If you are from more westerly climes, then the phrase Zhao Cai Jin Bao will likely mean little to you, unless you have a firm grasp of Chinese language and culture. It’s approximate translation equates to something along the lines of “I hope you attract wealth and treasures” and traditionally, it is a salutation expressed when people share a traditional Chinese meal together and as such, it is particularly related to the different items of food that you have on your plate. We should also point out at this point that there is now a progressive jackpot version of the slot.
Playtech have developed this slot and in doing so have created a simple, yet enjoyable game that does not rely on a host of bonus features and free spins in order to draw players in. What instead you have is a set of 5x3 reels that offers players just nine non-fixed paylines in play. However, the number of paylines you can play is effectively doubled as you can win both ways across the reels, from left to right and also from right to left. This feature, which is partly why slots like Starburst proved so popular, does give the slot huge added appeal as it keeps players invested in a spin right down to the final reel.
Another big plus for the Zhao Cai Jin Bao slot is that it offers a massive range of stakes, you can wager from as little as £0.01 per spin, up to a maximum of £900 per spin, which means that regardless of whether you are a micro stakes player, or a higher roller who wagers hundreds per spin, you can take something from this slot. The jackpot in the base game is a whopping 5,000x your wager, which when you play at the higher levels is easy to see why the game appeals to higher rollers. It is also a medium to lower variance slot with wins coming along regularly with a mix of different sizes.
Key Information
In terms of the Zhao Cai Jin Bao slot, there are just a couple of features that need to be pointed out. Once we have already mentioned, which is the ability to win both ways across the reel. This is one of the most underrated bonuses you can add to a slot because it effectively doubles the paylines available to a player, without adding any cash to the overall cost of the spin. It also ensures that players can still win even if their first two reels don’t pan out as they hoped as you can win from the fifth reel backwards too.
The lower value symbols on the reels are the playing card lows from 9 through to the ace, but these have been decorated in a Chinese style livery that works quite well. Higher value symbols include a range of animals popular in Chinese culture, such as fish. The Dragons head is the highest value symbol offering a chance of the jackpot prize if landed five on a payline. The Wild symbol can be used to replace high and low value symbols to create winning paylines on the reels and when it does, it awards a 2x multiplier on any wins that it completes.
The only other bonus feature to note on the slot is the Scatter symbol, which is the unusual hat shaped item, decorated in gold against a blue backdrop. In truth, I do not have a clue what this symbol represents but I do know that if you land just two on the reels in adjacent rows from left to right or right to left, then you can earn yourself a payout which increases in size depending on how many of the scatters you land in adjacent reels.
How to win at the Zhao Cai Jin Bao Slot
In truth, the key to winning at the Zhao Cai Jin Bao slot is simply to keep playing at the right stake level for your bankroll because there are not any bonus games, free spins, pick me games or similar to unlock with the slot. What you have here is a game that has been devised exclusively for slot purists to enjoy and where you can access every win, including the highest possible wins in the slot on any spin in the base game.
The Wild and Scatter symbols offer regular bonus wins alongside your standard Base Game wins, but the biggest and most pleasing aspect of the slot is the fact that you can win both ways across the reels. This gives the slot a great deal more added depth than slots that pay only one way and as such, because you are fully invested in each spin through to the end of it, you don’t develop that burning hunger to trigger the bonus game.
Zhao Cai Jin Bao is a slot which takes a step backwards from the race to offer a greater number of and greater variation of bonuses and features and instead focuses on simple slot gaming with the win both ways twist and it works very well. It may not appeal to gamers who enjoy unlocking bonus features, but it is a treat to play for the slot purist.