October 7, 2021
Slot of the Week: Finn’s Golden Tavern
Beat back the week’s blues with a spin on our Slot of the Week, Finn’s Golden Tavern, as you meet this loveable Irish legend at his local for another round of wins on a completely unique reel set!
Currently ranked the 11th most popular online slot in New Jersey, Finn’s Golden Tavern is an even bigger hit than the original, Finn and the Swirly Spin, due to fewer, more simplified features and a whole lot more character!
In Short:
- Finn’s Golden Tavern is a unique spiral-shaped online slot by NetEnt
- It is available to play at 18 New Jersey online casinos including Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, SugarHouse, and Unibet Casino
- Finn’s Golden Tavern features include avalanches, two randomly awarded bonuses, and a free spins round
- The maximum payout of Finn’s Golden Tavern is 1,000x your bet
The Basics
Launched in late 2019, Finn’s Golden Tavern is the sequel to the hugely popular slot Finn and the Swirly Spin, which was released in 2017 by NetEnt. The original was such a hit that the developers decided to take the loveable Finn for another spin, this time in a pirate-themed adventure at the Irishman’s local tavern.
This slot features the same unique mechanism that appealed to so many players the first time around, with symbols rotating in a clockwise spiral towards the center. The result is yet another immersive slot by NetEnt that currently ranks 11th in New Jersey.
First Impressions
If you’ve played Finn and the Swirly Spinn, you’ll immediately recognize the 5×5 spiral-shaped reel set from the original game featuring center-stage in this slot, but this time around it’s filled with symbols reminiscent of a traditional Irish pub. The general theme here, as you’ll soon discover, is of the drunken longing for piratey adventures of a bunch of guys at the local watering hole. Various items that tie in with this theme are strewn across the table in the background, such as a low-burning candle, a compass, a photo of some far-off land, a knife, some dice, a whistle, and a Finn’s Golden Tavern beer mat. You may also just be able to see the wooden tankard of frothy liquid to the left that’s fueling the festivities!
In terms of sounds, there’s a fairly low-key beat strumming on a table accompanied by a low woodwind instrument tootling out parts of a jumpy Irish melody, with the background rabble of patrons doing a good job of creating a pub atmosphere. Leave the game for too long and Finn will interject with a rousing “wake up!” or some other such quip.
Hit the spin button and a dazzle sound will be followed by a heavy wooden rolling noise as the spiral-shaped grid is filled with symbols, with matches triggering a fizzing sound and exclamations from our Irish host. Since this slot offers avalanches, subsequent wins result in an increase in the intensity of the pub atmosphere, with the music getting louder and the crowd joining in with bassy humming, which escalates to jubilant shouting as that chest moves ever closer to the spiral’s center.
Symbols
With such a unique setup, Finn’s Golden Tavern may seem to be a bit more complex than other slots, but it’s actually quite simple to get your head around, with symbols paying when you line up three or more of them either horizontally or vertically on the 5×5 grid.
The main symbols in the game are, unsurprisingly, very tavern themed, consisting of four alcohol receptacles including a stoneware corked bottle, a pewter tankard, a wooden-bottomed wine bottle, and a wooden tankard.
Accompanying these symbols are the coins, each of which carry a different value. Lining up any three or more of these coins results in a payout of the sum of their values.
The cute yellow star from the original game still plays wild in this slot, substituting for other symbols, but here it’s wearing an eyepatch! Wilds don’t appear on the play grid by themselves; rather, they’re created when you trigger a win.
One other symbol to watch out for is the glowing blue chest. At the start of each spin, this symbol will be at the bottom left of the spiral and your goal is to land enough wins to propel it around the spiral to the center spot to trigger the game’s main feature, which we’ll check out next.
Finn’s Golden Tavern Features
This slot’s focal points are not quite as numerous as those of its predecessor, but they’re still captivating all the same, with two randomly triggered features and a free spins round providing sufficient entertainment. Let’s check out the Avalanches mechanism before we delve into the details of this slot’s three features.
Avalanches
That spiral-shaped setup is all fine and well, but how do the symbols move around it? This is where the Avalanches prove their worth. Every time you land three or more matching symbols either horizontally or vertically to create a win, these symbols disappear, with those behind moving clockwise round the spiral to replace them. This can lead to the creation of additional matches for a potential chain reaction of wins.
Fist Slam Feature
If you don’t trigger a win on a spin, you still have a chance of winning thanks to the random Fist Slam Feature. As long as there are two coins next to each other and at least one other on its own on the pay grid, there’s a chance that Finn’s fist will slam onto the play grid, moving the single coin next to the others for a 3-in-a-row payout.
Random Coin Feature
The second of this game’s random features can be triggered after any winning spin. Here, one or two of the central nine symbols can be turned into a coin symbol, potentially resulting in a win.
Free Spins
The main feature of Finn’s Golden Tavern is triggered by landing enough wins to get that blue chest all the way around the spiral to the center. You’ll then be awarded 5 free spins in a more blue-lit ambience as the candle goes out. The free spins are enhanced in this feature by a multiplier meter, which sits to the left, with each wild creation lighting up one of the five sections. Light up all five sections to increase the win multiplier by one.
Finn’s Golden Tavern Payouts
The payouts in this game are much easier to remember than in other slots. Each of the four main symbols in the game pays the same, with 3 matches paying out 1x your bet, 4 matches paying out 5x your bet, and 5 matches paying out 50x your bet. The coin values are added together to give you your final payout.
These payouts are multiplied in the free spins feature for even greater win-potential!
Finn’s Golden Tavern RTP and Volatility
Comparing slots can be tricky as they all pay out different amounts and at different frequencies. Making the job somewhat easier are the two measurements of Return to Player (RTP) and Variance (or Volatility).
The RTP of a game is the percentage of played funds that’s paid back to players over time (basically, the opposite of the house edge). Finn’s Golden Tavern has an RTP of 96.1% which is a shade below the 96.62% of its predecessor, but still just about bang on the industry average of 96%, making it an attractive title in terms of payouts over time.
Variance or Volatility, on the other hand, is the balance between small, frequent wins and larger, less frequent wins. Finn’s Golden Tavern is a Low to Medium volatility slot, which means there won’t be a lot of variance in the size and frequency of the wins, making this slot a good choice for beginners or those looking for a lasting session.
Take a spin with Finn!
This slot is a lot of fun to play, with the little details such as Finn’s random comments of “ahoy matey!”, “hey, carouser, wake up!”, and “freshwater swab!” pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
There’s no doubt you’ll be keeping a close eye on that blue chest, willing it round the spiral towards that center spot to trigger the game’s free spins feature for multiplied wins, but the random features will help make the journey a rewarding one. You’ll be cheered along the whole way by the rousing rabble, making this the perfect way to start the weekend!
You’ll find Finn’s Golden Tavern at most New Jersey online casinos including Golden Nugget, Virgin Casino, SugarHouse, and Unibet Casino.
Ready to meet Finn at his local? Simply check out our in-depth reviews of the casinos listed above and join the one that appeals to you the most. Claim their welcome bonus then open Finn’s Golden Tavern and spiral your way to wins!