88 Fortunes Pokie Review
The Chinese sincerely believe in lucky numbers that affect everyday’s life and attract fortune. Number 8 is one of those elements of luck that holds a special meaning in romantic relations, business and living standards. 88 Fortune is all about luck as people of China see it. The pokie can make you happy too if you trigger a bonus feature and win one of four tremendous jackpots, the largest of which is $200,000. Playing the pokie, you will get insight into the signs of luck and get know better the rich Chinese culture that goes back millennia.
Oriental beliefs related to numbers continue to remain an enigma for westerners. It’s hard to imagine that even global events are made to coincide with what numerology considers to be good or bad. For example, the Beijing Olympic Games that were held in China were officially opened at exactly 8:00, on the 8th of August, 2008. An average Chinese normally selects a phone number or a car license plate that features number 8. The reviewed pokie is also about this magic lucky number and gamblers are sure it will bring luck and money into their daily routine. The dominating colors in the pokie are gold and red, and the pokie symbols seem to radiate wealth and well-being.
The general look of the pokie is a bit untypical but you will easily understand what its elements are meant for. Pay attention at the left-hand side of the reel set. It features five small golden clickable blocks that are designed for bet size selection. The more blocks you enable, the higher your bet and the higher chances of winning a jackpot. If you select the lower block that reads “1 Gold symbol”, you will wager 8 credits per spin and if you pick the “5 Gold symbols” option, you are going to wager 88 credits on each spin. Besides, with each new block you activate, you will see some symbols become golden. The idea is that the more golden symbols are visible simultaneously, the higher probabilities of grabbing a jackpot.
In addition to the number of credits (8, 18, 38, 68 and 88), you can also adjust a credit denomination, which varies between $0.01 and $1, which makes a total bet of $0.08 to $88 per spin. It bears repeating that you’d better place the highest credit bet (at least $0.88) in order to maximize the chances of hitting any of the four jackpot amounts.
243 ways to win
The pokie has no permanent paylines and uses a famous “243 ways to win” model. According to this layout, a set of matching symbols needs to get aligned on neighboring reels, beginning with the leftmost reel, in which case you get an award as per the paytable. This method of symbol arrangement was put in place around 20 years ago and got widespread use in modern pokie making. Gamblers tend to like 243-ways pokies because they are usually low-volatile and pay out on frequent occasions.
Symbols and payouts
The pictures utilized in the pokie include low-paying card values 9 to A as well as themed symbols like a coin (the max payout is $100 for five of a kind), gold ingots ($250), a turtle figurine ($400), a sailing ship ($500) and a bird ($1000).
Fu Bat wild
In Chinese, the Fu Bat ideogram symbolizes good luck, longevity and happiness. Gamblers who will see one or more Fu Bat icons on the reels are very likely to be happy, too, because these strange-looking pics are wild substitutes. Though they appear on the second, third and fourth reels only, Fu Bats will often help you win much because they assist regular symbols to complete combinations.
Free spins
A Gong symbol unlocks 10 free spins when 3+ of them land on neighboring reels left to right. Free spins are played on an alternate reel set that has no playing card symbols. This means you are going to have only high-paying combinations for the entire duration of the feature.
Four fixed jackpots
And now on to the most alluring part of the pokie. To the right of the reels, there are four jackpot value indicators named Mini, Minor, Major and Grand. These four jackpots are fixed, not progressive, and their values correlate to a spin bet. The lower, Mini jackpot is $20 at the minimum bet and $2000 at max. The higher, Grand jackpot is $2000 at min and a hefty $200,000 at max. The other two jackpots, Minor and Major, are somewhere in between.
Jackpot rules are somewhat unusual but there is nothing difficult about them. If you bet 8 credits per spin, no jackpot can be potentially won. If you place 18 credits, you can grab only the Mini jackpot. Placing 38 credits unlocks the next up jackpot, Minor, etc. To get the chance of hitting the grand prize, you need to play at 88 credits of any denomination, therefore, the minimum bet should not be lower than $0.88 to qualify.
A bonus game in which a jackpot can be won is triggered randomly upon the appearance of wild symbols on the reels. Every time a Fu Bat wild lands anywhere in view, there is a small probability of having the jackpot bonus triggered. Then, on a new screen, you will see 12 coins that reveal one of four jackpot icons when clicked. Your task is to find three matching icons, which will award you a related jackpot.
Bottom line on 88 Fortunes
The Chinese-themed pokie from Bally features 4 fixed jackpots, the largest being $200,000. Having impressive lush design, the pokie has a wild symbol, scatters and free spins. 88 Fortunes is a real feast for your eyes that you should peruse.