How Stake’s 'Bars' Game Redefines the Classic Slot Experience

Reinventing something as established as slots is tough, but Stake has done it through Stake Originals. By adapting familiar concepts into fresh games released every few months, they’ve built a library that both attracts new players and keeps current ones engaged.

By doing this, the popular online sports betting and casino game service has made dozens of popular games that have thousands of players at any given moment. And their latest title, Bars, is a new take on the classic experience of an online slot that redefines the genre and offers something new yet familiar to both existing players and newcomers. But what is Bars, how does it work, and how exactly does it expand on the age old formula of slots? If you are a passionate gambler who enjoys spending free time on trying new games, this is exactly what you are looking for. Read on and learn how to play Bars, the newest original game by Stake.

What is the Bars Game?

Bars is a new arcade casino game by the popular Stake Originals studio. It had just come out on July 15, making it the freshest new addition to the ever expanding library of games on the platform. It is a fast paced, slot adjacent type of game that uses the famous pick and reveal mechanic, where players are free to choose the fields they want to reveal. Underneath, there are prizes. Each prize is a multiplier of different values, and the players are left to choose how many they want to open per round, as well as what volatility (difficulty) they would like. Like every other game by this developer, the game is simple, exciting, easy to get used to, and fun to play. There are settings that make it more “yours” since almost everything is customizable to your liking, but more on that later. 

When it comes to basic information and parameters of the game, the maximum bet you can make is $100, with the highest multiplier set at 1000x. The RTP (return to player) rating is 98%, the same as most other Stake games, and the house edge is only 2%. Difficulty levels can be changed between easy, medium, hard, and expert. Depending on how much you want to risk, you can combine this difficulty level option with the number of bars you open per round. You can pick as low as 1 and as high as 5. There is also the auto bet option, which, as the name suggests, automates the betting process after you set everything up to your liking. Overall, it is a very user friendly game where everything is made with the player in mind. 

How to Play Bars-Gameplay Mechanics and Getting Started 

The main reason why it is inspired by and based on the famous slot machine formula is the fact that the game exists on a grid. It is a 5x6 game grid with a total of 30 bars, each hiding a chance for a prize. The size of the multipliers depends on how many bars you select, with 1 being the toughest choice and 5 being the easiest. After you have registered on Stake, set up an account, and transferred the initial balance into it, load up the game and set the amount you want to bet. If you want to go hands free and randomize things, you can let the game auto select between 1 and 5 bars for you. If not, the good old manual selection is there, too. The bars remain locked in place for each round until you want to change them, at which point you choose the Clear Enable Button.

When ready, simply click the Bet button, and the multipliers on the grid that you have picked will be revealed. Depending on the difficulty level and the number of bars, you can get anywhere from 1 multiplier prize to 5 multiplier prizes. They will, of course, range in height and value. Lower levels have more consistent, smaller payouts, and higher levels introduce greater volatility with larger rewards. The whole gaming experience that this system provides is fun and straightforward, and best of all, quick. You can play a dozen rounds in one sitting, especially if you opt for smaller bet sizes to minimize your spending and risk. The user interface is very simple and minimalistic, with the grid and settings taking up the whole game screen.

Payouts adjust based on how many bars you choose, fewer bars mean higher multiplier potential. For quick play, the random pick option selects bars for you, while auto mode lets you set volatility, wager, and bars, then runs hands-free until you stop. Perfect for relaxed, no-click gameplay.

How is the Bars Game Similar to a Slot?

So, how exactly is this new Stake Original similar to any online slot? It seems like a different genre of games since there are no spinning reels. Slots typically have no extra settings and are very simple and bare bones. Can it really be said that they expand on the slot formula and redefine the classic? Well, the answer is neither a definite yes nor a no, as a more detailed comparison is in order. First, we will take a look at a detailed, side by side comparison between the two, after which there will be more words about how Bars and slots are two sides of the same coin.