Yet another well-performing game developed by Aristocrat, Lucky 88 is a Chinese folklore-themed game. You may well know that the luckiest number in China is “8”, and, therefore, the double 8 is considered extremely fortunate.
If you want to immerse yourself in a beautiful and calming Asian culture, then Lucky 88 is the game for you. However, The Orient-themed aristocrat pokies are quite common and you may be familiar with similar games such as; 50 Dragons, Choy Sun Dao, and Wild Panda.
Theme and features
The Chinese theme can be spotted in the font of the ‘Lucky 88’ game title. When playing on the classic 5 reels, and 25 pay lines pokies machine, you will also hear the Chinese-themed music playing in the background. Important symbols in this game include the Chinese drum, cranes, dragons, golden lions, and a pagoda.
More than one bonus feature means an increased chance of winning for you. The game is filled with wild and scatters symbols, multipliers, and the lucrative extra choice feature.
The Chinese man is a very generous wild icon that substitutes for all other symbols except the scatter. This will help you create winning combinations as you spin the reels. If he is involved in a winning combination, he can award a random multiplier of x2, x3, x5, x8, x18, x38 or x88. He may also award a prize of 888 when matched with other wild symbols.
The scatter symbol is the red lantern. If the scatter symbol appears three or more times, it activates the bonus game section. Once the bonus is activated, you can choose between a dice rolling game or 25 free spins. Keeping a consistent theme, the free spin multipliers start at x5 and go up to x88.
The exciting dice rolling game involves 8 dice that are rolled for the chance to increase your winnings. You are awarded a cash prize for every 8 that appear on the dice.
Multipliers
If you have wagered on all 25 pay lines, you can choose to select the Extra Choice option. This adds 5 coins to your existing wager, and it is the only way to trigger bonus features during the free spins game.
Free games that are available with the Extra Choice Feature, when a wild is involved in a win:
- 25 Free Games – The prize is multiplied by x5 or x18
- 15 Free Games – The prize is multiplied by x8or x38
- 8 Free Games – The prize is multiplied by x18or x88
- 4 Free Games – The prize is multiplied by x88
Payouts
The use of the Extra Choice feature will considerably influence the payouts of the machine. We don’t recommend that you play without it, as the payout is a lousy 89.9%. However, playing with the Extra Choice feature will get you a solid payout of 95.6%. There are other online pokies that may offer larger payouts but this is certainly much higher than what you would get in any land-based casino.
Origin
Lucky 88 is a Viridian cabinet in land-based casinos. It is remarkable for its carbon footprint in addition to being a modern gaming console. The Veridian cabinets are specially designed to use up less energy than the average electronic gaming device. With the countless amounts of casinos across the globe using up huge amounts of electric energy, it is crucial for modern designers to show their commitment to going ‘green’.
Being incredibly popular worldwide, Aristocrats Lucky 88 game is one of their first titles to be released into the online gaming world. Lucky 88 and similar games have been launched at online gambling sites courtesy of NYX gaming group. As well as attracting players of the game at land-based venues, it is likely to attract huge amounts of online gamers too.
How to play lucky 88 pokies machine
You will find thirteen buttons on the left side of the playing reels and twelve buttons on the right side of the playing reels. Each of these buttons triggers a pay line and all lower-numbered paylines. These buttons also act as anchor points for illustrative lines that highlight the prizes won on the various spins.
The orange sound icon is found just to the left of green button 5 at the lower left-hand edge of the playing reels area. This orange icon toggles the game’s sounds on and off.
The remaining game controls and widgets run across the bottom of the screen in two rows, controls on top and informational widgets on the very bottom.
The purple info button triggers the help screen system. There are seven screens. Click on the Next and Back buttons to switch from screen to screen. The system does not wrap back around to the first screen so when you reach the last one you have to go back the other way. Hit the Game button to return to the game when you are finished with the help screens.
Autoplay button
The Autoplay button prompt a dialog box with a long slider. Use the slider to set how many spins you want the game to play for you at current bet settings. If you have used the Autoplay feature previous in the same game session you can just click on “Last Settings” and you’re done.
Hit the start button to activate the automatic spins. Otherwise, click on cancel. The automatic spins continue until the last one is completed, or until you exit the game, or until you interrupt the spins, or until you win a bonus round, or until your available balance drops below the total bet amount. The Autoplay button becomes a Stop Spin button during the automatic spins.
Pay lines
The lines widget displays how many pay lines are active. When fewer than 25 pay lines are active the widget’s Max and Plus buttons are enabled. When more than 1 and less than 25 pay lines are active all three buttons are enabled. When only 1 pay line is active only the Max and Plus buttons are enabled.
The best widget works in the same way. Playable Bet Per Line amounts range from 0.02 to 4.00. Use the widget’s plus and minus buttons to adjust the values up or down. The max button is enabled when all but the highest available bet per line amount is chosen.
The gamble button enables only after a paid spin awards a prize. Hit the button to play a special gamble feature with your prize as the stake.
The spin button initiates a single paid spin
The Play Extra Choice button adds 20% to your total bet amount resulting in additional options being awarded on your bonus rounds. You need to play 25 pay lines to receive this feature’s benefits so clicking on this button sets your active pay lines to 25.
