Athena’s Riches Slot Review
Athena’s Riches keeps almost all of its money in a symbol the paytable doesn’t even list. A marble goddess watches the reels from beside a sunset sanctuary, gold columns framing the spin window, and none of the themed symbols she presides over can pay more than six times the bet; the real currency is the unassuming BONUS coin, which carries its own cash value and quietly decides whether a session amounts to anything.
It’s an unusual place to bury the game’s entire appeal, and Playzia have committed to it. Athena’s Riches is a 5×3 slot running at 96.08% RTP, with a bonus buy that plays at 96.01%, sitting in the studio’s catalogue alongside Celtic Riches and Crazy Chilli Jackpots, with Crystal Rush not far away.
Symbols and Pays
This is a five-reel, three-row game, and every symbol value in it is a multiple of the total bet rather than a line bet, which makes the figures below easier to read than they first appear. The WILD stands in for every symbol except the BONUS symbol, and it tops the paytable while it’s at it. The full ladder, from the top down:
- WILD: 2x, 4x and 10x the total bet for three, four and five of a kind
- Owl (the phoenix-owl creature): 1x, 2x and 6x
- Temple: 0.8x, 1.6x and 4x
- Helmet: 0.6x, 1.2x and 3x
- A and K: 0.4x, 0.8x and 2x
- Q, J and the rune-like W: 0.2x, 0.4x and 1x
The mythic tier and the royal tier are closer together than they look. Five owls pay six times the bet, while five helmets pay three times it, so the gap between the best and third-best standard symbol is a factor of two. Down at the bottom, five of the low royals returns exactly the stake back.
The steps within each symbol are gentle too. A four-symbol win is worth double a three-symbol win everywhere on the table, and a five-symbol win pays 2.5x the four-symbol figure — except the owl, where five pays triple the four-of-a-kind amount. There’s no sudden cliff at the top of any row; the wild’s 10x is the only value in the game that reaches into double digits.
What that means in practice is that the paytable alone won’t carry a session. Three wilds return twice the stake, and even the best regular line pays less than that until five symbols line up. The money in this game is stored elsewhere, in coins that don’t sit in the paytable at all.
The BONUS Symbol
BONUS symbols have no paytable row of their own, because they don’t pay as regular symbols at all. What they do instead is arrive carrying a cash value printed on the coin itself, sit on the reels, and wait. Land six of them in a single spin and they’re collected rather than discarded.
Any BONUS symbol, wherever it lands, also carries a chance of opening the Jackpot Hold and Win in place of the standard round. That’s a second door out of one symbol, and it’s what gives the base game its tension: every coin is either a small stake in a future feature or a shot at the ladder.
Hold and Win
The collection round is the game’s one feature, and it plays out on the same five-by-three grid the base game uses. Once the triggering coins lock in place, the reels clear of everything else:
- Only BONUS symbols appear on the reels during the feature
- Three re-spins are granted at the start
- Every BONUS symbol that lands sticks in place for the rest of the round
- Each new BONUS symbol resets the re-spin count to three
- The round ends when the re-spins run out or all fifteen positions fill
- When it ends, the values on every BONUS symbol are summed up and paid as the Bonus Win
The reset is the engine of the whole thing. Each fresh coin buys three more chances at another, so a run of consecutive landings can carry on well past the opening three spins, and a full board of fifteen is the round’s natural finish. An empty run of three spins closes it out and pays whatever has accumulated.
Because the triggering six coins already sit locked on the board, the round starts with a floor under it: whatever those six values add up to is banked the moment the feature ends, however the re-spins go. From there it’s purely additive. Every coin that lands either extends the round by resetting the count or burns one of the remaining spins, and the fifteen-position ceiling means even the best run has a fixed end.
The sums work in multiples of the bet, same as the paytable. A board full of modest coins still adds up to something respectable, because fifteen values are being totalled rather than one line being paid, and the jackpot round’s ladder sits on top of that sum rather than replacing it.
There’s a BUY BONUS button in the base game for skipping the wait. The purchased feature runs at 96.01% RTP, a hair under the standard game’s 96.08%.
Jackpot Hold and Win
The jackpot round replaces the ordinary feature when a BONUS symbol’s chance comes in, and it plays by the same hold-and-win rules with a fixed ladder attached. Every rung pays on the total bet value:
- GRAND: 100x the total bet
- MAJOR: 50x the total bet
- MINOR: 25x the total bet
- MINI: 10x the total bet
It’s a restrained ladder, every rung a fixed multiple of the total bet, topped by the GRAND at 100x. That’s the honest shape of the prize structure: tidy, legible, and built for steady returns rather than big-win chases.
Because the rungs are fixed multiples rather than climbing pots, there’s nothing to watch grow and nothing to time. A MINI at 10x sits within reach of a decent collection round on its own, while the GRAND at 100x is the top rung of the four. Four rungs, no frills, and a clear top.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 6.3/10
Playing Athena’s Riches feels like tending a small fire while a statue watches: a lot of quiet spins, coins gathering, and the occasional hope that Athena might finally pay her respects. That gathering is the reason to choose it, and it’s the best thing here; the collection round builds properly, with every new coin resetting the count and a lucky run stacking values across the whole board.
The weakness is just as clear: everything tops out politely. With the GRAND at 100x topping the ladder and the wild as the richest line symbol at 10x, the base game between features is thin. Anyone chasing four-figure ceilings will run out of reasons to stay.
For players who enjoy the slow build and a graceful, well-painted setting, it’s a satisfying hour. If you need volatility and a headline to chase, this sanctuary isn’t built for you.
Athena’s Riches FAQs
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What is the RTP of Athena’s Riches?
The RTP is 96.08%. If you buy the Hold and Win feature instead of waiting for it, the purchased round runs at 96.01%. -
How do you trigger the Hold and Win feature in Athena’s Riches?
Landing six or more BONUS symbols in a single spin sets the feature off. The coins can land on any of the five reels, and each one arrives with its cash value already showing on the symbol. -
Can the Hold and Win feature be retriggered?
In effect, yes. Each new BONUS symbol that lands during the round resets the re-spin count to three, and the feature only ends when the re-spins run out or all fifteen positions are filled. -
What are the jackpot values in Athena’s Riches?
The ladder pays on the total bet: GRAND at 100x, MAJOR at 50x, MINOR at 25x and MINI at 10x. Any BONUS symbol has a chance to trigger the Jackpot Hold and Win, which plays by the same hold-and-win rules as the standard round. -
What does the wild substitute for in Athena’s Riches?
The WILD substitutes for every symbol except the BONUS symbol. It’s also the most valuable symbol in the game, paying 2x, 4x and 10x the total bet for three, four and five of a kind. -
Can you buy the bonus on Athena’s Riches?
Yes. A BUY BONUS button is available in the base game, and the purchased feature runs at 96.01% RTP. -
How does the Hold and Win round pay out?
Every BONUS symbol that lands during the round sticks to the reels and carries its own cash value. When the round ends, all of those values are summed up and paid as a single Bonus Win, so the total depends on how many coins collect rather than on any line. -
What is the highest-paying symbol in Athena’s Riches?
The WILD, which pays 10x the total bet for five of a kind. The best regular symbol is the owl at 6x, followed by the temple at 4x. All symbol values are multiples of the total bet, not the line bet.
