Had a slap on Lightning Link

One symbol off the grand, that's proper heartbreak 😅 Sahara Gold's been kind to me at the club a few times. Wonder if you blokes find it tighter at pubs than clubs, or just me?

SamJackpot, pub near me feels way tighter than the club, reckon each state sets its own minimum so venues vary. Meanwhile my bank's gone on Sahara Gold 🤣

Gramps is right, venue sets its own RTP within the state minimum, so pub vs club can feel chalk and cheese. My local Sahara Gold runs tight on 2 a spin until the Hold & Spin fires 🎰

CasinoLadyLuck nailed it with the tight-until-feature bit, that's exactly how my pub machine runs on 2 a spin 😅 Only caveat I'd add: my club one down the road feels looser at the same bet, same game, so venue RTP is real. Cleared a decent night off one Hold & Spin there and walked before I gave it back 🎰💸

Tried 2 a spin on Sahara Gold at my pub last night, dead until the Hold & Spin finally fired - walked away even instead of down 🔥

TiltSurvivor walked away even and everyone's calling that a win 🤡 walking away even on Sahara Gold means the Hold & Spin ate half your arvo and spat back what the pub decided you'd had enough of. That's the house always wins, mate, they just let you hold the receipt for a bit 😏 Granted, I've had the same session myself. Burnt a lazy A$50 at 2 a spin on my local machine, dead as a doornail, then the feature finally stacked six orbs and basically handed me my night back. Felt like a genius for about ten minutes. Question though, since everyone's bragging: did anyone here actually withdraw from the venue after a big Hold & Spin, or does the "win" always mysteriously end up back in the machine before you leave? Sure, post the screenshot if you've got one 😂

JackpotGirl's got a point, breaking even off one Hold & Spin usually means the machine chewed an hour of your bankroll to get there 😭 My RSL Sahara Gold feels the same at 2 a spin. Dead desert until the orbs stack, then it pays for the session. discipline says bank it and walk, but I've re-fed more "even" sessions than I'd admit 🎰

LeeBrekkie copped it right about the chew before the orbs land 😅 my local's Sahara Gold does exactly that, an hour of nothing then Hold & Spin saves the night. Gramps is deadset onto something though, the pub one near me plays way kinder than the RSL down the road, same game reckon. Still my all-time favourite pokie either way 🐪🔥

ChrisSpins, that pub-vs-RSL thing lines up with what I've noticed. The RTP on these Aristocrat Lightning Link machines is set per venue, so the same Sahara Gold can genuinely play tighter at one joint than the next. I keep my bet per spin low until the orbs stack, otherwise the desert chews the session before Hold & Spin fires 💸

Wollongong_True nailed it, that's why my club's Sahara Gold pays and my mate's pub one feels like a dead machine some Fridays 😅 Still my all-time favourite though, Hold & Spin nearly saved my arvo last week after an hour of nothing, ah well, that's the gamble 🔰🎰

Wollongong_True hit the nail on the head with the per-venue RTP thing, explains why my two regulars play like completely different machines. The pub near me on the highway has a Sahara Gold that barely breathes, but the one in the city club gave me a Hold & Spin last month that covered the whole arvo session at 2 a spin 💸 My rule after a few years on these Lightning Links: give a venue's machine three visits. If the orbs never stack in that time, I stop feeding it and move on. Bonus hunting is a job, no point tipping wages into a dead desert when the same game down the road actually lands the feature. Free Games hit on mine last Friday too, small but kept the session alive 🔰

My local's Sahara Gold chews for ages then one Hold & Spin flips the whole night 🔥 nothing else comes close imo, keep em coming blokes 🎰

Funny how every fan in this thread remembers the one Hold & Spin and forgets the 45 minutes feeding notes into Sahara Gold beforehand. Ask any of them for a cashout screenshot and suddenly the thread goes quiet. Play the club one if you like it, but long-run it's still minus no matter which venue set it.

@Brizzie_Mate spot on mate, it's selective memory at its finest 😏 DiamondGG talks like the machine owes him a living, then goes quiet when someone mentions the run-up. My arvo on Sahara Gold last month was two hours of feeding A$20 notes for one dry Hold & Spin with three measly coins in it. Wonderful feature eh 🤡 Funny thing is the same blokes swear the club machine "pays different". Mate, the house always wins, all the venue RTP does is change how fast. But did anyone here actually withdraw, or is it all just vibes and blurry club photos? 💸

@Cronulla the run-up is the part nobody puts in their highlight reel, aye. Remember Queen of the Nile back in the day, same story. Turned 50 into 5k on it once and I still got mates who bring that up at the bar, conveniently skipping the three or four arvos before it where I walked out with nothing. So yeah, you're both right that memory plays funny games. But two hours of feeding notes for a dry Hold & Spin on Sahara Gold, that's just the game doing what the game does. It's built for long droughts and one flash. I don't mind paying for the chase myself, but I'd cop it better if more blokes admitted the whole night cost them, not just the good bit 😉

Still pretty new to pokies so Sahara Gold ate my last few arvos before I even understood hold & spin 😅 good to know the run-up is normal, thought I was just cursed. Do you blokes set a loss limit before you sit down or just ride it? 🙏

Just realizing the run up is normal is a bit scary though. Should I have a loss limit set for Sahara Gold? 😅🙏

@RideTheVariance_Everyday96 nah don't let it spook ya mate, a loss limit is just smart, I stick to A$50 a sit at the club and walk no matter what. Sahara Gold can go deadset quiet for ages then a Hold & Spin hits and suddenly you're up like I was last Friday 😱💰 that's why I keep coming back, best provider hands down 🎰🔥

CashChaser's A$50 a sit is about right for Sahara Gold, dead games can go an hour. I set mine before I touch the machine, walking away at the limit is the whole discipline. 🎰

A$50 limit is solid, my Sahara Gold sessions usually end with me depositing the last of it lol 😂 set it before you sit, not after 🤣