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Bonus Bowling

Introduction

Bonus Bowling is a game found at Internet casinos using Playtech software. The game can be found under the Arcade Games menu. This is a simple game of luck in which the player bets on the outcome of a clearly bad bowler, one frame at a time. A more detailed explanation follows.

 


Click on image for larger version.

 

Rules

As in slots or video poker once a wager is made it is never returned. So all pays indicated are on a "for one" basis.

The player has five betting choices on the next frame of bowling: 0-3 total, 4-6 total, 7-9 total, spare, and strike. The player may bet any number of these and in different amounts.

Following are probabilities of each outcome.

 

  • Strike: 3.4%
  • Spare: 8.56%
  • 7 to 9: 17.04%
  • 4 to 6: 28.4%
  • 0 to 3: 42.6%

 

One frame out of three is a "Golden Frame." If the player throws a strike in a Golden Frame (regardless of what he bet on) he will win a bonus of ten times his bet.

In the screenshot above I bet $5 on a strike and also had a golden frame. So my total win was $5*25 + $5*10 = $175.

Analysis

Bonus Bowling Return Table

Bet Probability Pays Return from Bet Return from Bonus Total Return
Strike 0.034 25 0.85 0.113333 0.963333
Spare 0.0856 10 0.856 0.113333 0.969333
7 to 9 0.1704 5 0.852 0.113333 0.965333
4 to 6 0.284 3 0.852 0.113333 0.965333
0 to 3 0.426 2 0.852 0.113333 0.965333

Disclaimer

I was hired by Playtech to help design all of their Arcade Games, which explains how I know the game in such detail. I was given permission by Playtech to publish this analysis.