False Flag Slots (Fake Advantage Games)

Update (July 17, 2026): With “perceived persistence” slots—games that give the illusion of advantage play that never actually offer an advantage—becoming all the rage among slot manufacturers, it felt appropriate to dedicate a section up top on the site for many of the latest offerings. I will update this post periodically as I get more footage. This is never going to be an exhaustive list, as there’s also some subjectivity to what even qualifies as a “fake advantage game.” Still, you’ll find a decent number of pics here, some with explanations and some without.

Why did advantage slots exist in the first place? Well, to draw in more people and keep them on the machine so they’d eventually lose all their money. But then these games started getting exploited by people like me. Many people like me.

What can a manufacturer do? Regular folk love advantage slots, but casinos don’t love it when these people get obliterated faster than they should because advantage players are scooping all of the positive plays.

Enter fake advantage games. Of course, plenty of “false flags” existed in slots before manufacturers intentionally started pumping out these curveball slots. But never before have there been so many where there’s never going to be any possible advantage.

I covered one example, Buffalo Ultimate Stampede, in the video below, where there’s a fake meter that might look like you’re building. I then added more videos and will continue to do so.

But what are some other common types of gimmicks that don’t mean anything?

A common one involves various pots or chests collecting what looks like a lot of gold and other jewels. This game, Mystical Treasures, looks very similar to another game that can offer an advantage (Magic Treasures), but even the advantage version has these “bullshit pots,” as I like to call them.

Here’s another somewhat common one:

That Super Burst Cartin’ Gold might look interesting with the “build” of dynamite at the bottom, but it’s all for show.

This “Fever Mode” might look like something on Golden Phoenix, and it gives off a Super Bowl Jackpots vibe:

But it’s also all for show and won’t ever offer an advantage.

Maybe there’s something here with Honey Bomb, as some reels look more promising than others, and it seems like there is a build of sorts happening with the honey:

Trust me, there is nothing there.

Here, it looks like a build with the chests or perhaps the firecrackers in Money Gong:

Unfortunately, there is nothing AP about it.

These “wild eggs” must be something in the Willy Wonka I Want It Now! slot:

Nope. They offer no possible advantage.

A lot of newer AP games that come out these days aren’t nearly as good as the AP games of 2023 and prior. Even the ones that can offer an advantage (Voodoo Jackpots, What the Duck, etc.) pale in comparison to the AP slots of yore.

A friend of a friend—yes, there’s a bit of a “telephone” aspect involved with this—got this nugget from an exec who works at IGT, one of the leading AP manufacturers, in October 2024:

Spoke to an IGT exec. He said they definitely know about advantage play and they will continue to make those games (he calls them “persistent progressives”). Some casinos really like them, and it’s their responsibility to monitor their casino floors so people don’t bother uniformed players on those machines. Casinos like some of these AP games because they can use them to move and dictate the traffic within the casino. IGT will continue to make these games, but they will pull back a little. There are plenty of uninformed players. They will tweak some games to not make them as “advantageous,” but IGT is the leader in making AP games, and others have followed, but IGT is going to slow down.

Even with decent AP games, there may be a couple of distractions that offer no possible advantage, while something a little more hidden does:

With Grand Buddha Link, pay no attention to the pots with gold, but do pay attention to the symbols directly above the reels.

Here’s another similar idea, with Treasure Blast (Balloon and Fleet):

Pay no attention to the many meters or the size of the balloons (in this version). But you can look out for drums in this edition and envelopes in the Fleet version. Of course, I have a full write-up for both in the Games tab.

How can you look out for this?

Number one, read the game rules, where it will often tell you that something is just for show and has no bearing on being far or close to a feature. I have been guilty of neglecting to do this at times, and it has cost me.

Number two, ask me (or another slot pro) questions if you’re unsure. I do this all the time myself when I see a game for the first time. It’s great to have a network of folks to bounce questions off.

Number three, go through all of the bets. Often (not always), if it’s not AP, the build will not change. Examples to the contrary exist, such as with Shark’s Lock and Devil’s Lock, but this will help quite a bit.

Below are some of the many other fake games out there.

Xing Fu 888: Quite convincing with the accumulation of coins above the reels, but they don’t stick from spin to spin:

Power Push’s Grandfather? I don’t even know the exact name of this slot, but I’ve seen it here and there, and it sure looks enticing (can’t be played):

Three Kings: How could this not be beatable at a certain point? This version has the numbers cap too low, so it’s never AP, even with all three numbers at the max. There is another version you can beat, even though it’s quite volatile, called Three Kings Deluxe. But regular old Three Kings is not AP:

Fu Dai Lian Lian Fusion looks like Fu Dai Lian Lian Boost Tiger and Fu Dai Lian Lian Boost Peacock, two awful advantage games to begin with, but you can’t beat this version:

New Year’s Parade…quite convincing with the lanterns, but it’s all for show:

In Shark’s Lock, Devil’s Lock, and Boo Bucks, the pigs and pumpkins change size, but you still can’t beat any of them:

Balloon Frenzy Bonus also has a Super Bowl Jackpots vibe, but there’s nothing to this one:

The Power of 88 Legend, another game with a meter that means nothing:

Smokin’ Train…nothing going on here, as the rules state:

Power Tower Dragon looks like Ultimate Screaming Links, which is AP, but this one is not:

Buffalo Eclipse…more like Buffalo Black Hole:

Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania Ultimate Treasure is a far cry from the advantage version of the past:

I’m all set on Rakin’ Bacon Hogtoberfest:

And Hogger Lager (clever names, though):

Hot Stuff Wicked Wheel Grand is another one to avoid:

Werewolf Fury is no good:

It’s the same with all of these lazy offerings with meters, including Pinata Pays Grande:

It seems like half of the photos in my phone are of these bogus new games, including Emperor’s Throne:

Ultimate Fast Cash Golden Pyramids…it’s starting to remind me of when South Park poked fun at Family Guy’s random storylines with these game name amalgamations:

The Phantom…how ominous:

Prize Rize…lots of z’s, and that’s about it:

Cash Machine Inferno is not AP, but Cash Machine Lock is AP:

Crazy Chickens, another super clever design and game name:

My father-in-law is convinced he can beat Treasures of the Lamp, but I’ve got a newsflash for you, Walter Cronkite. You aren’t.

Touchdown Trio…more like Touchdown Zero:

Fu Fu Dragon Moon, another bizarre combination of words, stinks:

As does Power Pig:

Siji Link, which I have a video of at the end, almost had me fooled:

It sure was disappointing to see this version of Magic Treasures, Mighty Treasures Gold, hit the slot room floor:

Am I missing some? Oh, you betcha, yeah. There are so many out there, and new ones will come in the future. I will update this post in the weeks and months ahead, and be sure to check out our Message Boards for everyone’s favorite gameshow: Is It AP?!

Here are some videos where you can see fake AP games in action: