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Quickspin’s Pearl o’ Plinko games
Mermaid Cove adds portals and batch launches; Fire & Bones changes the bonus destinations and the distribution of larger wins. Both keep the pirate-map journey, with bonus pockets collecting balls for the next bonus game. Both games have free demos, so you can explore the pocket-and-gate engine before paying for a bonus entry.
Plinko casinos by country
Mermaid CoveRTP 87.15–98.10% · ×199 max payout in the studio’s simulation at 98.10% · Buy Feature 4× / 7× bet
(SlotCatalog)Fire & BonesRTP 84.21–98.10% · ×243 max payout in the studio’s simulation at 98.10% · Buy Feature 4× / 12× bet
The 94 and 92 suffixes identify the intermediate-return builds in both games; 87 identifies Mermaid Cove’s lowest-return build and 84 identifies Fire & Bones’ lowest-return build. The studio groups separate this family from other studios’ similarly named games.
One engine, two pirate maps
Mermaid Cove launches 1–100 balls in one go and includes Portal Gates, which transport a ball to a paired exit. Fire & Bones takes its bonus play to Ship Graveyard and Fire Island, while Mermaid Cove uses Kraken Peninsula and Mermaid Cove. The base game and each bonus game contribute to the total return, so bonus access is part of the game’s payout structure.
| Feature | Mermaid Cove | Fire & Bones |
|---|---|---|
| Released | (SlotCatalog) | |
| Bonus games | Kraken Peninsula; Mermaid Cove | Ship Graveyard; Fire Island |
| Portal Gates | Yes | No |
| Extra Bet | 1.5× bet | 1.5× bet |
| Buy Feature | 4× / 7× bet | 4× / 12× bet |
| Bet range | €0.10–€100; default €1 | €0.10–€100; default €1 |
| Volatility on the studio’s 1–5 scale | 1 | 1 |
| Max payout at RTP 98.10% in the studio’s simulation | ×199 | ×243 |
The second bonus purchase costs 12× in Fire & Bones against 7× in Mermaid Cove, so the map you pick sets the price of direct entry.
How a ball moves through the map
The Ball Launcher sends a ball through Pegs, with different pockets changing what happens next. Award Pockets pay an award; Award Gates pay while allowing the ball to continue, so a gate keeps the journey moving towards another destination.
Re-Launcher
A ball landing here launches 3 new balls onto the board.
Bonus Pockets
A ball landing here is added to the next bonus game.
Extra Bet
The increased stake adds another Bonus Pocket, raising the chance of entering a bonus game.
Buy Feature
A direct purchase enters a bonus game at the destination’s listed cost. Buy Feature is unavailable in some markets.
In Quickspin’s ball-launch play, Award Gates keep a ball moving after an award, while Bonus Pockets carry it into the next bonus game.
Four RTP builds change the bonus return
Fire & Bones spans 13.89 percentage points of RTP, compared with Mermaid Cove’s 10.95-point spread. Its lowest-return build cuts the bonus contribution more sharply than Mermaid Cove’s lowest-return build. Base-game return rises as the Fire & Bones total falls, while all parts of Mermaid Cove’s return decline. The build therefore changes how much return comes from the main board and how much comes from the bonus destinations.
| Game | RTP | Base game | Bonus game 1 | Bonus game 2 | Max payout | Game ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mermaid Cove | 98.10% | 47.20% | 26.63% | 24.27% | ×199 | pearlofplinkomermaidcove |
| Mermaid Cove | 94.19% | 46.14% | 25.43% | 22.62% | ×194 | pearlofplinkomermaidcove94 |
| Mermaid Cove | 92.07% | 45.57% | 24.79% | 21.72% | ×191 | pearlofplinkomermaidcove92 |
| Mermaid Cove | 87.15% | 44.23% | 23.28% | 19.64% | ×171 | pearlofplinkomermaidcove87 |
| Fire & Bones | 98.10% | 47.59% | 27.33% | 23.18% | ×243 | pearlofplinkofireandbones |
| Fire & Bones | 94.19% | 52.11% | 23.09% | 18.99% | ×239 | pearlofplinkofireandbones94 |
| Fire & Bones | 92.07% | 54.56% | 20.79% | 16.71% | ×237 | pearlofplinkofireandbones92 |
| Fire & Bones | 84.21% | 63.65% | 12.27% | 8.29% | ×222 | pearlofplinkofireandbones84 |
Max payout is the highest win seen in the studio’s 100-million-ball simulation. Mermaid Cove’s 87.15% build used 99,463,937 balls; these observed payouts are not game limits.
Bonus game 1 means Kraken Peninsula in Mermaid Cove and Ship Graveyard in Fire & Bones; bonus game 2 means Mermaid Cove and Fire Island respectively. At the intermediate builds, the combined bonus contribution falls from 42.08 to 37.50 percentage points in Fire & Bones and from 48.05 to 46.51 in Mermaid Cove.
The return percentage belongs to the full build, including its bonus games. Match the game ID to the build when comparing returns: a shared title can carry a different balance between the main board and bonus play.
Mermaid Cove favours 15×; Fire & Bones favours larger wins
On the highest-return builds, Mermaid Cove’s Big Win frequency is 1.3 times Fire & Bones’ frequency; Fire & Bones has the advantage at the larger win labels. Its Super, Mega and Epic frequencies are 1.2, 2.6 and 4.1 times Mermaid Cove’s respectively. At the shared top return, Epic Win occurs 1 in 13,681 in Fire & Bones and 1 in 56,304 in Mermaid Cove. At the same total return, the two games distribute wins differently.
| Game | RTP | Big Win (15×) | Super Win (40×) | Mega Win (70×) | Epic Win (100×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mermaid Cove | 98.10% | 1 in 98 | 1 in 673 | 1 in 6,049 | 1 in 56,304 |
| Mermaid Cove | 94.19% | 1 in 106 | 1 in 837 | 1 in 8,304 | 1 in 80,394 |
| Mermaid Cove | 92.07% | 1 in 110 | 1 in 964 | 1 in 10,408 | 1 in 104,403 |
| Mermaid Cove | 87.15% | 1 in 122 | 1 in 1,493 | 1 in 25,229 | 1 in 347,253 |
| Fire & Bones | 98.10% | 1 in 126 | 1 in 565 | 1 in 2,339 | 1 in 13,681 |
| Fire & Bones | 94.19% | 1 in 153 | 1 in 707 | 1 in 2,994 | 1 in 17,557 |
| Fire & Bones | 92.07% | 1 in 174 | 1 in 818 | 1 in 3,529 | 1 in 20,730 |
| Fire & Bones | 84.21% | 1 in 348 | 1 in 1,964 | 1 in 10,487 | 1 in 63,533 |
The lower-return versions make each of these labelled wins less frequent within the same title, with the largest frequency changes at Epic Win. At the lowest returns, Epic Win moves to 1 in 63,533 for Fire & Bones and 1 in 347,253 for Mermaid Cove. Fire & Bones combines the stronger larger-win frequencies with its own bonus map; Mermaid Cove combines the more frequent Big Win result with portals and batch launches.
Which Pearl o’ Plinko suits your goal?
The second bonus game costs less to buy in Mermaid Cove, while Fire & Bones pairs its higher observed payout with more frequent larger-win labels. Match the game to the feature or frequency you value, keeping the build constant for the odds comparison.
| Goal | Open | Why | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| More frequent 15× wins | Mermaid Cove | 1 in 98 vs 1 in 126 at RTP 98.10% | Mermaid Cove details |
| More frequent wins from 40× up | Fire & Bones | At RTP 98.10%: Super 1 in 565 vs 1 in 673; Mega 1 in 2,339 vs 1 in 6,049; Epic 1 in 13,681 vs 1 in 56,304 | Fire & Bones details |
| Higher max payout in the studio’s simulation | Fire & Bones | ×243 vs ×199 at RTP 98.10% | Fire & Bones payouts |
| Cheaper second bonus game | Mermaid Cove | Buy Feature: 7× vs 12× bet | Mermaid Cove bonus games |
| Launch up to 100 balls at once | Mermaid Cove | 1–100 balls per launch | Mermaid Cove features |
A stake strategy for these games has to account for the full purchase price when you enter a bonus game directly.
Opening either free demo requires no deposit; casino accounts become part of the decision when moving to real-money play.
More Plinko studios
Relax Gaming uses a Plinko bonus inside a slot, while BGaming takes the board-and-paytable approach. Those formats give you alternatives to Quickspin’s pirate maps and bonus destinations.
The games collection brings these formats together.
Page history
- Both Pearl o’ Plinko games compared across RTP builds, bonus costs, big-win frequencies and simulated maximum payouts, with free demos.
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