Hi-Lo

Hi-Lo: Slot Overview

Before software provider Hacksaw Gaming took the online slot world by storm, the studio turned out other ways to gamble, such as scratch cards. Even after titles like Wanted Dead or a Wild or Hand of Anubis have gone on to blow up the slot scene, the studio hasn't completely turned its back on alternative ways to place a bet. Here's where Hi-Lo enters the picture. Part of Hacksaw Gaming's Dare2Win range, Hi-Lo is a simple gambling game in which players can learn the rules in mere moments.

Hi-Lo is very different to an online slot and is played in the physical world using regular playing cards. The participant's goal is to bet on what are essentially binary outcomes. Simplicity, in other words, is the name of the game, and this ethos spills over into Hi-Lo's visual presentation. Really, the gaming zone consists of little more than a large playing card with an arrow on the top right corner, a Bet button down below, and four betting options displayed on either side of the card. Various control panel elements sit to the side, but this is minimalist gambling that cuts away as much excess as possible so players can get down to the business of trying their luck - accompanied by a loungey, almost tropical soundtrack.

Statistically, there isn't a stack of things to cover either. Volatility is noted as 'Variable', so there is not a whole lot of info to be gleaned there. RTP is more straightforward, and Hi-Lo may be found with six different models possessing varying return values. The highest value is 98%, while the lowest is 88%, with four alternatives in between. As for bet selection, the lowest stake permitted is 20 p/c, rising in at various intervals before maxing out at $/€100.

Hi-Lo: Slot Features

To play Hi-Lo, here are the rules. Firstly, if you are not happy with the card on the screen, you can skip it as many times as you like for free by clicking the top right arrow button. Once you're happy with the card, clicking the Bet button starts a live game round. When a round is active, there are limits placed on the number of cards you may skip. Then, when you're ready to bet, four options are presented to choose from:

• Black – a guess that the next card will be a black card.
• Red – a guess that the next card will be a red card.
• Higher or the same – a guess the next card will be of a higher value than the current card or the same. King is the highest-value card in Hi-Lo.
• Lower or the same – a guess the next card will be of a lower value than the current card or the same. Ace is the lowest card value in Hi-Lo.

Next to each bet button are two figures - basically the win and the odds of guessing right. For a correct guess, the collectable amount is updated. After a correct guess, players are able to collect this amount before guessing again, and doing so ends the current game round. Losing a guess also ends a game round as well. Afterwards, players are able to instigate a new game round.

On a side note, the next card in a game is picked from a full deck of cards. This means the same card can land twice in a row, and the odds of getting a certain card are not affected by past cards or the current card.

Hi-Lo: Slot Verdict

Human beings have been gambling for a long, long time, and Hi-Lo's style of betting got us wondering, what was the first wager ever placed? Obviously, we'll never be able to find out, and considering it happened a long time ago, we can only speculate on what it was; 'I'll bet you 3 arrows it rains tomorrow', or something like 'I'll see your 3 arrows and raise you 2 bushels of wheat that it not only doesn't rain tomorrow but a stampede of woolly mammoths will charge across the tundra.' or 'Whatever, I'll see you, plus also wager that next week writing is invented and the ice age ends.' And so on and so on, down till the modern day when a huge range of gambling options are available at the push of a button or a tap of a screen.

Amongst the galaxy of betting opportunities resides Hacksaw Gaming's version of Hi-Lo. And, for a simple card game, with a touch more depth than originally suspected, Hi-Lo might be worth a look. It is an uncomplicated game. For the most part, all you really have to do is guess the possible colour or whether the next card will be the same or higher, or the same or lower. Easy. Then click a button or two to get the bets rolling. Hi-Lo potentially ups the interest quotient by letting players skip the cards they don't like. Being able to do so provides a feeling of control, though how illusory that level of control might be is up for debate. But it does feel good skipping till you get a 2, for example, then slamming the Higher Or Same button. Odds vary depending on the chance of being right or wrong, though. So it's possible to heroically hit Lower Or Same if a 3 is showing, for example.

On its best roll, Hi-Lo has a max win figure of 5,000x the bet, so there is plenty of room for luck and heroics to collide. Or not. Either way, Hi-Lo was a fun sideshow for a while though its simplicity might be as much a con as a pro.