Question What draws you to the highly volatile slot DOA?

conker

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I want to write an article about the attraction of DOA and why there are so many threads and posts about players experiences on this slot game.

From a very rational point of view, DOA is a slot game that should only appeal to a tiny proportion of people, as the potential for hitting the elusive WildLine are so small they could be compared to hitting a progressive jackpot. That is a very approximate guess, so please don't brow-beat me on that assumption.

Despite this, DOA continues to maintain an enduring appeal, which has seen threads such as Last night on Dead or Alive reach over 100 pages in length! A quick search for the game on Casinomeister shows threads about DOA statistics, conspiracy's about NetEnt pulling it, countless winner screenshots and debates on how to maximize your advantage on this slot.

So, if you are a DOA player, please enlighten me as to how this slot has such a hold over so many players. I am very interested to understand more about the mysterious DOA attraction.
 
It's the only game that gets you going during the bonus rounds. Even just triggering the bonus makes you think that 'this could be the big one' everytime.

The payout is exceptional which is another factor. Get two or three wilds within the first couple of spins on the bonus and you'll be on the edge of your seat for sure. They say with gambling the ancticipation of the win gets people going more than winning as you're in the mindset of awaiting that next big hit.....DOA provides that sort of buzz as a big win can come out of nowhere with this slot.

And even though the base game gets panned, it's no mean feat watching those scatters fly in, and getting the first three always puts me on high alert because those five scatters can and do happen for a great reward.

So a good mix of pacing, payout potential and periodic entertainment. At least on the old version....the updated one was made for players as penance :eek:
 
As goatwacked said pretty much.

My thoughts are:

1) Cheap spins at 9p so if low roller, a few quid can last a while
2) Huge potential in big wins for low rollers
3) Boring as hell to play, but exciting when you get the scatters up
4) I also play it to keep up with other members who have hit the wildline or 5 scatters. Those bastards have kept me interested in the game! :D
5) I need to get a screenshot of me making a profit from the blasted thing!!
6) A cheap way of buying a dream or wish in getting the 5 scatters or wildline.
7) Best way to spend the cashback at VS!!
 
I think that the fact you can win huge both in the bonus and base game from small bets keeps ppl coming back. Even when on its arse you can ahem, fairly often, get game time for your money with the low variance base game and bonus rounds dropping in on a fair enough basis to keep you from losing 100% interest. With a lot of screenies showing its potential, compared to a lot of newer slots that seem to hide the monster hits up their ass, you know there is always some hope.
The potential for huge sheets is quite probably the ultimate reason. But you are also not forced to bet a minimum of 30p in order to find them. I used to like bdba for similar reasons and have had lenghty sessions on it but that rtp just seems to make such a difference i always think why bother if doa is available as well.
While it may bore the crap out of some, we all love a punt and i think it is well rounded in all aspects to distinguish that urge... or at least there was a time that it was :rolleyes:
 
Simple and pure reason...this slot is a perfect example for gambling psychology that Netent and others have perfected over the years. Give the player the impression/hope/sense that he can win 100's from a 9c bet and yes, a lot will stick to the low bets but a lot more will increase them in the hope to get a win in the thousands instead of hundreds ==> big profit for Netent

With the HTML5 format they have taken it to a whole new level. The unwary and even us seasoned players are showered constantly with near misses, wilds flying by on every spin during the bonus round and still not hitting more often, etc. etc..... some will say now --> "oh, i know all that and it won't have any impact on me" ....that is were you are exactly wrong. Videoslots are perfect for working on a humans subconsciousness by showing them the same misses/symbols/combinations over and over again (e.g. 2 scatters on DOA and constantly scatter number 3 on top of reel 4 and 5 just outside the window or the missing 5th symbol on a 5OAK just next to the right position) . The unwary and inexperienced newbies will sit there biting their fingernails all the time, while us seasoned gamblers are annoyed on the surface but deep down hope that next time it will be in the right place to give us that highly desirable 2500+ x bet win.

Compare it with training a dog, dangle a sausage in front of his eyes all the time and he'll do anything to get it, even risking his own life. We players risk our money instead.

Funnily though, i am still ahead overall on this slot after 24 months of hammering it @ over 4,500 spins / daily average and it is the only slot from all, that i played online multiple times, that i managed to do that. And it is only possible because of the huge pay potential as you can lose dozens, even hundreds of deposits in a row and just once a WL on a decent bet size and you are ahead.

Coupled with the knowledge that there are literally 100,000's players spinning on it every day we know that it will produce WL's and 5x scatters on a regular basis, probably dozens every day.

True is though also that the slot is weighted, well, it is for me. I have data for millions of spins all nicely polished in excel sheets and graphs. I published one statistic the other day with the double 5OAK sheriff star. An event happening on micro bets on average every 23,000 spins yet never on large bets in meanwhile over 1.2 million spins. Mathematically that possibility is so small .....to call it random i would need to be hit by lightning 10 times in one day in 5 different locations.

Further, the hit rate / spins --> i divided them into spins paying less than the bet, 1-2x bet and 2+ x bet ....... is that little tad lower on high bets compared to small bets that it is not visible to the normal eye but when i look at it scientifically and do proper calculations it works out appr. in the lowish 10's of a percentage point but that is a huge difference as a $4.50 bet is 50x a 9c bet. Just to explain: do 10x 10,000 spins in a row on 0.09c and at 4.50 and count how many of those spins fall in the categories i named above. You'll be very surprised at the result.
 
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The potential for big wins on 9c bets is why I played this game often in 2016. I had wins of $313, $258, $144 and a scatter pay of $225 during that time. Certainly won more than I lost. There isn't another slot with a more exciting bonus round out there. Sadly, Net Entertainment never allowed us to play their slots (hence, their removal from Canadian servers) and the new version has seemingly lower RTG anyway so I have to find an alternative and Break Da Bank Again and Cazino Zeppelin simply don't have that magic.

Never found the base game boring, though.
 
Netent have somehow managed a slot of huge hit potential where you can be rewarded in both base game and feature. The main reason I think it's so playable is the win frequency in the base game, which unlike many slots tends to pay 0.5-2x stake instead of stupid 1/10 or 1/6 credits. This means you tend to get a good run for a few quid on the clunky old bastard, and always at the back of your mind are both the 2500x for 5 scatters and up to 10kx (seems the limit we have seen in all the millions of spins played) in the feature.

So you have both huge potential and longevity usually of starting balance - an attractive combination if ever there was one and that we seldom see in most slots.
 
Well for me the only attraction is the possibility (how small it may be) of a massive win.
I mean not many slots can pay out a 5000x - 10000x stake win on the free spins.
DOA can do it.
Fun part is, you can indeed bet as low as €0.09 and still end up with a FS win over a couple of hundred of euro's.

The game play is utterly boring, the sounds are annoying and over the top, the base game pay table is rubbish except for the 5 scatters but but but when the free spins come in we all think: THIS CAN BE THE ONE!! :D

Still not convinced it would ever happen to me but I keep hoping.

I do not play it as much as I used to be anymore because the game in general is too boring for me.
There are many more interesting high volatile slots where the game play is not so boring.

My personal best is just under 1200x on a €0.45 bet.
Yet have to get the 5 scatters , had 4 on the first 4 reels a few times and many times I thought the 5th would land but it didn't.

So I defo will keep playing it although I am also not happy with the html5 version, just doesn't play and feel the same for me.
 
Simple and pure reason...this slot is a perfect example for gambling psychology that Netent and others have perfected over the years. Give the player the impression/hope/sense that he can win 100's from a 9c bet and yes, a lot will stick to the low bets but a lot more will increase them in the hope to get a win in the thousands instead of hundreds ==> big profit for Netent

Do you truely believe NetEnt have mastered it or stumbled on it by pure luck with DOA Harry?

Personally I am racking my brains to think of another game by them that provokes such discussion, intrigue and addictiveness. I can think of only one slot online that comes close in terms of its broad appeal and level of discussion and that is Microgaming's Immortal Romance.

When I think land-based, there are a handful more - Book of Ra (Novomatic), Buffalo (Aristocrat) and possibly Pharaoh's Fortune (IGT)

Of course these are all my own opinions and I imagine many other forum members would argue with these. However, this is less than 0.1% of all the slots that are out there. If NetEnt and the likes are the masters of gambling psychology then why haven't they managed to create more DOA's?

By the way, certainly not arguing with you, very grateful for yours and everyone elses insights. I am really looking forward to writing this article - hopefully later this week.

Just curious.
 
It is the only slot that I know (when it was the flash version) that gave you a 5,000x win without making a song and dance about it. No big win music crap. You could have missed it with a blink of an eye.

I can't add to what already has been said. For me, especially, is that it is the way the base game plays that keeps you going for the hunt of that wild line.
 
It is the only slot that I know (when it was the flash version) that gave you a 5,000x win without making a song and dance about it. No big win music crap. You could have missed it with a blink of an eye.

Love that.

Whether a design error or deliberately introduced, a sort of arrogance of the game to assume you wouldn't even be flattered by a 5,000x win :eek2:
 
There's no way Netent intended DOA to be a success. Given the drab aesthetics and tinny sounds it was never intended to compete against the likes of Immortal Romance. They'd even put more effort into the likes of Reel Steal, and I think that was their answer to BDBA's dominance, not DOA.

DOA has become a cult classic by accident, and even now I think Netent are more keen to push the likes of Starburst than a creaky old-timer loved by a hardcore few.

If they could go back to the drawing board to re-imagine this game to make it competitive with flashier titles, they would have made Wild Wild West instead. DOA is definitely the black sheep of the company's portfolio, and as they can't redo the paytable I expect them to pull this game in the next 3-5 years!
 
Do you truely believe NetEnt have mastered it or stumbled on it by pure luck with DOA Harry?

Personally I am racking my brains to think of another game by them that provokes such discussion, intrigue and addictiveness. I can think of only one slot online that comes close in terms of its broad appeal and level of discussion and that is Microgaming's Immortal Romance.

When I think land-based, there are a handful more - Book of Ra (Novomatic), Buffalo (Aristocrat) and possibly Pharaoh's Fortune (IGT)

Of course these are all my own opinions and I imagine many other forum members would argue with these. However, this is less than 0.1% of all the slots that are out there. If NetEnt and the likes are the masters of gambling psychology then why haven't they managed to create more DOA's?

By the way, certainly not arguing with you, very grateful for yours and everyone elses insights. I am really looking forward to writing this article - hopefully later this week.

Just curious.

It is the HTML5 format that ultimately made it possible. Early slots were still based on reel strips where players could tell which symbol is where. HMTL5 gives them complete freedom to show the spin result as they please. It started certainly before as even in Flash it is only a software showing a graphical display but in the last years i saw repeatedly their job adverts looking for programmers or graphic designer where psychological background was on the job description. Now why would they need that? :rolleyes:

Other slots have the effects as well build in, it is just not openly visible or to feel so clearly as those are dishing out medium wins at a more regular basis. On top the low variance slot keeps the people longer online as they lose the money slower and consider a win of 50x bet a huge achievement...see Starburst

They cannot produce only super HV slots a la DOA as it could possible bankrupt quite a few operators if they have 100's DOA style slots in their portfolio. Just imagine a casino gets hit a few days in a row with 100's or even just a few dozen of DOA style mega wins.

They need to have mostly low-medium variance games as those keep people playing. DOA like slots are always...i mean ALWAYS...hero or zero.
 
I don't think they'll ever pull DOA.

Imagine, for every wild line or 5 scatters hit (not just the ones posted on here) Netent have made profit on top of profit to allow those hits to have even happened.

Hard than I though to explain....I know what I mean, I think ...:oops:

With the lower/med variance rubbish regularly churned out (basically every HTML5 slot bar DOA) I think it takes then 'x' times as long to make the same profit.

I genuinely feel most of the newer slots (regardless of Provider) are designed to act more like fruit machines and just encourage the seasoned addicts out there to keep chugging away and making deposit after deposit, usually chasing something which is never coming :rolleyes:
 
Do you truely believe NetEnt have mastered it or stumbled on it by pure luck with DOA Harry?

Personally I am racking my brains to think of another game by them that provokes such discussion, intrigue and addictiveness. I can think of only one slot online that comes close in terms of its broad appeal and level of discussion and that is Microgaming's Immortal Romance.

When I think land-based, there are a handful more - Book of Ra (Novomatic), Buffalo (Aristocrat) and possibly Pharaoh's Fortune (IGT)

Of course these are all my own opinions and I imagine many other forum members would argue with these. However, this is less than 0.1% of all the slots that are out there. If NetEnt and the likes are the masters of gambling psychology then why haven't they managed to create more DOA's?

By the way, certainly not arguing with you, very grateful for yours and everyone elses insights. I am really looking forward to writing this article - hopefully later this week.

Just curious.

I can name a couple on here. The Rapist and latterly BGT's Bonanza. DoA is the odd one out as it's the only non-multiway that seems to raise such controversy.
 
I dont play this slot much the last year. Maybe even less than 5% of my game play is on DOA..... thanks to that *@emix.
All i can say is that i can account over 50% of my withdrawals to this slot (DOA)..... so go figure why I dont play it more, I am a dumbass.
 
I can name a couple on here. The Rapist and latterly BGT's Bonanza. DoA is the odd one out as it's the only non-multiway that seems to raise such controversy.
Yeah, but they're not by NetEnt... :confused:

Do you truely believe NetEnt have mastered it or stumbled on it by pure luck with DOA Harry?

Personally I am racking my brains to think of another game by them that provokes such discussion, intrigue and addictiveness...

KK
 
Simple and pure reason...this slot is a perfect example for gambling psychology that Netent and others have perfected over the years. Give the player the impression/hope/sense that he can win 100's from a 9c bet and yes, a lot will stick to the low bets but a lot more will increase them in the hope to get a win in the thousands instead of hundreds ==> big profit for Netent

With the HTML5 format they have taken it to a whole new level. The unwary and even us seasoned players are showered constantly with near misses, wilds flying by on every spin during the bonus round and still not hitting more often, etc. etc..... some will say now --> "oh, i know all that and it won't have any impact on me" ....that is were you are exactly wrong. Videoslots are perfect for working on a humans subconsciousness by showing them the same misses/symbols/combinations over and over again (e.g. 2 scatters on DOA and constantly scatter number 3 on top of reel 4 and 5 just outside the window or the missing 5th symbol on a 5OAK just next to the right position) . The unwary and inexperienced newbies will sit there biting their fingernails all the time, while us seasoned gamblers are annoyed on the surface but deep down hope that next time it will be in the right place to give us that highly desirable 2500+ x bet win.

Compare it with training a dog, dangle a sausage in front of his eyes all the time and he'll do anything to get it, even risking his own life. We players risk our money instead.

Funnily though, i am still ahead overall on this slot after 24 months of hammering it @ over 4,500 spins / daily average and it is the only slot from all, that i played online multiple times, that i managed to do that. And it is only possible because of the huge pay potential as you can lose dozens, even hundreds of deposits in a row and just once a WL on a decent bet size and you are ahead.

Coupled with the knowledge that there are literally 100,000's players spinning on it every day we know that it will produce WL's and 5x scatters on a regular basis, probably dozens every day.

True is though also that the slot is weighted, well, it is for me. I have data for millions of spins all nicely polished in excel sheets and graphs. I published one statistic the other day with the double 5OAK sheriff star. An event happening on micro bets on average every 23,000 spins yet never on large bets in meanwhile over 1.2 million spins. Mathematically that possibility is so small .....to call it random i would need to be hit by lightning 10 times in one day in 5 different locations.

Further, the hit rate / spins --> i divided them into spins paying less than the bet, 1-2x bet and 2+ x bet ....... is that little tad lower on high bets compared to small bets that it is not visible to the normal eye but when i look at it scientifically and do proper calculations it works out appr. in the lowish 10's of a percentage point but that is a huge difference as a $4.50 bet is 50x a 9c bet. Just to explain: do 10x 10,000 spins in a row on 0.09c and at 4.50 and count how many of those spins fall in the categories i named above. You'll be very surprised at the result.

I just had my 1st one of those in my 2nd serious DOA season ever. :) I think it was min bet. I am so new at this. Until a few months back I was only playing MG.
Dan made a nice battle for us and...... now I am hooked at VS and new providers.

Bonanza has better potential and better base game. But DOA has lower min bet, better TRTP, frequent fs rounds and loads of players advertising over 2000x hits.
I think that if Bonanza was available from more casinos, had lower min bet and some over 20,000x wins start to appear, it would become the new DOA.
 
Bonanza has better potential and better base game. But DOA has lower min bet, better TRTP, frequent fs rounds and loads of players advertising over 2000x hits.
I think that if Bonanza was available from more casinos, had lower min bet and some over 20,000x wins start to appear, it would become the new DOA.

I have seen a lot of love for Bonanza over the past few weeks, it certainly looks like it is set to be a favourite. Also, how could I forget raping rhino, so many videos on Dunover's slots channel dedicated to this beast.

Some really interesting insights coming out of this thread and great to get so many different opinions on this slot. Thanks to all that have shared their thoughts, I will return when I have something written up.
 
Yeah, but they're not by NetEnt... :confused:



KK

Yes, I missed that bit lol



I though it was a general slots observation, didn't see he was referring to Notentertainment only...:oops:
 
So, if you are a DOA player, please enlighten me as to how this slot has such a hold over so many players. I am very interested to understand more about the mysterious DOA attraction.

1: Huge win potential.
2: Your money lasts forever, other slots with win potential are subject to the infamous Netent death streaks.
3: The absence of garbage like big win messages on wins that don't even pay for a cup of coffee, slow animations, pick features, bonus bets...
 
I think for me it was wanting to join the DOA club. From what I understand, I've probably played 3.5 - 4.5 times as many spins and bonus rounds as should theorhetically get a wild line. Never hit the 5 scatters either.

I'd actually made a decision I was gonna low-roll that one until I did while on holiday back in November when NetEnt decided I and my fellow canucks were no longer worthy of tossing our money into their games.

I'm not sure if I miss it or not. Never did hit 1000x, although I came rather close twice, nearly 900x once when I had four on a line going into the extra spins.
 
I think for me it was wanting to join the DOA club. From what I understand, I've probably played 3.5 - 4.5 times as many spins and bonus rounds as should theorhetically get a wild line. Never hit the 5 scatters either.

I'd actually made a decision I was gonna low-roll that one until I did while on holiday back in November when NetEnt decided I and my fellow canucks were no longer worthy of tossing our money into their games.

I'm not sure if I miss it or not. Never did hit 1000x, although I came rather close twice, nearly 900x once when I had four on a line going into the extra spins.

Ya we are not worthy but yet another country I can't understand that is, Bulgaria!:rolleyes:
 

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