AGS Pirate Plunder (full title Pirate Plunder Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe per AGS trade announcements) is the pirate-themed variant of the Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe engine — same Cornsquealius gold pig mascot, same 4-tier progressive Jackpot Pick Bonus, but layered with a harpoon-driven reel expansion that scales the grid from 5×3 base up to 5×7 dynamic. At full expansion the slot runs 16,807 ways (= 7⁵). Online RTP is 94.07%, volatility is High, bet range $0.88–$44, and max win sits around 2,000× bet on the bonus path. Note: Borgata’s land-based listing of 84.10–94.90% reflects multi-RTP cabinet configs — online operators run the 94.07% tier.
Inside the Harpoon-Driven Reel Expansion
The harpoon symbol is the variant-specific feature that distinguishes Pirate Plunder from the base Rakin’ Bacon engine. Every harpoon that lands on a reel during the base game or free spins increases that reel’s height by one — the grid starts at 5×3 (243 ways) and can grow to 5×7 (16,807 ways) when all five reels reach maximum height. The harpoon count compounds inside the bonus round: 12 harpoons during free spins award an extra 5 free spins, and 16 harpoons award 8 extra spins, with both retrigger paths carrying a 2× multiplier on the remaining feature. Because reel height resets between base spins (but persists through free-spin sequences), the per-spin variance pattern is fundamentally driven by how many harpoons land in any given spin — the dynamic grid is the spin-by-spin tension generator. The AGS slot catalogue covers the wider Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe family from which this variant inherits its core engine.
How the Jackpot Pick Bonus and Free Spins Work
Two bonus paths run on top of the harpoon-expansion base. The Jackpot Pick Bonus triggers when a single gold pig coin (Cornsquealius) lands anywhere on the reels. The player picks from 12 gold pigs, each revealing either a jackpot icon (mapping to one of four progressive tiers) or a boost icon (each boost adds a reset-value enhancement to the corresponding tier — so revealing multiple boosts during a single pick session can substantially inflate the smaller tiers before they pay). The Free Spins bonus uses treasure chest and gold pig coin scatters: 3, 4, or 5 scatters award 8, 10, or 12 free spins respectively, and 2 scatters during the bonus award an additional 3 retrigger spins. The harpoon-expansion mechanic remains active throughout free spins, so the ways count compounds as harpoons stack — this is where the 2,000× ceiling lives. AGS publishes Pirate Plunder under their 4-tier progressive jackpot pools, with the boost-icon system allowing tiered enhancement before the jackpot reveals.
Strategy Tips
Two practical decisions per session. First, mode selection — the High volatility profile combined with 94.07% RTP makes session sizing critical. Stake at the lower end of the $0.88–$44 range and plan for ~250-spin runways given the long stretches between bonus events. The Jackpot Pick Bonus and Free Spins both require organic scatter or gold pig triggers, so don’t expect to chase the 4-tier progressive on short sessions. Second, watch operator-published progressive pool sizes — the 4 jackpot tiers operate on a network-shared progressive pool, so pools that have just paid out the top tier carry less expected value than pools mid-cycle. AGS casino sites typically publish current progressive pool sizes per tier on the game lobby card.
Our Verdict
Pirate Plunder is the harpoon-driven sister variant of Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe — same Cornsquealius mascot, same 4-tier progressive Jackpot Pick engine, layered with a dynamic 5×3-to-5×7 reel expansion that pushes the ways count to 16,807 at full grid. Audience filter: players who want the Rakin’ Bacon Deluxe template plus a per-spin variance generator delivered through the harpoon mechanic, rather than a fixed-grid base game. Sits in the bonus rounds collection as a dual-bonus design.
