Play Jade Tiger for Free

To many people in the western side of the world, jade is merely a pretty turquoise stone that might be found on the odd piece of jewelry. To people in Chine, the stone is far more important. That is because jade is considered to have special spiritual powers in the Asian country and it typically comes in a variety of different colors and shapes. In fact, there are traditionally six different ritual jades – bi, cong, huang, hu, gui and zhang – each of which represented the different axes of the physical world, namely the heavens, the earth, the east, the south, the west and the north.

The most important of the ritual jades is the bi, which is shaped as a circular disc with a hole in the middle - a bit like a pretty spiritual doughnut. Players will be able to find that exact symbol on the reels of Jade Tiger, along with a variety of other icons that relate to the culture and religious notions of the Far East.

There is a carp koi image, for example, an animal that is often revered for its symbolic relation to prosperity, success and courage while a golden turtle stature connotes ideas of longevity and patience (something which slot machine players must practice a lot!). Other notable icons include a Chinese gourd flute also known as a hulusi, a fortune cookie, an ornamental pot, and a majestic tiger.

With 30 pay lines laid out over this 5-reel video slot, punters aren't going to have to wait too long to find a bit of success in this slot machine. The value of the prizes available isn't too shabby either, with a top line bet prize that will multiply lucky spinners' wagers by 2,000x whenever five koi or flute icons appear on a line. The biggest win of all, however, is presented by the scattered jade bi symbol, which will multiply the total bet by 50x whenever five appear on the reels in any reel position.

Of course, to benefit from this scatter jackpot, punters will need to play with the maximum number of pay lines with a maximum per line bet of 100 coins. That makes for a overall stake of 3,000 coins, which isn't exactly the most affordable wager for the average spinner. There is the option to play with line bets of just 0.01, however, and players can try to limit their expenditure by laying down less pay lines (it is possible to play with 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30).

Nothing quite beats a feature rich video slot, and this game by Ainsworth promises to excite its players with a series of neat features and extra game play elements. First of all, the game's wild tiger icon lives up to its symbology as an icon of kingly power by ruling over the game's other symbols and creating win lines by substitution.

The game's scatter symbol is not only the most rewarding in terms of potential payout value, but it also has the power to trigger the game's main bonus feature – 10 free spins. These aren't just any ordinary free spins, because the reels will be replaced with a new set of reels with new icons, such as a stacked “Jade Tiger” logo symbol and a Lucky Boy scatter which appears on the first and fifth reel of the game. Should two Lucky Boy icons appear on the same spin, a special “Lucky Feature” will be played.

The Lucky Feature of Jade Tiger is essentially a free spin within free spins, or a re-spin if you like. The difference is that the first and fifth reels will be locked in with wild tigers covering each reel position on either side of the game screen. As the middle three reels are spun, there is a higher chance that players could find three matching icons on a pay line, which in turn will constitute a five-in-a-row win with the wild tigers completing the line.

Jade Tiger is one of many Oriental themed slot machines in the market, and its release coincides with the launch of Jade Treasure by GameArt software. So, it's not exactly the most unique game in the world in terms of design and style. That said, this 30 pay line game presents a decent amount of chances to bag a winning spin, especially during its unique bonus Lucky Feature.