5 Dragons pokies: the choose-your-volatility feature and the ante bet explained

What makes 5 Dragons different

5 Dragons is one of the Aristocrat pokies whose signature is a decision you make inside the feature. Aristocrat's page calls it "the OG dragon slot" and describes "the Choose Your Volatility feature that serves up 5 different volatility feature games". In plain terms: when the free games start, you choose how wild a ride you want, by picking one of five dragons.

Most pokies fix their volatility at the factory. 5 Dragons lets you set part of it yourself, every time the feature lands.

The parts of the game, as Aristocrat describes them

That last description is the clearest view of the trade inside the feature: the choices balance the number of free games against the size of the Dragon Wild multipliers.

What picking a dragon actually changes

Choosing a dragon does not choose a better or worse game. It chooses how the feature's value is spread out. Aristocrat does not publish the numbers behind each option, so here is an illustration with made-up values to show the effect. Assume each free game has a 40% chance of paying something, and compare three feature lengths:

In our calculation, the short option ends with nothing about 1 time in 13. The long option almost never does. To make the short option worth the same on average, its wins have to be bigger, which is what the higher multipliers are for. So:

• More games, smaller multipliers: steadier features, fewer disappointments, less chance of a huge one.
• Fewer games, bigger multipliers: more dud features, rare big ones.

Neither changes what the game keeps over the long run. Our pokies volatility guide covers why the same average can feel so different, and our pokies bonus features guide compares this kind of player choice with other features.

The ante bet, in dollars

The ante is a straightforward extra stake: 5 more credits a spin, in exchange for 5 extra free games when the feature triggers. How much that adds depends on your base bet:

At a 1c credit value, 5 credits is 5c a spin; over 500 spins that is $25 more staked. Whether the extra free games return that on average depends on how the version was set, and Aristocrat does not say. Read the paytable or information screen before you switch it on, and treat it as a bigger bet, not a bonus.

5 Dragons Deluxe pushes the idea further. Aristocrat says the ante there "gives players 2 more feature options", making "7 exciting Free Game options".

The 5 Dragons family

Aristocrat has built a whole line on the original. Its product site lists, among others:

If you like Aristocrat's dragon theme with linked jackpots instead of a volatility choice, Dragon Link pokies are the other big family.

5 Dragons in Australian venues

The ACT Gambling and Racing Commission's published approvals track 5 Dragons for over a decade:

The 2014 figures look low because that machine was approved only on a linked jackpot system. The ACT requires 87% in total, so in our calculation between 3.77 and 8.86 percentage points of that 87% had to come from the linked jackpots on this 5 Dragons setting. Our More Chilli pokies guide covers the other half of that machine.

Free play and online

We could not find 5 Dragons in Aristocrat's free apps. The Australian App Store listing for Heart of Vegas names 50 Dragons, a different game, and does not name 5 Dragons. We also found no announcement from Aristocrat Interactive, its online business for regulated overseas markets, of an online 5 Dragons.

In any case, online pokies cannot legally be offered to people in Australia under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. Playing is not an offence, but ACMA blocks illegal sites and you would have no Australian protection on one. In a venue, pick your dragon for the ride you enjoy, set a limit before the feature tempts you to chase, and see our gambling help page if it stops being fun.

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