Lightning Storm is the biggest, most expensive live-wheel gameshow Evolution has produced yet. With five bonus rounds and an RTP of 95.12% – 97.44%, you will need an effective range of strategies to get the most from this multiplier game that pays up to 20,000x!
The Playing Strategies start from the moment you place your first bet. Knowing what each betting option gives or doesn’t give will shape how you will enjoy the game and, more importantly, impact the likelihood of getting that magical payday.
Lightning Storm is a game of risk and reward. Get it right, and you’ll be banking a profit. If you get it wrong, your playing time will be short, and you’ll risk losing everything.
In this article, I’ll examine the betting features designed to target specific bet types and how they help deliver a range of betting strategies. You’ll learn which ones help you make the best use of your bankroll and increase your chances of turning a profit.
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Lightning Storm is a big wheel gameshow with twenty instant wins and nineteen bonus segments distributed across the big Digiwheel. You have to predict the segment where the wheel will stop correctly. The instant wins pay 1:1, while the five bonus rounds can pay up to 20,000x. Random multipliers can boost the bonus round segments by between 2x and 50x, which leads to the wins reaching a staggering 20,000x.
The game is set in a science laboratory where lightning is harnessed to power the experiments featured in the bonus rounds. Get lucky on the wheel to play the Hot Spot, Monster Mash, Battery Charger, Fireball and Lightning Storm Bonus Rounds.
At first glance, the betting options don’t make much sense, but Evolution has set them up to allow all player types to bet on and play Lightning Storm.
They’ve made it easier to play set strategies, which I’ll explain, but they also allow a hybrid approach, which is what I play and recommend.
The leaf bet covers twenty of the wheel segments with one bet. The payout is even money, 1:1.
The number bets cover individual numbers 1 – 19, the remaining segments on the wheel. These segments receive the randomized Bonus symbols and random multipliers between 2x and 50x. You can place bets on one, some or all of the numbers.
The Storm Chaser bet guarantees a bet is on whatever number gets the Lightning Storm Bonus symbol. The bet ensures you don’t miss the bonus round if the wheel stops on the symbol.
The X-chaser is a one-chip bet covering every number with a bonus round with a random multiplier. If you’ve already bet on the number, it will just add the two together. Again, this guarantees you have a bet on every bonus with a multiplier.
The Even /Odd number bet is a way of placing a bet on all Odd or Even numbers.
The one feature of Lightning Storm that has the biggest impact on payouts and wins is the random Multipliers assigned to randomly picked bonus segments.
The multipliers range between 2x and 50x and get applied to a random selection of the bonus segments.
Fortunately, Evolution has made it easier to bet on these particular segments by creating the X-Chaser bet – see below for more information.
At a very high level, this is a wheel game, much like roulette is, so in theory, the same principles apply as if you were trying to bet on a single straight-up number.
While it’s impossible to recreate most roulette bets, you can still use some fundamental principles when betting on the Bonus Rounds.
Don’t use the Martingale Strategy. It only works on bets with an even chance of winning, and while you may be tempted to recover losses using it on the “Leaf” bet, don’t. You’ll quickly run out of money when it doesn’t work!
It may seem silly, but it’s essential to consider what sort of bets you want to place and the outcome you want.
I know we all want big wins, but to win big, you have to take on more risks, which will cost you more money.
Taking a more modest approach while still having a chance at the big payout will cost you less, but not as much as taking a cautious approach, which will probably see you break even more than you lose.
So, let’s look at the different betting strategies.
I consider this bet a no-brainer, as it will pay about 50% of the time.
I use this Insurance bet when placing up to five number bets. I don’t play it if I’m covering more.
I place six units on the Leaf and one unit on each of the five numbers for 11 units. If I win the leaf bet, I win 12 units, and if I win a bonus, I have to get 11x to break even. Anything else, and I lose the 11 units—which will happen 35% of the time.
I hope that the bonus rounds pay more than 11x.
Betting on the numbers gives you access to the bonus rounds. The bonuses are randomly assigned to the numbers after betting time has closed, so these are blind bets. You don’t know which bonus round you’ll get.
Betting on all numbers guarantees you’ll get in the bonus round if the wheel stops on one of the numbers.
It will cost you a minimum of 20 units (one bet per number), so the minimum return you need is 20x. Of course, some bonus rounds will deliver half of that most of the time, so you’re hoping to bag a bonus with a multiplier.
Options for this include;
You can use the Odd/Even Number bet, covering half the numbers.
If you’re betting on half or fewer of the numbers, you can choose these randomly, or if you like a bit of order, try covering a section of the wheel—my favoured approach.
The Lightning Storm is the highest-paying Bonus round, and this bet guarantees you’ll be in it if the wheel stops on the symbol.
A bet of one unit will cost you 2.7x the amount. It’s silly not to play it. This bet will pay out 0.02% of the time, or on average, one every 39 spins of the wheel.
So, it’s usually a losing bet, and when it wins, it will need to pay a minimum of 105.3x to recoup the previous losses.
Always play the Storm Chaser bet because it has a great potential to pay big!
The X-Chaser bet guarantees you’ll have an active bet on all numbers that have bonuses with multipliers.
It could cover just one or five numbers – you don’t know.
I would use this as a supplemental bet, as the one chip covers it for a cost of 7.8x.
It’s not worth playing if you have already covered all the Numbers, but it might be worth a punt if you’ve placed just a few.
My recommendation is to play a small bet, so you’re in it to win it.
As you can see, there are many things to consider when betting. A unit bet is 0.10. My recommendation, and the one I’ve had the most fun and success with, is:
The total Bet is 31.5 units or 3.15. I need any bonus round to pay 31.5x to break even, but I’ve given myself a chance to get a multiplier bonus if it comes in.
If the Leaf bet comes in, which it does 50% of the time, I win 3.20, which recoups the total bet I’ve made, with 0.05 profit!
You have to pick a tile on a randomize wall of multipliers. There is no strategy here; go with your gut instinct – or let the RNG engine choose for you.
There is no strategy. The RNG picks the result and the multiplier payout.
There is no strategy to use. The RNG engine decides which battery to charge and the multiplier payout.
A bouncing ball determines the result, so there is no strategy. Just sit back and watch as the ball bounces from multiplier cup to multiplier cup until it settles in one.
You’ve got to choose one of three Lightning conductors. The strategy is to pick the one you feel most affinity with.
Previous results are no help here as RNG determines the payout.
Past results are helpful indicators of how the game has performed in the short and long term, but they cannot be used to predict what will happen.
By the nature of randomness, there is no pattern to results—they occur randomly. Examining the results history reveals how often, on average, the multipliers come in and how often the bonus rounds are hit.
Having said that, I generally up my bet if an outcome hasn’t happened for a long time because, based on the law of averages, it will happen soon. You see, I’m a gambler, lol!
Timing when to play is interesting because it’s more about you than the game.
The game does not have better or worse play times, but when you play it, you might feel the session is Hot because you’re getting some good wins or Cold because you can’t stop losing.
The time of day is more for your mindset. If you’re alert, eager to play, sober, have a nice bankroll and a positive attitude, you’re more likely to enjoy yourself than if you’re tired, drunk, unhappy and not feeling your best.
If you’re a morning person, play in the morning; the same is true for the evening.
My advice is to find a time of day to play when you’re not going to be distracted so you can immerse yourself in the game to get the most enjoyment.
Here’s a list of similar games to Lightning Storm, where you can use similar betting strategies.
Some are better than others – personally, I’d avoid Funky Time and Travel Fever.
You can’t “Beat” Lightning Storm, but you can certainly give yourself the best chance to win by using one of many betting strategies. The volatility of the game changes by the way you bet; take the safer bets, and you’ll get an RTP return of 97.44%. The more volatile bets return 95.13%.
The best strategy for Lightning Storm is a mixture of bets that give you a higher chance of a win and an outside chance of something much bigger. The X-chaser and Storm-chaser bets are the most volatile but return the most if you win.
In the short term, maybe yes, but in the medium to long term, definitely no. You need to know when to take on the extra risk in this game, which is not on every spin.
The Lightning Storm Bonus Round has a maximum payout of 20,000x. The other bonus rounds all max out at 10,000x, but getting some nice wins is possible, especially when multipliers are on a bonus round.
Lightning Storm is a live/RNG mix game designed to eliminate tampering by the presenter and players. RNG decides the wheel layout in real-time and the payouts for the bonus rounds. The main wheel is live and spun by the presenter, but as the segments change each game, there is no way for the dealer to target specific sections. The only hack is the strategy you use to play.
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Neil Walker
I’m Neil Walker, and I created this site to provide information on everything related to Live Dealer Games. I do extensive research, play and test all the games, and author all the content. I’ve appeared in the media and presented at conferences—you can read more about me on my About Page. I’ve been doing this full-time since 2014, and I am trusted for my straightforward reviews and honest opinions.
Where you can find me:
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