Game Overview
Released on January 14, 2016, Book of Dead by Play'n GO follows archaeologist Rich Wilde into an ancient Egyptian tomb. The game runs on a 5×3 reel grid with 1–10 adjustable paylines. Most players keep all 10 active — reducing paylines lowers hit frequency without improving your return rate.
The core stats: RTP 96.21%, high volatility, max win 5,000x stake. At the maximum $100 bet, the top payout is $500,000. The minimum bet is $0.10 per spin.
Symbols & Paytable
Book of Dead has 11 symbols. The Book itself is both wild and scatter. Premium symbols pay from 2 matching on a payline:
- Rich Wilde — 5x = 5,000x stake (top payout)
- Pharaoh — 5x = 2,000x stake
- Anubis — 5x = 750x stake
- Horus Falcon — 5x = 750x stake
- Book (wild/scatter) — 5x = 200x stake
- Card royals (A, K, Q, J, 10) — 5x = 100–150x stake
Free Spins Feature
Land 3 or more Book scatter symbols anywhere on the reels to trigger 10 free spins. Before the round begins, one symbol is randomly selected as the Special Expanding Symbol. Whenever it forms part of a winning combination, it expands to fill the entire reel — massively boosting potential payouts. Landing 3+ scatters during free spins retrigggers for 10 more spins, with no cap on retriggers.
The free spins trigger roughly once every 100–150 base game spins on average. High volatility means some sessions will go 300+ spins without a trigger — this is statistically normal.
What Makes It a Classic
Book of Dead became the benchmark for an entire subgenre of "book" slots. Its mechanics are deliberately simple — there are no complex bonus rounds, no cascading reels, no multiplier trails. The entire game pivots on one moment: which symbol is chosen at the start of free spins. That single random draw determines whether a bonus round pays 5x or 5,000x. That tension is why the game remains so compelling a decade after launch.
Verdict
Book of Dead is best suited for players who prefer infrequent but potentially large wins over steady small payouts. It demands patience and proper bankroll management — bring at least 200x your bet size for a single session. If the expanding symbol hits during a retrigger on Rich Wilde, the result can be life-changing. If it selects a card royal, it will still be a decent bonus.