When it comes to online pokies, Asian and Egyptian themes are among the most popular. Cobra Queen, the latest release from the designers at Red Tiger, falls into the latter category. This five-reel game transports players to ancient Egypt, and it offers 10 paylines, a 2000x maximum win, and a high level of volatility.

If you’d like to learn more, continue reading for my Cobra Queen pokie review.

Finding This Game

To enjoy this game, you’ll need to locate a casino that carries titles from Red Tiger. For those who happen to live in Australia, I would suggest Woo Casino as a clear-cut favourite.

Return to Player

When I review a pokie, the first thing I look at is the return-to-player percentage (also known as the “RTP”). This gives me a strong impression of the game’s overall profitability and whether or not it’s worth my time.

For example, a pokie with an RTP of 94% pays an average of $94 for every $100 wagered. This amount can shift dramatically in the short term, but it always holds true over thousands of spins.

The RTP for Cobra Queen is 96.02%. That’s superior to land-based pokies and about average when compared to other virtual slots.

Betting Options

The Cobra Queen pokie offers 12 different wagers to choose from. The lowest possible option is $0.20, while the highest is $40. High rollers may want to look elsewhere, but this range should be more than suitable for everyone else.

Cobra Queen Paytable

This section lists the symbols that you’ll find on the poker machine, as well as their estimated worth. To determine the value of a winning spin, take the player’s wager and multiply it by the prize multiplier on the paytable.

  • Ten, Jack, Queen, King – These overused poker symbols carry a multiplier of five for three matches, 20 for four matches, and 80 for five.
  • Ace – The most valuable of the poker symbols, it carries a multiplier of 10 for three matches, 30 for four, and 100 for five.
  • Ankh and Eye of Horus – Two of the more common icons from ancient Egypt, they provide multipliers of 20 for three matches, 80 for four, and 250 for five.
  • Scarab – Quite common in ancient times, the winged beetle has come to stand for the glory days of the Egyptians. It offers multipliers of 30 for three, 100 for four, and 400 for five.
  • Pharaoh – This icon doesn’t offer a payout. However, three of these symbols will activate the free spins bonus.
  • Cleopatra – This legendary female ruler has inspired artists from Chaucer to Shakespeare. She’s also the most valuable symbol of the game, offering win multipliers of five for two matches, 50 for three, 250 for four, and 1000 for five.

Locking Wilds

Every win line locks its win amount on top of the last participating symbol in that line, which then becomes wild during the next spin. If a win line hits the wild on the next spin, the current win is added to its value. If multiple lines hit a wild, all the win amounts are added to its value.

I can honestly say that this feature is rare among online pokies. Therefore, it’s a major selling point that you may want to try (even if the RTP is only average).

Free Spins Bonus

This bonus round activates when three pharaoh symbols appear on reels one, three, and five. The player then receives a total of 10 free spins.

During these spins, wilds remain locked in place, and their values can stack until the conclusion of the bonus round. Also, the player gets two extra spins if wilds lock into all three positions during an individual spin.

It would be nice if the player could trigger this feature by paying a fee. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, so you’ll have to trigger it the hard way.

Final Thoughts

The locking wilds feature is novel, but not much else stands out about Cobra Queen. The RTP is average, and the theme has been done to death. While it remains a solid-yet-unspectacular option, picky punters can surely find better options.

Suggested Reading

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