Great 27: three reels, twenty-seven ways

Why 27?

Three reels with three rows each give twenty-seven possible left-to-right paths across the grid: three choices on the first reel, times three on the second, times three on the third. Great 27 counts all of them. You do not pick lines and you do not need symbols on a specific row; matching fruit on adjacent reels, starting from the left, is enough. Once you see it, the logic is very simple, and it is a nice change from scanning forty zig-zag lines.

Symbols and look

The paytable is EGT fruit through and through: cherries, lemons, oranges, plums, grapes, watermelons and sevens, with a scatter that pays wherever it lands. The grid is compact and bright, which works well on a phone screen. With only nine positions, a full screen of one symbol is not as rare as on bigger grids, and it is the hit that makes the game.

How it plays

Short reel sets mean quick decisions. A win either appears on the third reel or it does not, so spins resolve fast. There are no free spins and no bonus game. After any win you can gamble it on a hidden card colour, red or black, double or nothing.

Compared with 81 Wins, its four-reel cousin, Great 27 feels tighter: fewer ways, shorter combinations, quicker spins. Players who like the three-reel feel of old fruit machines usually prefer this one.

One more thing worth knowing: with ways instead of lines, the bet is set per spin rather than per line, so the stake buttons are simpler than on the bigger Hot slots. Pick a level and every one of the twenty-seven paths is covered automatically.

Play Great 27 free

The Great 27 demo opens with 1,000 virtual credits, no download, no account. Spin 250 times at the equivalent of £0.20 and count how often you see the full nine-symbol screen. Then switch to 81 Wins at the same stake for comparison. The same game runs for real money at the casinos listed below.