Merge Up: clusters, merging gems and sticky cell multipliers

Merge Up is a BGaming slot on a 6x6 grid where wins come from clusters of matching symbols touching each other. This page of casinocasoola.biz explains merging and sticky cell multipliers, and why the game's high 97.25 percent RTP is interesting from a bonus-terms point of view.

Game facts

The RTP is the theoretical value published by the studio; casinos can choose between several configurations, so check the figure actually running in the game's info panel before you play for money.

Clusters and merging

With cluster pays you do not win on lines or ways but when enough identical symbols touch on the grid. Merge Up's twist is that gems can merge into higher-value symbols. Sticky cell multipliers stay on a grid position and boost later wins there, and in the free spins round this effect builds more strongly. According to the studio the maximum win is 5,000x the stake.

High RTP – what it means with a bonus

The 97.25 percent theoretical return is the highest among the games covered here. The expected cost of wagering is therefore lower: illustrative example, not Casoola's terms – €2,500 of turnover at 97.25 percent RTP means an expected loss of about €69, compared with €100 at 96 percent. For exactly this reason casinos often exclude high-RTP games from wagering or count them at a reduced rate. Before playing it with a bonus, check the excluded-games part of the bonus terms and the RTP actually running in the info panel.

Very high volatility

Despite the high RTP, Merge Up is very volatile: part of the winnings come in rare, larger payouts, especially from free spins combined with sticky multipliers. Short sessions can still swing a lot. Volatility does not change the long-run average, but it decides how big a budget a session needs and how likely you are to reach the end of a bonus's wagering.

Who it suits

Merge Up suits players who like cluster grids and multipliers that build gradually. From a bonus angle it is interesting when the terms count it in full: then the high RTP really does lower the cost of wagering. If the game is excluded, do not start it with bonus money, because the stakes will not count or may be treated as a breach. A differently built title from another known studio is Wild Bandito.

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