Texas Tea Gives Canadian Players a Taste of the Lone Star State
It is certainly rare for a single US state to provide the theme for an online slot, but such is the unique nature of Texas, and everything associated with it, that it turns out to be the perfect candidate for an online slot theme that can be enjoyed not only by Texans, but players in Canada and around the world. The game itself clearly came from the minds of IGT’s internal development team, with a cartoonish take on everything Texan on the reels.
In terms of actual symbols, anything that the average Canadian slots fan would think of when it comes to Texas is pretty much present, ranging from Longhorns to Armadillos and Planes to Cadillacs. Even the bonus rounds are truly Texan, something that we will cover in greater detail later on in this review.
Gameplay is simple to pick up but hugely entertaining thanks to the colourful graphics. Players only need to decide between one and nine win lines before getting started, alongside a line bet ranging from $0.05 to $5 per line. Naturally, prizes are calculated in terms of this line bet, and five Texas Tea logos on the reels will lead to a bumper 10,000 coin pay out.
Players will quickly notice that in spite of the numerous themed symbols on the reels, Texas Tea does not incorporate a wild card symbol – something that is particularly unusual when it comes to IGT online slots. However, this is made up for by the fact that there are two different scatter symbols, represented by Texas Ted and the Oil Derrick, each of which offer players access to two different Texas themed bonus rounds.
Texas Ted is the typical wealthy Texan, and three or more appearances on a single reel activate the Oil Dividend Check round. While not the most immersive bonus game ever – there is absolutely no player interaction – it can be a nice addition to the standard wins on the reels. Players are asked in to Texas Ted’s office, where he simply cuts them a cheque for their share of the oil profits, which is instantly credited to the player’s balance.
The interactive bonus round on Texas tea is activated when the player spins in three or more Oil Derrick symbols. They are taken to a map of Texas that is divided into eight separate regions and the player is tasked with deciding which regions are worthy of an oil derrick. Players can build one for each symbol that activated the round initially, up to a maximum of five. When all derricks are placed, the oil pumping begins, with different regions containing differing amounts of oil. The longer the derricks can pump oil, the more valuable the region and the higher the prizes credited to the player’s account.
