40 Burning Hot: the four-row fire slot

The version most people mean

When someone says Burning Hot in a betting shop or casino lounge, nine times out of ten they mean the forty-line version. EGT built it on five reels and four rows, wrapped it in flames and kept the paytable simple: cherries, lemons, oranges, plums, grapes, watermelons and the seven. With twenty positions and forty lines, a single tall stack of one fruit can feed many lines at once, which is the moment the game is known for.

How it differs from the 20-line game

20 Burning Hot keeps a flat 5x3 board, so wins are cleaner but rarer. The forty-line game hits more often and produces the occasional near-full screen of one symbol. 100 Burning Hot keeps the four rows and adds even more lines, so its spins are busier still. If you only try one, make it this one; then compare. The 6 Reels edition adds a sixth column, which is a different experience again.

Scatter, gamble, no free spins

There is no bonus round. Scatter symbols pay anywhere on the reels, and the info screen shows which one and from how many. After any win you can gamble on the colour of a hidden card. It is a fast, old-fashioned loop: spin, check, collect or risk.

The fourth row also changes how near misses look. A seven stacked on the first three reels with nothing on the fourth is a common sight, and it is part of what keeps the game tense even on spins that pay nothing.

Testing the 40 Burning Hot demo

You start with 1,000 virtual credits, nothing to install and no account. A good routine is 250 spins at the equivalent of £0.40 a spin. Mark the big screens where one symbol filled most of the grid, and see roughly how many spins sit between them. Then play 40 Burning Hot free at a higher stake for 50 spins to feel how quickly the balance swings.

The same game is available for real money at the casinos listed below.