Hitting the Big Time with 88 Fortunes
With a deluxe Oriental theme coming to life in your living room (you half expect someone to reach out of the screen and hand you a fortune cookie, the ability to buy extra gold symbols with additional credits and four progressive jackpots in play, there's no doubt that this is a game that has huge potential. 88 Fortunes is one of the greats when looking at themed slots because of the jackpots it offers and the amount of fun the game can be to play.
But with so many other Chinese-themed games on the market such as Lucky 88, Tiger Moon and Emperor's Garden to name just a few, does 88 Fortunes have what it takes to compete? It's one of the top slot games at Casino X which happens to be our top choice for online slots. We put the game through its paces in our in-depth review below!
- We get to the bottom of why 88 Fortunes is so popular
- Try it on laptop, desktop or your smartphone/tablet
- Enjoy 88 Fortune's captivating Chinese theme right here for free
The number 8 is very lucky in Chinese culture so the number 88 must be even luckier, right? That's presumably what players will be hoping when they fire up this game, and the game's busy design certainly seems to offer plenty of opportunities to win real money - there are 243, in fact!
Try out 88 Fortunes Slots at...
How the Game Works
With 3 rows and 5 reels, 88 Fortunes plays more or less like any other 5-reel online slot. The game uses the Reel Ways system, meaning that any symbols that appear from left to right will pay out as long as there's one on each reel involved in the win and at least one appears on the first reel.
88 Fortunes also uses a feature called All Up, which might seem a little confusing if you haven't tried it before. Actually, though, it's all quite straightforward. All this means is that, the more credits you bet, the more gold symbols will appear in your game and this will maximize your odds of landing a big win.
The Fu Bat Jackpot feature, which prompts players to choose from 12 coins until they reveal 3 matching symbols to determine which progressive jackpot they win, can also seem a little complicated to newbies but we promise that you'll soon get to grips with it.
You can give 88 Fortunes a try for yourself, with no need to sign up or make a deposit, by using the window above. If you decide to try playing for real money, simply follow any of the casino links on this page to claim your bonus, make your first deposit and play for real cash.
Symbols
It should be noted here that the four top symbols (Bird Sculpture, Boat, Tortoise and Tower) can appear in gold when players use more credits, which vastly increases the value of any wins triggered by their appearance.
Scatter Gong
3 or more of these symbols will not only reward players with a small win, but also trigger a round of 10 free spins with A, K, Q, J and 10 removed from the reels.
Gold Coin
This elegant coin is the one symbol that's always gold whether you've bought any extra gold symbols or not, so you'll be glad to see it when playing with the minimum bet but not so much if you're placing bigger bets!
Bird Sculpture
Maybe it's just because we know how much more this symbol is worth when it's gold, but we can't help but thinking that it looks so much better when it's not green!
Boat
Not the highest paying symbol on the reels but it's still capable of racking up some great wins, particularly when it's gold. This is one boat we're always happy to take a trip on.
Tortoise
He may be slow but, tied for third highest payout on the reels when gold, we're always happy to see this little guy.
Dragon Tower
Has the same value as all the other standard symbols when you're playing with the minimum bet, but represents the weakest prize of any symbol that can be turned gold using extra credits.
Fu Bat Wild
With the potential to generate some big wins AND unlock one of the game's bonus progressive real money jackpots, there's no scenario in which you won't be pleased to see this symbol appear.
A, K, Q, J and 10
As with most slots online, you shouldn't expect many big wins from these symbols. Even lining up five in a row will only net you a fairly small win.
Fu Bat Grand, Major, Minor and Mini
These symbols, depicting caricatures of four Chinese characters, appear very rarely and have the potential to award one of 88 Fortunes's progressive jackpots. Be sure to keep an eye out for them!
Jackpot
With a maximum jackpot numbering in the hundreds of thousands of coins, 88 Fortunes can't compete with progressive jackpots worth millions but it still provides an endgame that's big enough to please all but the pickiest of online gamblers.
We should also point out that, if you want to be in with a shot of taking home the Grand Jackpot, you'll need to play with the maximum number of credits to unlock it.
Tips/Tricks
Like with most other slots/online gambling games, success when playing 88 Fortunes is really down to luck. There's nothing you can do to influence the jackpot or land extra wins, so you'll just need to keep your fingers crossed throughout.
The only thing we would suggest is that you play with the maximum number of credits, even if this means that you need to use a smaller coin size per spin. The advantages of having 5 gold symbols in play and the possibility of winning one of the larger jackpots far outweighs any positives offered by betting with just 1 gold symbol and the biggest coin size.
Mobile
88 Fortunes is also available on mobile, which is quite surprising considering how cluttered the standard version of the game can feel sometimes, but Scientific Games (the creator of this online slot) have done a great job of paring the game down so it can be played on smartphones and tablets.
Of course, the graphics and animations aren't quite as impressive on mobile devices but we're happy to take that tradeoff if it means that we get to take 88 Fortunes on the move with us wherever we go!
Conclusion
88 Fortunes is an engrossing game, with a theme that looks beautiful and sounds great too. It's a little on the busy side, and can certainly take players a bit of time to get familiar with, but we think it's worth putting that effort in.
Its jackpot may not be on the same level as those offered by progressive millionaire makers, but it's much higher than some others on the market. And, with 243 ways to win, you stand to enjoy plenty of smaller wins while you chase that jackpot.
CHECK OUT 88 Fortunes BEFORE YOU PLAY
FAQ
How do they work?
Slots used to be known as one arm bandits, because that's exactly how they were operated - patrons would pull a handle to spin the slot machine's reels in the hope of getting lucky, Now, however, video technology and random number generators take care of all the action and there's no need to do any more than press the Spin button.
The use of video technology also means that slots can easily be replicated for use online as well as (or even instead of) use in a bricks and mortar casino. The enormous range of online slots titles available thanks to these technological advances helps to explain the popularity of gambling on the web today.
What games are the most popular?
There are certainly some household names in the world of slots online, like Cleopatra and Thunderstruck, but there are so many games (and people have such different tastes) that there are no titles in particular that stand out as "must play" titles that everyone instantly falls in love with.
Your best bet for figuring out which slots are likely to be best suited to your style of play is to try a few different games and figure out what (if anything) you like about each one, and look for games that bring all of these elements together.
What games have the best odds?
Slot machines fall into one of two categories: low variance and high variance. Low variance slots don't have much risk - it's possible to play for a long time without (unless you get very unlucky) burning through all of your bankroll, but it's unlikely that winners will take home a very big grand prize either.
High variance slots are much riskier, and you may find yourself burning through cash without many wins in a session, but you'll take home a much bigger real money jackpot if you do get lucky. A good indicator of whether a slot is high or low variance is the number of paylines/ways to win it offers; the more ways to win, the lower variance the slot probably is.
Which ones offer the best jackpots?
If it's a big jackpot you're looking for, then you're probably going to want to try a progressive jackpot when you hit the slots online. With grand prizes in the millions, or even tens of millions, this is exactly where jackpot hunters want to be.
However, some larger slots producers have created standard games with jackpots ranging from 500,000 to a million coins, which might suit players who want to chase a big win but prefer their action a little more predictable.
Should I choose a regular or progressive jackpot game?
This really depends on how you prefer to play. If all you want to do when playing the slots is dream about randomly landing a huge jackpot, then a progressive game might be right up your alley.
If, however, you prefer to play more strategically and want to gradually build up your bankroll through regular play then a standard slot with a low variance will probably be more your style.
Can I play for free?
Virtually all online slots sites will let players try games for free before they need to deposit any cash. Obviously, it's their hope that players will have so much fun that they'll be compelled to make a deposit and play for real money later.
The vast majority of players, of course, will end up doing just that especially when they're presented with some of the tantalizing welcome bonuses that are on the market!
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