Book of Ra Deluxe Review

The golden Book of Ra is the symbol the whole game revolves around, and it pulls double duty. As a wild, it stands in for any regular symbol to complete a win. As a scatter, three or more anywhere on the reels trigger the free spins and pay a scatter win on top. This wild-and-scatter combo is the mechanic that every later book slot copied. It's elegant in its simplicity: one symbol you're always hoping to see, doing two jobs at once.

Land 3 or more Books and you get 10 free spins. Here's the legendary part: right at the start, one regular symbol is randomly chosen as a special expanding symbol. During the spins, whenever that symbol could form a win, it expands to cover its entire reel and pays across the reels like a scatter, regardless of exact line positions. Draw a high-value symbol like the explorer and a single spin can carpet the screen for a massive payout. The round can also retrigger if you land 3+ Books again. This expanding-symbol mechanic is exactly why the theoretical max creeps toward 10,000x — and why everyone remembers their big Book of Ra hit.

After any winning spin you can take the classic Novomatic gamble. It's a straight 50/50: guess the colour of a face-down card (red or black) and a correct call doubles your win, while a wrong one wipes it out. You can keep gambling up to a limit, doubling again and again. It's pure risk with no skill involved, and it's a fast way to either grow a small win into something real or lose it entirely. Use it sparingly — it's a tool, not a strategy.

Two things you genuinely need to know. First, this is a high-volatility game, so expect long cold runs with few Books, especially at low stakes. Second, and more important, the RTP is below average — often around 95.1% and sometimes as low as 94.26% depending on the casino. By modern standards that's tight. None of this makes it a bad slot, but it does mean you should play it for the nostalgia and the expanding-symbol thrill, not because it's a generous game — because it isn't.