Double 88 Slot Machine
It’s no secret that 8 is considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture. In fact, most superstitious people in China believe that the more eights they see, the luckier they will be. When it comes to the number 88, they believe it symbolizes fortune and good luck. You’ll be putting that theory to the test spinning the reels of Double 88 by August Gaming, as you embark on a quest to become wealthier.
Double 88 is a 5-reeled slot with 25 fixed paylines. The decorative golden reels have been set against a typical Chinese-inspired print background. As is so often the case in oriental-themed slots, the background is red in color. That’s because red represents happiness and good luck in Chinese culture. In terms of what you’ll see in the static background, it simply showcases silhouettes of bamboo plants and flowers. Fortunately, more effort has been made by the audio team at August Gaming, with a unique fast-paced oriental tune included.
As you experience how powerful the number 88 is, you’ll be lining up a host of playing card symbols on the reels. Most interestingly, four of these playing card symbols can appear as double symbols that count as two on a line. This means it’s possible to land ten-of-a-kind combinations if enough fortune shines on you!
How Wealthy Do You Have to Be?
If you’re not bothered about winning real cash, you don’t have to be wealthy at all to play the Double 88 video slot. That’s because it’s available for free below with no download needed. For those who do want to cash in on their luck, you can spin the opulent reels from a low limit of just 0.25 credits. Wealthier gamblers who like to play online slot machines for high limits will also be happy, because it’s possible to stake a whopping maximum of 2,500 credits per spin!
Experience Ten-of-a-Kind Wins
Casino slot machines based on fortune and good luck in Chinese culture are normally filled with symbols like fortune coins, gold ingots and cute little Fu babies. Surprisingly, none of these have been included as symbols on the pay table of Double 88. Instead, the number 88, an ornamental clock and playing card symbols fill these sumptuous reels.
Perhaps what’s most surprising of all is the fact that payouts are only associated with the playing card symbols. If you’ve played any other free online slots that have been released by August Gaming, you’ll notice that zero effort has been put into making the design of these playing card symbols unique for this game. We aren’t fans of symbols being reused like this, but it’s an approach August Gaming seems to prefer when it comes to playing cards.
At the bottom end of the pay table, you’ll find 9s and 10s, with sets of either being worth up to 10x your line bet. There are also Ace, King, Queen and Jack symbols, but it’s their double versions that you’ll be hoping to match across the reels for combinations of up to ten-of-a-kind. This means you can secure up to 100x for matching Jacks or Queens. There is an increase in payouts for Kings, as they are worth up to 150x, while Aces offer the top prize of 300x.
To assist in securing those maximum payouts, the number 88 comes into play. It represents the wild symbol, designed as if it’s been formed using red ribbon. This wild only appears on the second, third and fourth reels, but it can substitute for any of the playing card symbols to help you win a fortune.
Tick Tock, It’s Time for Free Games
The ornamental clock striking eight o’clock in this free Double 88 slot machine indicates that it’s time for free games. This special clock represents the scatter symbol, appearing only on the first, third and fifth reels. Every time a clock appears on each of these reels during the same spin, the bonus feature begins. This sees you play for free with 12 free games initially, although it’s possible to retrigger the feature for even more. Throughout this feature, all wins involving single Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks will represent their double versions. This significantly boosts your odds of securing ten-of-a-kind wins.
Has 88 Become Your Favorite Number?
The riches you accumulate playing Double 88 might lead to 88 becoming your new favorite number. If this happens, you can continue increasing your wealth by playing a host of other online slot machines based on the lucky number. The amount of 88-themed slots available at online casinos is quite staggering, but here are a couple of our fortune favorites we think are worth checking out.
Intriguing symbols like Chinese dragons, lucky frogs and firecrackers feature on the reels of the Great 88 video slot. Set in a picturesque Chinese garden, this breathtaking Betsoft slot contains 5 reels and 30 fixed paylines. Boasting a top base game prize worth 8,888x your line bet, this feature-packed slot contains lucky boxes that reveal random prizes like instant wins, free spins and spreading wilds. There is also a gamble game for you to test your luck on, plus a Mega Win Wheel that could see you win over one million credits in a single spin!
If you’re a fan of progressive jackpots, you need to spin the reels of 88 Fortunes by Shuffle Master. It’s a 5-reeled slot with 243 ways to win. The most interesting aspect of 88 Fortunes is that it boasts four jackpots that can be won whenever a Fu Bat appears on the golden reels. Unlike Double 88, the staking options in 88 Fortunes revolve around multiples of 8. The low limit is just 0.08 credits, making it perfect for low-stakes players, while the max bet is 88 credits.
An Innovative Approach to a Familiar Theme
Numbers believed to be auspicious by Chinese people have provided a ton of inspiration for software providers over the years. It’s a tried-and-tested theme, especially when it comes to the numbers 8 and 88, but the release of Double 88 highlights how innovative August Gaming can be.
Rather than copying similar slots and filling the reels of Double 88 with symbols related to Chinese culture, August Gaming has placed more emphasis on the gameplay. We particularly love the inclusion of double symbols. Our only criticism is that the 9 and 10 symbols don’t appear in double form, but we can’t be too greedy as wins are frequent enough. We didn’t have much luck landing ten-of-a-kind wins during the base game, but we found they were plentiful during free games.
To summarize, Double 88 is a solid yet unspectacular slot. The only real reason you’ll want to spin the reels is for the chance to land ten-of-a-kind wins. But with a maximum win of just 300x on offer, the potential will understandably be too low for many of you to even consider giving it a try.
