The world of video gaming is an incredibly diverse place at the moment, with many different types of games doing very well across platforms including PC, console, and mobile. However, sometimes you simply can’t beat the classics.

Retro gaming has become a huge focal point in the industry over the last few years, with interest in the simple pleasures of many classic titles going through the roof. The trend has even led big names like Nintendo to release new versions of their classic consoles so that gamers can relive their glory days. Now, old-school gaming fans are in for a treat in the world of online slots too, as one of the most iconic video games of all time has entered the arena and is ready to take on the competition.

The legendary Street Fighter II has been transformed into a slot by NetEnt, but the good news does not stop there. We are delighted to announce that we will be offering it exclusively to our players a full 48 hours before it appears anywhere else!

But just what can you expect from the game? This guide offers a full lowdown on everything you need to know about this new addition to the online slots world, beginning with a reminder as to why the release is such big news.

Street Fighter II: The Story Behind The Legend

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior was originally released by Capcom on arcades in 1991, but the title went on to become a video gaming phenomenon when it launched on Nintendo’s SNES console the following year.

The game was renowned for its one-to-one fighting style, with memorable fighters such as Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, and Blanka doing battle in a host of different environments. The objective of the game was simple – to use a range of moves to drain your opponent’s health and defeat them in combat.

Street Fighter II was a major success on its release and, to date, it is thought to have sold in the region of 6.3 million units. It actually remained Capcom’s biggest selling game for around 20 years and was only finally overtaken by Resident Evil 5 in 2013. The classic fighting title still sits in fifth position in the company’s all-time sales figures at the time of writing.

The impact of Capcom’s creation has extended far beyond the video gaming world. Street Fighter II grew to become a pop culture phenomenon, with countless sequels and reinventions of the game being released through the years. Its success was also a key driver behind the creation of the Street Fighter film which was a great early example of Hollywood looking to the world of gaming for inspiration.

What to Expect From The Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot

Street Fighter II’s incredible legacy means that NetEnt clearly had a big responsibility when it came to adapting the arcade and console classic into a slot game. The developer is one of the best known in casino gaming and has made countless online slots based on franchises, including Planet of the Apes and Jumanji. However, it could be argued that tackling this much-loved classic is a whole different ball game.

Fortunately, the Street Fighter II slot game successfully captures the spirit of the original and brings the old-school experience of playing on a SNES to life in a number of new ways.

Classic Fighters

All of the classic fighters you know and love from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior are present in the official slot game. Players get to choose one of eight famous faces to represent them in action, with the roster featuring:

• Ryu
• Ken
• E. Honda
• Blanka
• Dhalsim
• Chun Li
• Guile
• Zangief

Each character had their own moves in the video game and this has been carried into the world of online slots. More specifically, they have slightly different variance levels, and this may well have an impact on the outcomes you achieve with each.

The Street Fighter II slot also includes boss fights, with Balrog, Vega, Sagat, and M. Bison featuring in special rounds.

Old-School Feel

The Street Fighter II slot’s impressive artwork is one of the first things you will notice when you load the game. NetEnt has pulled out all the stops to evoke the title’s classic style and it feels like being transported back to the days of SNES.

The design of the slot is very old-school, with the fighters, backgrounds, and audio all being a throwback to the console classic. The use of low-resolution style lettering throughout also adds another dose of nostalgia to the game as well.

Game Mechanics

Online slots feature all kinds of themes these days. However, the best ones not only embrace the theme in a visual sense, but also manage to adapt elements of them into the gameplay. The Street Fighter II slot from NetEnt does this in many ways, each reminding you what it was like playing the original game on a console.

Just like the original, you can choose your fighter and meet your opponent. The combinations you achieve on the reels then determine which character receives the most damage, with the action continuing until one competitor has no health points left.

Features like this mark out the Street Fighter II slot from more traditional slot games out there at the moment, whilst also perfectly encapsulating the action of the original title.

How To Play The Street Fighter II: The World Warrior Slot

So now that you know what to expect from the Street Fighter II slot, how do you go about playing it? First step is selecting your fighter. This is actually more important than you may realise, as each fighter has a different impact on the variance of the game.

The overall RTP for the game is 96.06%, while the RTP for each individual character is as follows:

• Ryu: 96.02%
• Ken: 96.06%
• E. Honda: 96.05%
• Blanka: 96.08%
• Dhalsim: 96.04%
• Chun Li: 96.08%
• Guile: 96.04%
• Zangief: 96.08%

The fighter you select is then placed in a fight with a random opponent, the outcome on the reels determining who wins and who loses.

The game features a 5 x 5 grid and is one of the latest to make use of NetEnt’s Cluster Pays and Avalanche technology. NetEnt has described Cluster Pays in the past as a mechanic which gives players a chance to boost payouts when they secure a cluster of winning symbols. In contrast, the developer describes Avalanche as a concept that sees the symbols fall onto the reels rather than them spinning.

Symbols

Many different symbols drop onto the screen during your fights, with the character symbols having a significant bearing on the outcome of the combat.

Your fighter’s symbols cause damage to your opponent, while the latter’s symbols have the same impact on your character. The health bar at the top of the screen keeps you updated on how the battle is going, with a competitor losing when their health reaches zero.

The fighter symbols are high-value and come in both a Victory and Defeat format, while the low-value symbols are represented by A, K, Q, and J. A combination of four or more matching symbols leads to wins, with the potential prize depending on the number you collect.

Key features

There is a lot more to the Street Fighter II slot than those basic elements. NetEnt’s creation includes a number of notable key features, with one of the most important being the Wild Gauge.

Wild Gauge and Wild Combo

The Wild Gauge is included in the main game and the Beat the Boss Free Spins section, which we will go into shortly.

The game’s trailer explains how each high-value symbol in a winning combination secures you one point for your gauge. If you collect seven or more points, the gauge is then activated, and Wild Combo features come into play.

The features available depend on the character which has been selected but, in each case, it sees Wild symbols placed at random across the reels.

Beat the Boss Free Spins

Street Fighter II was always renowned for its bosses, and that element of the game has not been forgotten during its move into the world of online slots. Once you win a battle in the game, you enter Beat the Boss Free Spins. This section of the game puts you up against a boss with the win multiplier increasing at every level. The multipliers are:

• Balrog: x2
• Vega: x3
• Sabat: x5
• M. Bison: x10

The trailer for the game explains that you can only move to the next level by beating a boss. If you defeat all four, you become World Warrior Champion and also win an extra prize.

Insert Coin Gamble Feature

All is not lost if you lose your battle at one of the levels, however. You can make use of the Insert Coin gamble feature to restart the previous battle and attempt to secure a portion of your winnings.

Car Smash Bonus Game

The final special feature that the Street Fighter II slot uses to evoke memories of the original title is the Car Smash Bonus Game.

This feature is activated when you lose a battle and you then have to destroy a car in order to receive a random coin win.

The Street Fighter II Slot – The Vital Statistics

• Offers an RTP of 96.06%
• The game is based on a grid of five columns and five rows
• Eight playable fighters offering different variance levels
• Eight different Wild Combo features
• Four iconic bosses offering x2, x3, x5, and x10 multipliers
• Two types of high-value symbols – Victory and Defeat
• Four low-value symbols – A, K, Q, and J

A Fresh Take On A Classic

Retro gaming is back in fashion in a big way at the moment. Old-school stars like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog are making their presence felt in mobile gaming, and now a classic fighting game is set to have a major impact on the world of online slots too.

The Street Fighter II slot from NetEnt is a new way to enjoy the iconic title, with it effectively utilising a range of different features to evoke memories of the original.

We are delighted to be able to offer it as an exclusive for 48 hours before its full launch, and we are sure it will prove to be a popular addition to our hand-picked selection of games.

Play Street Fighter II at LiveRoulette and discover how this gaming classic has been brought back to life on our Canadian online casino!

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It doesn’t matter if you play live or online – understanding poker statistics is a vital part of the game.

Of course, it’s much easier to access these stats in online games, as you can use various trackers and software which display key online poker player statistics. But even in a live setting, you can get a very solid understanding of your opponent’s play by observing them in action.

Let’s talk about what you should look out for in your games.

Skip to:

1. VPIP (Voluntarily Put $ In Pot)
2. RFI (Raise First In)
3. 3bet
4. Fold to 3bet
5. Fold to steal
6. C-bet
7. Fold to c-bet
8. Went to showdown
9. Aggression % by street
10. River call

1. VPIP (Voluntarily Put $ In Pot)

VPIP stands for “Voluntarily Put Money ($) In Pot” and helps you understand how often your opponent is choosing to play.

If a player performs any voluntary action like raising, calling, or even limping, and chooses to play the hand, his VPIP stat increases.

Of course, if he’s sitting in the big blind and was forced to post it because of the game structure, but then folded to a raise, this does not count as an action and does not influence this stat.

While it only gives basic information, you can profile your opponents by how often they choose to play, since many recreational players opt to get involved with way too many hands making their range too weak.

If you notice these tendencies, it can help influence your final decisions.

2. RFI (Raise First In)

Preflop raise or raise first in (RFI) shows how often the player decides to enter the pot by raising when everyone before them folds.

While good players have similar VPIP and RFI stats, since they often enter the pot by raising if they decide to play, you will find opponents who have a wide gap between these numbers.

This is a huge indication of weaker players because they usually decide to limp or call a raise instead of raising, and take passive lines post-flop most of the time.

You should look to play as many hands as possible against these players, because they will usually call your bets and rarely bluff, so you will always know where you stand.

3. 3bet

This poker statistic shows how often a player decided to re-raise instead of calling or folding when someone already entered the pot by raising.

The higher the 3bet stat, the more aggressive your opponent is.

As a rule of thumb, you should be looking to play fewer hands against players with a high 3-bet percent because you will be forced to fold a lot when facing aggression.

It is better to avoid these situations with the weakest part of your range, and only play reasonable hands or add more 4-bet bluffs in the mix.

4. Fold to 3bet

Knowing how often your opponent folds to 3-bet after raising is one of the most important online poker statistics.

If you find opponents who are opening too many hands, they are also likely folding to 3-bet too often. If that’s the case, you can add many weak hands to your 3-betting range and exploit their mistakes.

Contrary to this, if these players choose to call many 3-bets after raising with a wide range, you can exploit it by 3-betting only a strong part of your range.

No matter what, knowing this stat will help you adjust against various opponents and put them in some tough spots.

5. Fold to steal

Fold to steal shows how often a player in the blinds folds when facing a raise, and is something you should evaluate when choosing which hands to play from later positions.

The player sitting in the big blind is especially important because they get the best odds and close the action, so will likely be your main competition.

If you find an opponent who is folding a lot, you can raise with more hands than you usually would, or even open every single one of them if the big blind is particularly weak and you find yourself on the button.

Of course, if you’re up against a tough opponent who’s not so keen on folding and chooses to 3-bet a lot, the best adjustment would be to fold your weaker hands and choose a tighter approach.

Knowing how often people fold to steal can be very valuable when choosing what hands you opt to play, so always consider your opponents and how they react to your raise.

6. C-bet

Continuation betting (known as c-bet) is a situation where the preflop raiser opts to continue his aggression and bet after the flop.

If you notice how often a specific player is c-betting, you can adjust your play against them and even build your entire strategy based on this information.

Even though c-betting is a very wide and complex topic, people rarely change their strategy and mostly keep doing the same things over and over again. If you caught someone c-betting too much or way less than they should, you could make simple adjustments and exploit irregularities in their play.

Thinking about your own strategy, one thing that you should avoid is c-betting too often and then being forced to fold almost your entire range after checking.

Instead, put some medium-strength hands in the checking range to protect it, and you will be a much tougher opponent to play.

7. Fold to c-bet

The name is self-explanatory. This poker statistic shows how often your opponent folds when facing a continuation bet.

Often players chose to play too many hands and then fold to any bet if they miss the flop, which is probably one of the worst strategies to have.

Against these players, you should forget about balancing and c-bet every single time you miss yourself to take advantage of their mistakes.

However, if you’re up against a player who’s not very keen on folding, the previous strategy would cost you a lot of money. Instead of betting all your bluffs, you should choose to continue with hands that have some equity and give up with complete air.

Of course, it’s not as simple as that, but knowing how often other players are folding on the flop can help you make superior decisions, so always observe your opponents.

8. Went to showdown

Went to showdown stat lets you see how often your opponent goes to showdown after seeing the flop.

If your opponent has high “went to showdown” stats of more than 35%, it means you should not try to bluff them. Instead, you should be value betting more medium-strength hands, because they are not going to fold if they have any piece of the board.

Contrary to this, if your opponents rarely go to showdown, it means they are only playing very strong hands after the flop, and you should be looking to punish them every time you get a chance to bluff.

Of course, it’s way easier to observe this in online games, where you can quickly see the difference. But even in a live setting, you will notice who is calling down no matter what and who is opting to check/fold most of the hands on the flop, so make adjustments based on that information.

9. Aggression % by street

I am referring to Flop Aggression %, Turn Aggression %, and the same stat for the river.

These numbers show how aggressive players are in any given street, and how often they perform an aggressive line by betting or raising, instead of calling or checking. It’s quite a good indication of how aggressive the player is in general.

While many have reasonably high aggression stats on the flop because of an automatic c-bet, you will find plenty of opponents who play later streets passively, and this is where you can take advantage.

You can categorize various players to see when you should be barreling multiple streets or when you should check your strong hands and let your opponent dictate the action.

Many aggressive players love to bluff, so give them a chance to lose their money.

10. River call

River call efficiently shows how often your opponent is calling with weak hands.

So, whenever you see a player with river call efficiency lower than 1, you know they’re losing money when calling on the river, which is quite hard to do because of all the strong hands players have in these situations.

When you notice something like that, you can be sure they are calling way too wide, thus can value bet more often.

A final word on poker statistics

All of these poker statistics should be in your HUD (heads-up display) when playing online. When playing live, the theory behind these poker statistics should still be observed to help you make better adjustments.  

Be sure to check out some more poker articles by Tadas, such as the 10 most common mistakes in Texas Hold’em or the most common poker cheats.

Lead image credit: PokerTracker