. With every win that includes wilds or balloons, one or more of the positions that is included in the win has its multiplier value randomly upgraded.

AND … if you land 3 more scatters, you’ll get 3 more spins with those positions where scatters appeared getting a multiplier upgrade too.

Finally, note that multipliers are only active when covered by a balloon or wild in the winline.

The Final Verdict

If you find BTG’s normal output of feature-frenzied games with expanding reels a bit much then games like Pop and its siblings, Chocolates and Donuts, make a simpler alternative entry point into this studio’s amazing catalogue of slots. But make no mistake, despite their simple nature, these are still game that can offer huge moments as that 66,960x top win attests to.

Your time in the base game on Pop will be spent looking to land wilds with 3x or 4x multipliers – a real rarity in our experience – or trigger the bonus round – also a rarity. But once there the usual BTG trick of staking up multipliers can drive up your wins very quickly.

You also have the added advantage of a subtle tweak to the standard reactions mechanic – only premiums and special symbols replace low value ones. These factors, and the chance for re-triggers, means that in the right mood, this game can seriously kick on and produce the kind of payouts BTG slots are famous for.

Who Made Pop?

  • Name: Big Time Gaming
  • Established: 2011
  • UK License: 38696
  • Total Games: 55 +
  • Known For: Inventing Megaways, super volatile slots, high max payout slots, rock n roll soundtracks
  • Popular Slots: Bonanza Megaways, Max Megaways, Outlaw, Danger! High Voltage
Find More Big Time Gaming slots

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