For many online casino users, a good gambling experience needs to meet several criteria: simple rules, yet with the player having a say in the outcome; no drawn-out games, yet no need to rush. If your idea of top-notch entertainment matches the description above, we suggest you take a look at Mines – we’re sure the concept will seem surprisingly familiar to you, as you’ve seen something similar in classic Battleship or Minesweeper. What’s more, Mines isn’t just a single specific title, but a game mechanic explored by many developers, so you’ll find plenty of variations of this game in the Betwinner lobby.
Mines
What is Mines and what makes it special
Although Mines is produced by numerous different providers, it is no coincidence that all these games share the same name – they are very similar in terms of gameplay and generally differ only in their visual interface. Essentially, it is a ‘one-sided’ game of Battleship, or a classic game of Minesweeper: a certain number of mines are hidden on the game board, and your task is to uncover as many safe squares as possible without blowing yourself up. However, clearing the entire board is not a mandatory objective: even a single successful move already results in a payout, provided you agree to cash out in time, before the crash; in other words, this game can also be classified as a turn-based crash game.
The gameplay described clearly demonstrates that Mines has absolutely nothing in common with slots – no reels, no symbols on them, and no combinations of these symbols. Incidentally, there are no bonus rounds either, which some users might consider a shortcoming – claiming that a linear game quickly becomes tedious.
At the same time, the player has an interest in not cashing out a small win after the very first successful move, but in keeping the stake in play for as long as possible, because the multiplier tends to gradually accelerate its own growth. The maximum win depends both on the specific developer’s policy and on the difficulty level (more on this below), but generally speaking, you can expect wins of up to 10,000x – provided, of course, you manage to reach that figure without a crash.
How to play Mines — rules and mechanics
The developers may vary, but the gameplay mechanics are the same: before the game begins, the player must specify the stake amount and set the difficulty level. The latter is determined by the number of mines: on a standard 5×5 grid (though other layouts are possible), the number of mines can be set to between one and approximately 21. It is clear that with the minimum number of mines, the probability of a blast after the next move is low, which is why the odds increase very slowly; conversely, a large number of mines means you are taking a significant risk right from the first move, but the payout in the event of success can be substantial.
Once you have set the game parameters, press the Start button and make your first move by selecting the square you wish to reveal. If there is no mine there, you are faced with a choice: collect your winnings now, or make another move to stand a chance of a bigger payout (remember, the multiplier increases more rapidly with a higher number of moves). Bear in mind that your aim is not to ‘clear’ the entire playing field, but to collect your winnings before the crash; if a crash occurs, you will lose everything you have managed to accumulate!
Although the appeal of Mines’ gameplay lies in the ability to make decisions independently, some players find it difficult to choose – for them, there is an ‘auto-next-move’ feature. This feature prompts the algorithm to make a one-off decision on behalf of an indecisive player.
Mines also features an autoplay mode for those who simply wish to watch the game unfold. When setting this up, the user specifies the number of rounds and mines, as well as the move number after which – if they manage to reach it at all – the accumulated winnings should be automatically withdrawn. If necessary, the autoplay session can be stopped early; you can also set the number of rounds for which you do not yet have sufficient bankroll – banking on early wins.
