Lightning Link Sahara Gold
Lightning Link from Aristocrat is the wonderful pokies with an explosive set of linked games with progressives. It has proven to be a hit with players in Australia, North America and Europe. The game also is popular in Latin America and in Macau, making these pokies thus famous all over the world. The creator of this pokies game Scott Live designed this game for all types of players; be it a low stake player, high roller or casual gamers.
With a simple interface you can easily learn and play; as well as understand features and jackpots, the game keeps that will keep you entertained all through the gameplay.
The Lightning Link video slot feature was released by Aristocrat in 2015 on four different titles. The games in question include Happy Lantern (a Chinese-themed slot), Magic Pearl (which features dolphins and other sea creatures), Sahara Gold (a game that takes place in the desert), and High Stakes, which is all about living the dream in Las Vegas. Meaning of Mega Symbols Slot machines generally have a storyline that’s developed along with the theme of the game, and it’s the same for lightning link machines. Mega symbols include a happy lantern, Sahara gold, magic pearl, best bet, Heartthrob, and High stakes. It represent an intriguing culture. A hold and spin bonus feature links Sahara Gold with the growing list of Lightning Link pokie titles. This uses gold coins to give you opportunities to win progressive jackpots – as well as big coin wins. Fill the entire screen with these gold coins, and you’ll walk away with a huge ‘Grand’ progressive. How Does Sahara Gold Compare to Other Lightning Link Pokies? Many Lightning Link pokies have exotic themes. These include India (Bengal Treasures) and Pacific Islands (Tiki Fire). All these pokies have a hold and spin bonus and a free spins game. It is the free spins bonus that makes Sahara Gold stand out.
The first games to feature a ‘Hold and Spin’ bonus were the ‘Lightning Link’ and ‘Dragon Link’ titles; first released in 2015. There were also ‘Lightning Cash’ variations, which had stand-alone jackpots instead of shared ones.
About the pokies game Lightning Link
Lightning Link is a unique pokies game with multi-denominations; a multi-format jackpot offering combination of SAP jackpots, an excellent mix of games that attract a wide range of players; and a patented new jackpot mechanic for innovative gameplay and trigger methodology.
Win-lines and the size of the coins you spin for are changeable. You can choose 25 or 50 win-lines; coins from 1c to 10c are standard. You will notice the Mini and Minor jackpots change as you move up the coin sizes.
Each of the games has wild symbols in play to connect additional wins. There are stacked symbols on the reels, making it common to cover one or more reels with the same symbol. Your biggest wins will come from those times you cover the entire reels with one of the higher paying symbols.
You can play this pokies game with your smartphone be it Android, iPhone or iPad. Remember the games you can play on your mobile device through Aristocrat are free-money apps only; as the company struggles to work around regulations that restrict mobile pokies and their play in Australia.
Games to play in this pokies game machine
Lightning Link leading-edge jackpot features cash on reel style jackpots, bonuses and credit prizes. You can win up to 56 awesome titles in this pokies machine as there is a variety of unique free game features experiences to choose from. Some of the awesome titles are Fiery eyes, Gold bonanza, Autumn moon, Golden century, Panda magic, Happy & prosperous, Portal Fortune Aztec Relics, Big red, Unicorn, Golden Grove, Wild teeth, Wild fortune, Fortune fleet, a Night bird, Twilight tundra, Sunset Age, Pacific Princess, Magic Flower deluxe, Sierra Spirit, Pure Elegance, Outback Jack, Sky Rider, Jungle Rush, Spring Carnival, 2 Can, 5 Dragon gold and more.
Lightning Link offers a range of Grand Jackpot options to cater to different venues of all sizes. This generous progressive pokies offers 16 awesome pokies where you can win hundreds of thousands of dollars with also smaller jackpots that you can win worth hundreds of prizes and cash too.
The popular different themes or pokies that you can choose from are: Raging Bull, Mine, Mine, Mine, Dragon’s Riches, Fire Idol, Magic Totem, Eyes of Fortune, Bengal Treasures, Wild Chuco, Tiki Fire, Heart Throb, Best Bet, Moon Race, Happy Lantern, High Stakes, Magic Pearl and Sahara Gold. You can either go on playing sequence wise or can try whichever game you wish to play first.
Some of the best and popular pokies games you can enjoy at Lightning Link pokies Machine
- High Stakes- High Stakes pokies from Microgaming makes use of a Hold and Spin feature where you can use your logical skills and decide where the value lies and improve your wins. There’s a free games bonus too, which comes complete with giant symbols on the central reels that can easily allow you to win because of the fifty win lines. The jackpots are symbol driven too, so easily come to know when you hit big.
- Happy Lantern- Happy Lantern is a great Oriental themed pokies game with great animations, free spins and jackpot prizes. This is a 25-line game bringing together classic Aristocrat action and the latest features for a unique, highly exciting gameplay experience.
Sahara Gold- The third pokies games in the Lightning Link range comes in the form of Sahara Gold. It is noticeably similar to High Stakes, with the Hold and Spin feature being in effect once again alongside free spins and fifty lines of action. The free spins bonus, in particular, is well worth checking out as the number of spins is assigned randomly, as is the number of bonus wilds that are all set to play a massive part in proceedings as you enjoy all of the action.
Magic Pearl- Magic pearl also is quite similar to Sahara Gold and High Stakes, with fifty lines of action in the play and the highly popular Hold and Spin feature leading to big wins – covering both fixed prizes and the progressive jackpot amounts.
- Moon Race– Moon Race retains the Hold and Spin feature to set up some big jackpot wins; and is similar to Best Bet as described below
- Best Bet– Best Bet was the second game to follow the initial set of Lightning Link games; and has a horse racing theme with the Hold and Spin feature action. It can lead to multiple jackpots being won all within a single feature. There are fifty lines in play and the bonus free spins round ;and up to 25 spins can be won with all of the playing card icons being removed from the board in the process.
- Heart Throb– Heart Throb has been designed to take the volatility up a notch; where the wild wins in the feature round are instantly doubled compared to the base game.
- Tiki Fire– The classic Tiki Torch pokie was released as a pair with Heart Throb. As both are functionally identical with increased volatility once again; coming down to the use of a wild multiplier during free spins.
- Bengal Treasure– Bengal Treasure an Indian-themed pokie has great animations with Fifty lines. It ensures some fast-paced action that gets even bigger. It is better within the free spins round as you take advantage of stacked symbols; which become increasingly available as the round plays out.8
- Wild Chuco– Wild Chuco is paired up with Bengal Treasure; where some of the visuals are among the best that can be seen in the combination of fifty lines. It shows the increasing availability of stacked symbols where you will have every chance of putting together some massive wins.
- Raging Bull– Raging Bull developed by HRG studios features the popular hold and spin feature; cash on reels and scalable bonus prizes. During the free games feature reels 1 and reels 2 display the same symbols in adjacent positions. Similarly reels 4 and 5 display the same symbols in adjacent positions.
- Dragon Riches– Dragon Riches also have held and spin features that can be played with denominations of $1 and $2. During the free games feature every X2 that substitutes in a win will double the pay for that win. Players can win up to X16 their bet with multiple X2 on a winning line.
Also, enjoy some of the latest games that are added regularly on this pokies machine.
The Bets and the Jackpots in the pokies game
When you start to play you will find two different formats:
- 1c and 2c denominations for a 50-payline game
- 5c and 10c denominations for a 25c game
On the 50-payline version, the maximum bet is 500 credits. On the 25-payline version, there is a 250 maximum wager. So, the new Lightning Link progressive pokies from Aristocrat caters to players with a wide range of budgets. No matter what denomination you choose, the jackpot prizes will remain the same.
All Lightning Link games offer four tiers of jackpots, with the top at $10,000.
How the Hold and Spin Bonus Feature Works?
The main attraction of the Lightning Link pokies family of games is the Hold and Spin bonus. Each game has symbols that show either numbers or the words Mini, Minor or Major. These are the 3 smaller jackpots. The symbols containing the numbers are themed. For example, pearl symbols in the Magic Pearl game and Horseshoes in ‘Best Bet’.
Sometimes, these will simply block the regular symbols, getting in the way of your wins. What you need is 6 or more to land on a single spin. This triggers a ‘Hold and Spin’ feature.
You now see the regular symbols fade away, so they are barely visible. You get 3 spins with your cash awards to hit more of them. Each time you hit one or more new awards, the number of spins resets to 3. If you spin 3 times with no extra wins, then your bonus ends; your winnings count up with lightning strike effects.
To win the big linked Grand jackpot; you need to fill all 15 spots on the reels with these special symbols.
Features offered in the Lightening link pokies games
Each of the Lightning Link pokies comes packaged with two special features. The first is a free spins bonus game that comes complete with a “Mega Symbol.” Hit three scatter symbols, and you’ll earn six or more free spins, during which a large, 3×3 symbol may appear to cover the middle three reels in their entirety. This can even lead to the entire middle of the screen having wild symbols, which can lead to massive prizes.
Players will also want to be on the lookout for pearl symbols. If six or more hit the screen at the same time, you’ll trigger three free spins. During these re-spins, the pearls that are already on the screen will remain in place. Even all the other symbols are not there in the reels, players will still have the chance to find more pearls. If you can find more at any time, you’ll once again get at least three more plays. The game only ends if you run out of spins without hitting more pearls, or if you fill all 15 positions.
When the game ends, players will collect a number of prizes. Some pearls will feature a number of instant coins that players will walk away with, while others may note the name of one of the four linked jackpots that are shared between these titles. Smaller jackpots, like the Mini Bonus, can be won multiple times on a single special feature. If you should manage to get all 15 pearls during the feature, you’ll win the Grand Jackpot along with the other prizes you’ve collected.
Where to play Lightning Link pokies?
Lightening Link offers an electrifying set of linked games that you can play online casinos on your web or mobile browser. Also, you can play these pokies at land-based casinos and clubs near you.
As there are many free Aristocrat apps like Heart of Vegas App or Cashman casinos app, they offer Lightening Link pokies where you enjoy Lightening Link games all free. Or you can simply download the Lightening Link pokies free app on your mobiles and get going. These free apps offer you free coins to play the pokies with loads of other bonus offers. These free apps also have in-app purchases to buy more free coins if you need them. You get 0,000 free coins to enjoy these pokies all free.
As this pokies game offers up a lot of different options for different kinds of punters. With sixteen different themes with different denominations means you can enjoy this game for real money.
Most Popular Online Slot Games
All Aristocrat Slot Games
The Original Hold and Spin Bonus Features with Distinctive Themes
Go to any US casino and you’ll find multiple slots with variations of ‘hold and spin’ features. These involve symbols with cash awards instead of the regular ones. You’ll have 3 spins to continue hitting them – run out of spins and you win whatever is on the screen.
This idea was pioneered by slot maker Aristocrat. The first games to feature a ‘Hold and Spin’ bonus were the ‘Lightning Link’ and ‘Dragon Link’ titles – first released in 2015. There were also ‘Lightning Cash’ variations, which had stand-alone jackpots instead of shared ones.
Here are the most popular Lightning Link slot machine games:
- Wild Chuco (Wild West)
- Magic Pearl (Under Sea / Mermaid)
- High Stakes (Vegas / High-Roller)
- Happy Lantern (Asian)
- Tiki Fire (Hawaiian / Volcano)
- Sahara Gold (Desert / Oasis)
- Best Bet (Horse Racing)
Each has its own free spins bonus game in addition to the hold and spin. Each Lightning Link slot machine has a linked jackpot. You can win the biggest – or Grand Jackpot – by filling the entire screen with symbols during the hold and spin bonus feature.
This guide to Lightning Link slots shows you how the games work and where you can play them at legal casinos around the US.
Lightning Link Slots: Setup and Basics
These slots kick-started a new phase of innovation from many slot studios. You might be surprised to know that they did not use a crazy reel setup or other gimmick to do this. All the Lightning Link slots have a simple 5×3 reel setup.
Win-lines and the size of the coins you spin for are changeable. You can choose 25 or 50 win-lines (fewer at the high-roller level denominations), and coins from 1c to 10c are standard. You will notice the Mini and Minor jackpots change as you move up the coin sizes.
Each of the games has wild symbols in play to connect additional wins. There are stacked symbols on the reels, making it common to cover one or more reels with the same symbol. Your biggest wins will come from those times you cover the entire reels with one of the higher paying symbols.
How the Hold and Spin Bonus Feature Works?
The main attraction of the Lightning Link slot family of games is the Hold and Spin bonus. Each game has symbols which show either numbers or the words Mini, Minor or Major – which are the 3 smaller jackpots. The symbols containing the numbers are themed.
For example, pearl symbols in the Magic Pearl game and Horseshoes in ‘Best Bet’.
Sometimes, these will simply block the regular symbols, getting in the way of your wins. What you need is 6 or more to land on a single spin. This triggers a ‘Hold and Spin’ feature.
You now see the regular symbols fade away, so they are barely visible. You get 3 spins with your cash awards held in place to hit more of them. Each time you hit one or more new awards, the number of spins resets to 3. If you spin 3 times with no extra wins, then your bonus ends, and your winnings count up with lightning strike effects.
To win the big linked Grand jackpot you need to fill all 15 spots on the reels with these special symbols.
Free Spins Bonus Games on Lightning Link Slots
Aristocrat developed free spins bonuses which help keep these games varied. These variations are shared with the Dragon Link and Lightning Cash games. The amount of free spins you win varies by game, with a minimum of 3 bonus symbols needed to trigger.
These can be profitable bonuses, which is reflected in the lower level of free spins you get on some of the Lightning Link titles.
Here are some examples of Lightning Link slots free spins feature:
- Magic Pearl: You get 6 free spins with giant symbols. Here the middle 3 reels turn into one big one. You’ll get a 3×3 symbol – which always lands flush with the reels. This can be a wild (mermaid), a bonus symbol, or a pearl. Hitting a pearl will trigger a Hold and Spin bonus.
- Best Bet: This free spins bonus removes all the lower paying symbols from the reels. This not only give you a better shot at hitting bigger wins, it increases your chances of hitting 6 horseshoes for a hold and spin.
- Wild Chuco: This wild-west themed game features ‘reveal’ symbols in the bonus. While you spin, long lines of symbols with ‘Wanted’ posters will appear. They open to reveal matching symbols when the spinning stops. It is possible to reveal gold coins for the Hold and Spin.
- High Stakes: This free spins bonus is the same as for Magic Pearl. The symbols are all Las Vegas themed. If you get a giant chip, then you’ll start the Hold and Spin.
- Sahara Gold: You need to pick a chest to get this bonus started. You’ll find out how many free spins you won, and how many camel silhouette symbols are added to the reels. These are wilds, giving you plenty of potential for bigger wins.
There are expanding wild symbols during the base game in many of these titles too. Grand Jackpots are linked between the games in each casino. The ‘Major’ jackpots accumulate on individual machines.
Where to Play Lightning Link Slots in the USA?
You’ll find these slots in land-based and riverboat casinos from coast to coast. Many casinos Lightning Link slots in banks, where you’ll find all the titles in a group. You’ll find these in casinos in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Iowa and, of course, in Las Vegas.
Online these games can be found in the form of play-money only apps, though have not yet appeared in the regulated online casinos rolling out across the US. Many Aristocrat slot titles are appearing online in mobile casino apps and websites – so hopefully we will see Lightning Link slots games at legal US casinos in the near future.
Many Copies – Only One Original: Lightning Link Titles
Lightning Link Sahara Gold
This range of slots captured the imagination of players around the country. The Hold and Spin bonus and jackpots is the common theme. Each title then has a distinctive theme, and different take on how to run a free spin bonus round.
Lightning Link Slot Machine Sahara Gold
If you enjoy those Hold and Spin bonuses, you’ll have plenty of variations of game to enjoy while you wait for that full screen – and resulting Grand Jackpot.