Fish Table Games Explained
Chinese developers created the first fish arcade games in the early 2000s. They subsequently became popular at land-based casinos, sweepstakes cafes, and arcades. More recently, fish table game options are appearing at sweeps casinos and on sweepstakes apps, offering US players in all states other than Washington a chance to enjoy exciting titles with no purchase necessary.
If you’re unaware of sweepstakes casinos and live in a state yet to legalize online gambling, get ready for a pleasant surprise. These innovative platforms offer legal fish table games and other casino options without requiring their players to deposit any cash. All sites give free coins as part of their welcome packages, and as other other ongoing promotions, so you don’t necessarily have to purchase virtual currency.
Most sites have two main coin types. Gold coins — the most abundant currency — have no actual value and are regularly offered as regular promotions by fish table game platforms. Sweeps coins, on the other hand, are more valuable tokens that can be redeemed as real money prizes. However, you cannot purchase sweepstakes coins, needing to win them on fish table game titles or via sweeps bonuses.
The game itself revolves around fish shooting, with players using different-sized cannons to bring down assorted fish species and other bonus symbols to win multipliers. These float across the screen and take varying levels of fire to bring down. Players must decide on the optimal cannon and ammunition size, with larger bullets — which are able to claim the more significant prizes — costing more.
How to Play Fish Table Games
Fish table games offer a gaming experience similar to Space Invaders or other 2D, arcade shooters. Players control a cannon and have numerous fish species swimming around with bounties over their heads to aim at. More valuable species have larger payouts, although they’ll take more direct hits to kill.
Fish table games also allow for different-sized cannon ammunition. You can opt for more powerful ammo if you’re struggling to take down a big catch, but it’ll cost more per shot. Each fish has a health bar showing how much health is left before the fish is caught. The best fish table games have several bonus symbols that appear randomly and can, among other things, add multipliers, freeze fish species or take them all out at once.
The classic fish table game traditionally employs an underwater theme, although this can encompass various fantasy creatures like dragons and mermaids as the highest-paying symbols. While those playing fish table game online options at sweepstakes casinos must usually choose between using gold coins or sweepstakes coins, some conventional casino sites also offer fish table games that can be played using real money.
Fish table games are some of the iGaming industry’s most exciting gaming options nowadays, offering interactive gameplay where your decisions carry far more weight than online slots. We’ll explore some of the best fish tables in the next section before checking out some of the top tactics to remember.
Top Fish Table Games to Try
Players will be able to choose from a number of different fish table games, each packed with exciting bonus features, theme variations and inventive gameplay mechanics. Here are some of our favorite options:
Fishing War
Fishing War is a Spadegaming title known for several enticing features, including a random prize wheel and massive earthquake feature. It’s a great option for new players, offering three skill-based game modes: Junior, Expert, and Godlike. Each level ups the ante with higher minimum/maximum bet limits and faster fish.
Players have 21 Fishing War symbols, with high-paying options like the frog and crab paying up to 400x your stake. You can also use a double-barreled cannon, offering twice as much firepower.
Fish! Shoot for Cash
Fish! Shoot for Cash is a Playtech title released in 2022. The developer is better known for its online slots, but don’t let this put you off. Fish! Shoot for Cash offers all the famous Playtech hallmarks, with players enjoying beautifully defined cartoon-inspired graphics, powerful bonus features, and maximum 888x multipliers.
There are 17 symbols to watch out for, with the mermaid being the most valuable. Elsewhere, Fish! Shoot for Cash has random mines that explode to take down all fish on the screen alongside cash bubbles that award payouts up to 500 credits.
Fu Fish
Fu Fish is notable for having one of the highest RTPs in the fish table game world, with a 97% score. The Skywind Groups title offers multiplayer support, so you can compete against other players in the same way as classic land-based arcade fish table games.
Players must hunt down the golden dragon symbol for the largest Fu Fish 888x multiplier jackpot. Other highlights include the fishing season bonus that increases the value of all fish species for a limited period and the randomly-triggered bomb bonus that kills all fish on the screen.
Fish Catch
Fish Catch is one of the most bountiful fish table game options on the market. The RTG-designed game features 21 different species of fish, with the tiger shark, purple shark, and mermaid being the most valuable. These pay 300x, 500x, and 1,000x respectively, generating serious potential.
Fish Catch also has one of our favorite fish shooting game bonus features. The Mermaid’s Luck feature triggers a wheel of fortune that can grant five separate multipliers up to 250x.
Dragonball Fishing
Iconic Gaming’s Dragonball Fishing is a high-octane fish table game with numerous selling points. Players enjoy an intense visual background that goes above and beyond the conventional underwater theme. Instead, we’re welcomed into what looks like the lost city of Atlantis, with an underwater kingdom complete with temples and other grand structures.
The Dragonball Fishing symbols are equally impressive, with the highest-paying dragon taking up the entire screen when it appears. With wins of up to 2188x your stake, it’s also one of the most lucrative fish table game options available.
Tips and Tricks for Fish Table Games
Fish table game players can use various tactics to improve their chances of success. Although you don’t have any control over what species appear on the screen and how often, the skill-based nature of these games does allow for more control than other casino games. Check out a few of our top tactics below:
Budget Very Strictly
Setting a strict budget is essential for all types of casino games, but this particularly important with fish table games. Each cannon shot costs money, and you can easily use hundreds during a gaming session. As a result, no-nonsense budgeting is fundamental. This will allow you to make better decisions when chasing fish and changing cannon sizes, ultimately leading to longer and more fruitful sessions.
Consider Your Aim
The most important thing to practice on fish table games — aside from decision making — is your aim. Work to minimize any missed shots, as this is effectively just throwing bankroll away. Once you’re comfortable getting direct hits on fish without missing, start aiming for the head to take down fish quicker. Some games also allow for double-barrelled cannons, so you could hit multiple fish in one swoop. Many titles also have an auto aim tool, but we’ll explore that more in the next tip.
Use Auto Aim Carefully
Most fish table game options have an auto aim tool that automatically aims your cannon in the right direction and cuts out any missed shots. This is a great feature for beginners getting to grips with the gameplay, but you should use it carefully. Ensure auto aim doesn’t make you too trigger-happy, and use manual controls for more precise headshots when necessary.
Examine Different Fish Species Values & Change Cannons Accordingly
The general rule of thumb when playing fish table games is that more valuable types of fish take more cannon shots to bring down. We highly recommend consulting the paytable before you begin in order to identify the high-value types of fish and create a gameplan. You’ll need to choose more powerful cannons if you prioritize the most valuable targets, but this will also cost more.
Play Fish Table Games with a Sweeps Casino Bonus
Taking advantage of sweepstakes casino bonuses before playing a fish table game online is another fruitful tactic. Leading sites like Pulsz and Funzpoints offer various bonuses for both new and existing customers. For example:
- Welcome Bonus: Offering casino games without requiring players to purchase anything is crucial to sweeps casino’s legal status. As a result, all platforms offer a welcome package just for registering. One of our favorites is the Pulsz new customer offer, with 500 free gold coins and 2.3 sweepstakes coins up for grabs.
- Daily Login Bonus: Sweeps fish table game online platforms also offer daily login bonuses, where players can earn free coins just for logging into their accounts. Funzpoints is one of the top examples, offering players a free Funzwheel spin every three hours, where you can win up to 10,000 Funzpoints.
- Social Media Competitions: Sweepstakes casinos run on an inherently social model, with most platforms encouraging their customers to engage in various social media tasks and competitions. Keep an eye on their channels so you never miss a free coins opportunity.
Get Started with Fish Table Games
Fish table game players enjoy one of the iGaming industry’s most dynamic and entertaining gaming options, with the skill-based mechanic offering an entirely unique experience. Use our best sweepstakes casino page to find your preferred platform before enjoying everything the fish table game world has to offer.
