Deck the Halls
In time for Christmas 2008, the game developer Microgaming launched the seasonal slot Deck the Halls. This is therefore quite an old game and the look and feel are a bit dated when compared to the newer Microgaming Slots. The game is a typical Christmas time slot and is a theme that has been used quite a few times with the likes of Santa Paws, Santa’s Wild Ride and Secret Santa.
The Deck the Halls slot by Microgaming is a 5-reel, 3-row game and although quite a few years old, still has some features you see in today’s more modern games. The game has 30 pay lines which are not fixed. Therefore, you can set how many pay lines you want to have activate.
The game includes a wild symbol that can substitute for all other symbols apart from the scatter symbol to help create wins. The scatter symbol can activate a free spins bonus round and stacked symbols to help create matches more often. The Deck the Halls slot has a top jackpot prize of £120,000.
How to play Deck the Halls Video Slot
When you load the game you will see it is styled with the typical Christmas colours of bright red like Santa’s suit and greens from the likes of a Christmas Tree and Holly. The game symbols are images that take up the whole of the space on the reels making for a full looking and busy game screen.
Unlike the majority of Microgaming Slots, there are no standard card type symbols. The lower value symbols are images of items you can find hanging on a Christmas Tree such as baubles and lights. The higher value symbols are made up of Christmas Presents, a Turkey, a Glowing Fireplace, a Christmas Tree and the big guy himself, Father Christmas.
To help your chances of a win the Father Christmas symbol is stacked both in the base game and in the free spins bonus round. The Deck the Halls logo symbol acts as the wild and the scatter symbol is a pair of Christmas Bells. If you land at least 3 of these then the free spins bonus round will be activated.
Before you get into the Christmas spirit with Deck the Halls, make sure you set your cost per spin and that this is at a level you are comfortable with. Using the + and – buttons at the bottom of the game screen, you can set the coin size at 1p, 2p or 5p. You can then set the number of pay lines to be active being from 1 up to 30. Finally, you can set how many coins you wish to use in any single spin. This can be between 1 and 10 times your coin setting. Therefore, adjusting these options you can set the cost per spin from a minimum 1p (30p for all lines) up to a maximum of £15.
To start playing Deck the Halls you just need to select the red coloured oval shaped button on the bottom far right of the screen that says ‘spin’. There is also an ‘Auto Play’ button along the bottom section of the game screen. Clicking the AutoPlay feature allows you to have the game spin the reels automatically. You can set the number of spins from 5 up to 100 or use the pre-set buttons for 5 or 10 spins. You also have a bet max button which will spin the reels at the maximum cost per spin based on your current coin level.
During the base game, you will be looking to match symbols on any active pay line. If a win includes a wild symbol then the cash award will be doubled. The Father Christmas symbol does not double a win but is stacked which can help to achieve a match. The main aim of the game is to land the scatter symbols. If you land 2 scatter symbols then you will receive a cash prize, however, you need 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols to activate the free spins bonus round.
Once the bonus round is activated you will receive 10 free spins with all wins being doubled. During the free spins you now also have the wild symbol stacked and if you create a win with a wild then the cash prize is quadrupled. You can also re-trigger the free spins by landing a further 3, 4 or 5 scatter symbols during the bonus round. Once the free spins are complete you will be returned to the base game.
Deck the Halls Video Slot Tips
On the bottom left-hand side of the game screen, you will see a blue button labeled ‘View Pays’. Selecting this will reveal 3 screens that give information about the game including the main features as discussed above. You can also view the coin payout levels for the number of matching symbols. These screens are useful and help familiarise you with the game and what you need to do to get the best wins possible.
If you are new to playing the Deck the Halls online slot, then it would be worth your while to try out the game for free at one of our recommended online casinos. This facility allows you to learn how the game plays and see the features in action before parting with your hard earned cash. You can switch to real cash play at any time. If you would like to play Deck the Halls for free then you can at Mr. Green Casino. You can also claim a free casino bonus when you make your first deposit which will then allow you to play for longer on this Christmas-themed slot.
Is Deck the Halls the right video slot for you?
The Deck the Halls Slot by Microgaming has a theoretical RTP (return to player) of 95.38% giving a house edge of 4.62%. We tested the game over 100 spins at a £1.20 cost per spin and found Deck the Halls to be a medium variance game. This is fairly standard for many Microgaming Slots as you will see from many of our other reviews.
The game itself would have visually been better using symbols rather than images as they all do blend together and at times it can be hard to figure out which symbols are matching, especially as some are so similar. Overall, the game is not too exciting as the only main feature is the free spins round but it did pay well as we played. There were plenty of smaller wins and a few bigger sized wins and our longest dry spell was just 6 spins without a win.
Deck the Halls would suit you if you are looking to have the chance of bigger cash prizes within the main feature, whilst being able to extend your gameplay with fairly frequent wins. Making use of a free casino bonus on this slot would be worth considering to help wait it out for the free spins round to be activated.
