Book of Ra is simultaneously a hefty dose of nostalgia and a slot that is still enjoyable in the modern day.
Released way back in 2005, this Novomatic slot took the now overused theme of Ancient Egypt and combined it with a dose of Indiana Jones style adventure to create a fun slot with an entertaining narrative and exciting gameplay.
Book of Ra isn't the most complicated slot in the world, but it isn't supposed to be. This slot play taken back to its basics, with a simple free spins feature that is enough to keep things interesting.
The Best Casinos to Play Book of Ra Slot Online
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How to Play Book of Ra Slot
With five reels, three rows, and nine paylines, Book of Ra is as old school as they get, a theme that is aided by the bright and simple graphics.
While the visuals may be fairly basic, effort has been made on stylizing the symbols, with even the lower-value playing card symbols (0.5x stake for three on a payline, 10-15x stake for five) containing hieroglyphics to keep with the Ancient Egypt theme.
Higher value symbols (all bar the playing cards) pay out for two on a payline as well as the usual three to five, which is a welcome addition for slot players.
The Book of Ra logo acts as both wild and scatter symbols; it will replace any other symbol to aid a winning combination. It also triggers 10 free spins when three or more land on the reels. This is also the second highest value symbol on the reels, paying 200x stake for five on a payline. Only the adventurer symbols (500x stake for five on a payline) pays out more.
Before starting the game, players choose the number of paylines to play with (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 10) and the total bet amount from 1¢ to $1,000. When the game starts players can either spin manually or use the Auto function, which will spin the reels automatically until stopped manually, or until the free spins feature is triggered.
If the feature is triggered, players will be given ten free spins which can be retriggered if three or more scatter symbols land during the feature.
How to Win Book of Ra Slot Machine
The biggest jackpots on this game come from five adventurer symbols on a payline, which pays 500x the stake.
Players can also gamble by selecting the Risk option after a win. Here, players choose between black and red and a card is drawn at random. If the right color is picked, the win is doubled. This gamble feature is not available after the free spins feature.
In the free spins round, one symbol will be designated as a 'special symbol' for the duration of the feature and will expand to fill a whole reel when appearing on adjacent reels.
Even lower value symbols can be very profitable as the special symbol. If the adventurer symbol lands as the special symbol however, it could result in a huge payout for players.
Look out for the Book of Ra symbol here too; not only does this symbol trigger the bonus feature if three or more land anywhere on the reels, it also acts as the wild symbol to assist in creating winning paylines.
Book of Ra Slot Pay Table & Paylines
Basic Info | 2 Symbols | 3 Symbols | 4 Symbols | 5 Symbols |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tourist | 50 | 500 | 5 000 | 25 000 |
Pharaoh | 25 | 200 | 2 000 | 10 000 |
Scatter | - | 90 | 900 | 9 0000 |
Sphinx | 25 | 150 | 500 | 3 750 |
Scarab beetle | 25 | 150 | 500 | 3 750 |
A | - | 25 | 200 | 750 |
K | - | 25 | 200 | 750 |
Q | - | 25 | 125 | 500 |
J | - | 25 | 125 | 500 |
10 | - | 25 | 125 | 500 |
RTP & Volatility in Book of Ra Slot
The RTP (return-to-player percentange) for a slot is a way of rating the payout potential of the game. The higher the RTP, the more likely on average players are to break even across a prolonged session.
The average slot game lands somewhere between 90% and 95%, while some can drop down into the 80% range, and others can reach as high as 99%.
Book of Ra has an RTP of 92.13%, which is arguably lower than average
The volatility of a slot denotes the risk and reward levels of payouts. For example, a lower volatility slot will usually see relatively low wins land fairly frequently, but the wins will usually be no bigger than 2x the stake. A medium volatility slot sees wins rise a little on average, but also not payout as often on average.
Book of Ra is a relatively high volatility slot, so there may be fairly long waits between wins, but when the wins do drop, they can be big. This is especially true during the free spins feature, which doesn't trigger regularly, but can result in large wins thanks to the expanding symbols.
How Does Book of Ra's Winnings Compare to Other Slot Games?
Novomatic is a high paying slot in terms of jackpot, with a maximum of 25,000 coins available if players get lucky during the free spins feature. This is a relatively high number for a Novomatic slot, and around average when it comes to slots in general.
It's fair to say that this number felt higher on the slot's release back in 2005 than it does now. Reaching the jackpot isn't easy and wins can be few and far between, but when big wins come, they can be big.
Book of Ra Slot Bonuses
The Risk feature, which allows players to take a double or nothing gamble up to five times on each base game win keeps things interesting, but it is the free spins feature that is the centerpiece of the Book of Ra slot game.
When three or more symbols appear on the reels, an animation will lead the player into the center of a pyramid, and a reel will spin. It will land on a base symbol that will be the designated expanding symbol for the length of the feature.
Wins work normally here except when they include the special symbol. If this symbol lands on three or more adjacent reels (not necessarily on a payline) the symbols will expand to fill the whole reel they are on, leading to a hefty increase in wins.
Landing three or more Book of Ra wild/scatter symbols during this feature will trigger an additional 10 spins.
Book of Ra Free Play Online
While the gameplay of Book of Ra doesn't take a long time to learn, the high volatility of the slot makes it worth playing free slot games first.
Freeplay versions of slots allow players to test out the game and see if it suits their needs before risking any money. While wins will not pay out anything during freeplay, it offers players a good chance to get to know the slot before playing real money games. This helps players decide whether to play the game, and how much to bet if they do.
Book of Ra Mobile Games
Book of Ra has been updated to be accessible for mobile and tablet players. The simple graphics and animations and relatively basic gameplay of this slot has made the transition seamless.
Players using mobile and tablet devices can enjoy the same experience as desktop players. All the symbols, including the Book of Ra scatter/wild are the same, as is the free spins feature with the expanding bonus symbol.
Other Book of Ra Slot Machine Games to Play Online
While Book of Ra did not begin the common usage of Ancient Egypt as a slot theme (that can arguably be put down to IGT's Cleopatra slot title) this slot certainly played a hand in popularizing it.
The instant popularity of Book of Ra has led to Novomatic releasing several sequels, with each offering a new feature. One of these sequels, Book of Ra Deluxe, has arguably become the most popular Book of Ra slot and is now available at more online casinos than the original title. The big change for Book of Ra Deluxe is the addition of a 2x multiplier during the free spins feature, doubling any wins gained. This feature still has the expanding symbol gameplay in this sequel.
While the Ancient Egypt theme remains throughout all this slot's sequels, there are some additional gameplay mechanics added to each to ensure the concept is kept fresh across the whole Book of Ra franchise.
Here are the games:
Find artefacts for prizes of up to 7.5 million coins and enjoy an extra reel for good measure!
The Deluxe version of Book of Ra adds a 2x multiplier to beef up the free spins feature
Retrigger the free spins feature up to nine times with an additional expanding symbol each time.
Four jackpots are added for wins of up to 10,000x stake
A female adventurer this time, with up to three expanding symbols during free spins.
While there are several Book of Ra games, Novomatic is far from the only developer offering Egyptian themed slots. Higher RTP and lower volatility slots on the same theme are available from several other providers, including:
IGT, 95.02%
NextGen, 95.63%
NetEnt, 96.4%
Play'n Go, 96%
Microgaming, 96%
Book of Ra Slot Online Review
The word 'classic' is thrown around a lot in the world of slot games, but when it's used to describe Book of Ra, it's entirely worthy. Despite being well over a decade old and spawning several more up-to-date sequels, the Book of Ra slot franchise maintains its popularity, and for good reason.
Book of Ra is not a complex game, with the big wins found in the free spins feature. It is the simplicity of this slot that makes it so appealing to players. Providing none of the bells and whistles more modern slots offer, instead, this is a slot that takes players back to basics.
It could be suggested that Book of Ra has been overtaken by events, shown up by its own sequels – the popularity of Book of Ra Deluxe suggests this. But the original undoubtedly still has its charm.
For Book of Ra slot, we give this game a rating of 7/10. To learn more about our assessment and grading of casinos and games, check out our How We Rate page. We work closely with the independent regulatory bodies below to ensure every player on our site has a secure and reliable experience.
Book of Ra Slot Reviews by Players
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FAQs
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How to beat Book of Ra slot machine?
There's no way to beat Book of Ra, the secret of this slot game is patience. If the free spins round triggers, and the expanding symbol feature works in your favor, big wins can be gained here. There is no specific strategy that makes winning more likely here, it's all down to luck.
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How do you get free spins in Book of Ra?
The free spins feature for Book of Ra is triggered by landing three of the Book of Ra scatter symbols. When three or more scatters drop on the reels, a random symbol will be chosen which will expand to increase wins during the feature. The free spins round can also be retriggered if three or more scatters appear on the reels during the feature.
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What is Book of Ra?
Book of Ra is a classic slot game from Novomatic based on the adventures of an explorer who is hunting Ancient Egyptian artefacts. The game follows the adventurer's path as he tries to unlock the secrets of the mystical Book of Ra.
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Where can I play Book of Ra?
Book of Ra is a popular slot and is available at many online casinos. However, the original game is less available than some of its sequels, especially Book of Ra Deluxe. Our recommended online casinos carry Book of Ra and, often, several of its sequels as well.
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How can I hack the Book of Ra slot machine?
There is no way to hack the Book of Ra slot machine, this game is based on random number generators and it is down to luck whether the reels fall in your favor.
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How can I cheat Book of Ra slot machine?
There are no cheat codes or other ways to cheat the Book of Ra slot machine. Novomatic are well-known for their state-of-the-art security measures and, as this is a real money slot, additional software systems are in place to prevent cheating from happening.