Rakin’ Bacon (AGS, original casino-floor release 2016) is the flagship origin of AGS’s Cornsquealius franchise.
The golden pig mascot debuted here. The entire Rakin’ Bacon template — PowerXStream evaluation + choose-your-volatility free spins + 4-tier Jackpot Pick — was built here before being adapted into 10+ variants across the AGS catalogue.
5×3 base grid, 243 ways. RTP 95.89% per BetMGM (PlayAGS rounds to 96%). Volatility High. Max win 4,000× bet on the Fixed Grand jackpot tier. Bet range $0.40–$88 depending on operator.
Cornsquealius and the Origin of the Rakin’ Bacon Franchise
Rakin’ Bacon launched on the AGS casino floor in 2016 and became the studio’s most-recognised IP. PlayAGS’s official directory describes it as “one of the most iconic and celebrated games on the casino floor.”
The Cornsquealius mascot — a golden pig anchor symbol — made its debut here. It now appears across more than ten variants:
- Rakin’ Bacon Sahara, Odyssey, Triple Oink, Cash Combo
- Link series: Shamrock, Fiesta
- Jackpots series: Bonus Board, Bonus Wheel
- Deluxe series: Pirate Plunder, Golden Blessings
The original is the design template all variants inherit from — same PowerXStream evaluation, same choose-your-volatility selector, same 4-tier progressive Jackpot Pick mechanic.
The 2018 launch into US regulated online markets brought the slot to mobile. AGS has since made Rakin’ Bacon’s online presence a strategic priority — the 2024 Rakin’ Bacon Odyssey debut with Caesars in New Jersey was positioned explicitly as an omnichannel content showcase.
AGS’s complete slot catalogue documents the wider franchise expansion.
How the Free Spins and Jackpot Pick Bonus Work
Two bonus paths drive the math.
The Free Spins feature triggers on 3+ pots-of-gold scatter symbols. Before spins begin, the player picks one of three configurations:
- 15 free spins on a 243-ways grid — smoothest variance
- 10 free spins on a 1,024-ways grid — mid-range
- 5 free spins on a 3,125-ways grid — highest ceiling
The trade-off is structural. Fewer spins on wider configurations carry higher single-spin ceiling but fewer total landing opportunities. More spins on the base 243 ways smooths variance over a longer feature run.
The Jackpot Pick Bonus triggers randomly when a Cornsquealius gold pig coin lands anywhere on the reels (no scatter requirement).
The player picks from 12 gold pigs. Each reveals either a jackpot icon (mapping to one of four progressive tiers) or a boost icon (enhancing the corresponding tier with an extra reset-value contribution).
This sits squarely in our progressive jackpot guide — the 4-tier design with boost-icon enhancement is the franchise’s distinguishing feature in the progressive-pick category.
Inside PowerXStream and the Choose-Your-Volatility Selector
PowerXStream is AGS’s proprietary adjacent-matching evaluation system. Wins pay for matching symbols on consecutive reels regardless of their exact row position — different from a strict “ways” engine because the symbol can land on any row of the qualifying reel and still count toward the chain.
The choose-your-volatility selector is the most consequential player decision in the game, and the franchise’s signature design move.
The 15-spins/243-ways pick lands the most frequently and suits patient bankrolls.
The 5-spins/3,125-ways pick is the high-ceiling gamble where the bonus event lives or dies on 1–2 high-payline hits.
The 10-spins/1,024-ways middle option sits between the two extremes.
None of the three changes the overall RTP. They redistribute variance across different shapes of the same expected value.
Strategy Tips
Two practical decisions per session.
First, Free Spins selector. Match the choice to bankroll size and session goal. Smaller bankrolls (≤100× stake budget) are best served by the 15/243 option, which lands enough small wins to keep the bonus engaging without single-spin ceiling expectations.
Larger bankrolls hunting the high-ceiling outcome can take the 5/3,125 gamble — but expect 70%+ of those bonus runs to underperform median by design.
Second, watch operator-published 4-tier pool sizes. The pools cycle on an operator-network basis. Recently-paid pools carry less expected value than pools that have accumulated for 6+ months.
AGS-licensed casino operators typically display current pool sizes on the game lobby card.
The High-volatility profile aligns with broader high-volatility slot tier bankroll sizing — fund for ~250-spin runways at min stake.
Our Verdict
Rakin’ Bacon is the franchise origin. Cornsquealius mascot debut. PowerXStream evaluation system. The choose-your-volatility selector that became the AGS signature mechanic. The 4-tier progressive Jackpot Pick.
Audience filter: players who want the cartoon golden-pig aesthetic and the structural variance choice that lets you dial session shape across three free-spins configurations, with a progressive jackpot path on the side.
