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Konami Gamesoriginally introduced Rawhide in 2005 and has since redesigned it as a more modern slot. The game’s graphics portray the Wild West, but the slot also features newer technology and multiple denominations options.
Many of the features in Rawhide are standard, such as wilds and scatters. The “action stacked symbols” bring new life to the Old West, and the K2V platform allows this long-time fan favorite to remain popular.
Playing the lowest bet possible will stretch your bankroll to the limit, but winning a few cents or, at best, toll money on a winning spin may not get your blood flowing. Playing maximum coin will increase the amount you can win on a spin, but it also significantly increases your risk because you're betting so much more per spin.
Game manufacturer: | Konami Games |
Number of paylines: | 30 |
Game theme: | Wild West |
RTP: | 96.03% |
Reels: | Five |
Min/Max bet: | $0.30/$180.00 |
Progressive jackpot: | No |
Coin denominations: | $0.01 - $1 |
Maximum standard win: | $180,000 |
Free spins: | Ten, 15, or 25 |
There’s a new sheriff in town – actually, a marshal – and he watches over the Rawhide game. The background is set in a deserted, unclaimed land.
Symbols include the covered wagon, an old-fashioned windmill, and a bag of gold coins. Even the nines, tens, jacks, queens, kings, and aces have a cowboy-boot-styled font.
The marshal’s badge pops up as the scatter and can trigger free games, but the reward poster featuring a blonde woman in a cowboy hat serves as the wild symbol.
There is no music, which would have given the online version more of a Western feel.
However, there are some sound effects that bring the game to life, notably the sound of a stampede. The visuals also shake when you hit a big win.
Rawhide is a three-by-five-reel game with 30 paylines. There are multiple betting options in this game, starting with one bet per line and a $0.01 denomination, for the minimum bet of $0.30. Besides the single bet per line, there are two-, five-, and six-credit bets available. The denominations start at $0.01 but also offer $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, and $1.00 options. This puts the maximum bet at $180, giving you a wide range.
The marshal badges are the scatter symbols, with payouts beginning at two matching badge symbols. Three of the scatter badges trigger ten free spins, four badges warrant 15 spins, and five scatters give you 25 free spins. All wins during the free spins bonus round are awarded at 2x their regular payline amount.
The scatters pay 500 credits if five of them appear, multiplied by the betting line choice and denomination. The bag of money symbols pay the same, but it is the marshal who pays the most at 1000 credits for five of them. Wagons and windmills pay 250 credits for five on a payline.
The return-to-player (RTP) for Rawhide is 96.03%.
Rawhide does not offer a jackpot. Even so, the max bet is high enough that hitting a significant payline – while using a high denomination and five or six betting lines – could earn you $180,000.
Rawhide is one of the few Konami Games titles that don’t offer any unique features. The free spins are the most exciting part of the game, with wilds and scatters also producing thrills when you place them correctly.
The fugitive with a reward for her capture is the wild in Rawhide. She appears on the second, third, fourth, and fifth reels, and she can substitute for any symbol except the marshal’s badge. When she helps make or strengthen a payline, she becomes animated and is seen on a wild horse.
The marshal may be the highest-paying symbol in Rawhide, but his badge is the scatter symbol and triggers the free games. Three badges take you into the bonus round with ten free spins, four badges earn you 15 free spins, and five badges will trigger 25 free spins. All wins are paid at 2x during the bonus round.
Badges also pay significantly if they appear on multiple reels, as five reels containing badges earn you 500 credits, or more if you’re playing with increased bets per line or higher denominations. Those payouts are awarded separately from the wins in the free spins.
You can win ten, 15, or 25 free spins, based on the number of badge symbols that appear. During the bonus rounds of spins, you can win even more free spins if more badges appear. All wins during free spins are paid at two times their regular payline amount.
Anyone with a fondness for the Wild West will be drawn to the graphics in Rawhide. You may recognize the name and attach it to the black-and-white television show that aired in the United States from 1959 to 1966 and starred Clint Eastwood. However, you will soon find this game is not licensed and has no affiliation with the Rawhide of TV fame.
Many long-time slots players will recognize Rawhide as it has been a staple in online and live casinos for more than a decade. The recent upgrades incorporate modern features.
The wide range of coin denominations and payline combinations make the game a good fit for low-stakes players as well as ones with significant bankrolls. The lack of special, unique features that would make this game stand out from others may be a disappointment.
The long-time popularity of Rawhide as a casino game has spawned many different versions of it, all available from Konami Games. The most popular associated titles are Rawhide Bonus Ladies and Rawhide Marshal’s Bounty.
Other titles from Konami that play on the same Western theme include Western Saloon, Riches of the West, and Sheriff’s Reward.
Fun theme: The theme of the Wild West is a fan favorite, conjuring up images of local marshals and fugitives, bags of gold, and wagons on cross-country journeys. The symbols and graphics bring those images and stories to life on the screen.
Betting range: The most conservative players can play for a long time at $0.30 per spin or move up slowly by tight increments and denominations. High-rollers can also risk a lot on each spin at $180. Rawhide attracts a wide range of players.
Free spins: Waiting for the marshal badges to appear and offer free spins is the highlight of the game, and the number of free spins is greater than in many other games. Some games offer as few as five free spins, while Rawhide begins at ten and gives more spins with each additional badge.
No special feature: Many casino games offer some kind of unique or special feature, such as a bonus round choice of credits, spins, or a multiplier. Rawhide missed the mark by not including any extra way to earn payouts or increase wins, which is something to keep you more engaged for a longer period of time.
No branding: You may see the Rawhide name and expect a branded game based on the television show, but you would be disappointed with the lack of familiar characters or even the widely-recognizable theme music.
New slot machine players are going to find a lot of advice for beating the slots. Have a healthy skepticism when a slots expert tells you they know how to beat the slot machines. Among the games in a casino, video slots (in general) have a high house edge. Besides finding gaming machines with high jackpots and a low house edge, no skill or strategy is required to play slots. That means you can’t expect to increase your odds of winning in most situations.
Read through the advice below to optimize your chances of winning at slots. None of the advice assures winning sessions. Instead, it helps you stretch your bankroll, so you enjoy playing the slots longer. Also, the longer your bankroll lasts, the more chances you’ll have of hitting the big jackpot every slots player wants.
Upon entering a live casino, sign up for a slots card. This provides comps and cashback, which automatically lowers the house edge by a bit. Never play a spin without using your slots card. In an online casino, accept the highest slots bonus and play according to the terms and conditions until you meet the wagering requirement. Once again, this lowers the house edge on online slots.
Look at the payout chart on a slot machine to determine how jackpots are paid. On many slot machines, the 5-coin bet pays out a higher percentage on the top fixed jackpot. For instance, a 1-coin bet might pay $200, a 2-coin bet might pay $400, a 3-coin bet might pay $600, and a 4-coin bet might pay $800. You might expect the 5-coin bet to pay $1000, but many slot machines pay out $1200 or $1500 in that case, trying to convince bettors to make the max bet.
If the jackpot increases a bigger percentage with a maximum coin wager, then it makes sense to make the max bet on a slot machine. If the bet size is too high for your tastes, then lower the coin denomination and make a max bet at that level. Of course, if there is no additional jump between the 4-coin and 5-coin bet, then you can wager a single coin and max out the coin denomination to the bet size you like.
If an online casino or land-based casino publishes its return-to-player information, read through the RTP percentages to find the video slots with the best RTPs. Return-to-player or expected return is the percentage of a theoretical $100 you expect to see returned to you. It is a theoretical percentage based on probability, so an RTP of 95% does not assure you’ll be paid $95 for every $100 you put in the machine. You might lose $50 or you might win $150, or you might win a progressive jackpot and go home rich.
The point of the RTP percentage is to give a player an idea of their expected return. If two slot machines sit next to one another and one has an RTP of 93% and the other an RTP of 95% (and both have similar jackpots), then it pays to play the game with the higher percentage. Over time, this leads to you maintaining a higher percentage of your bankroll.
Read about bankroll management techniques. “Money management” or “bankroll management” is a series of steps you take to lock on winnings when good luck happens and limit your losses when a bad streak occurs. These do not assure that you’ll win, but it optimizes your bankroll.
Players should know three core bankroll management methods: percentage betting, win goals, and loss limits. Learn to calculate your bankroll and divide this into percentages. Then bet between 1% and 5% of your bankroll on any given hand, depending on your capacity for risk. This limits the amount of your stake you lose on any given session, keeping you playing for longer throughout your vacation. It is a given that people go to the ATM machine or credit card when they lose their whole bankroll — which means you spend more than you intended. The point of percentage betting is to assure your bankroll last through your whole trip, so you never have to replenish.
“Bankroll” is not defined as your entire bank account. It isn’t defined as your discretionary spending budget or the money you have earmarked for entertainment expenses. Instead, it is a part of your discretionary spending cash and entertainment budget which is set aside specifically for gambling. In this case, a bankroll is less than your entertainment budget.
Once you have your bankroll figured, divide this into easy to understand percentage. If you have a bankroll of $1000, then divide this into percentages. These are simple calculations, but you should have an understanding of 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of your bankroll. In the earlier example, 1% would be $10, while 2% would be $20. 5% would be $50, 10% would be $100, and 20% would be $200.
Now that you have these, decide whether to bet 1% to 5% of your bankroll. Most experts suggest betting no more than 1% to 2% in order to maintain your bankroll throughout your casino trip or online slots session.
Next, set your win goal. This is the amount of winnings you set as your goal for any given slots session. If you have a win goal of 10%, then your win goal would be $100 for any given slot machine sessions. As soon as you hit that goal, you walk away from the slot machine — no matter what. A win goal is a hard-and-fast rule, because it locks in winnings. One of the biggest mistakes players make is losing back their winnings, because they think they’re on a hot streak.
Even more dangerous is trying to win back cash you just loss. To protect against this tendency, set a loss limit. Once again, make this your hard-and-fast rule. Typical loss limits can be 5%, 10%, 15%, or 20% — though 20% means you could lose the entire bankroll in 5 slots session. 10% to 15% is a good middle ground. Once you’ve lost that amount, walk away from the slot machine under all circumstances. The slots game is not “due” to pay out, so step away from the machine and clear your mind.
Win goals and loss limits guard against gambler’s fallacy. Gambler’s fallacy is the idea that the law of averages assures or weight the odds in your favor. Slots use random number generators and every spin is entirely separate from the previous spin. Losing the last spin does not make it more likely you’ll win the next spin. The odds stay the same, no matter how many wins or losses in a row you’ve had.
For that reason, avoid progressive betting systems like the Martingale system, D’Alembert system, Fibonacci system, and so on. Betting experts have used computer simulations to track the progressive betting methods against flat betting (same bet each spin). Flat betting beats all of the progressive betting schemes over 1 billion spins.
Progressive betting seems like it’s working, because it leads to a lot of small winning sessions. The problem is that it also has a handful of huge losing sessions which wipe out all the wins — and then some. You can’t beat the house edge with the Martingale system, however it might look to the naked eye. The Fibonacci numbers are incredible, but they are not a magical way to beat the casino.
The reason progressive bets are bad is they increase the size of your bets (in some systems exponentially). If you start with $5 or $10 bets, a streak of bad luck has you betting hundreds of dollars on one spin. That’s busts your bankroll and leads to a “risk of ruin” — meaning you’ll lose your whole bankroll if you hit a bad luck streak. No matter what you read online, flat bets are better.
Play when you are at your best physically and mentally. Don’t play when you’re tired or sleepy. Don’t play when you’re hungry or thirsty. Take frequent rest and restroom breaks. If you get bored, take a break and walk the casino. Play another game to change up the betting pattern.
When you are rested and engaged, you won’t have distractions that might lead to bad decisions. The idea is to have fun, so if anything is causing you to lose focus on the entertainment aspect of the game, walk away and save your bankroll.
Tilt is a concept in poker where a player makes decisions based on emotional responses instead of solid strategy. It can cost a player a lot of money if they make bets based on anything but rational decisions. While going on tilt is not a concept in slot machine gambling, every game of chance has a personal component.
In short, don’t play when you’re agitated. Take stock of your inner thoughts. If your ego or anger is causing you to make irrational decisions, take a deep breath and calm down. If that doesn’t work, walk away and clear your head. It stinks to lose a series of bets, but what stinks more is to lose a series of bigger bets when you’re trying to make up for lost bankroll.