Whenever we get a new slot with the word “Book” in the title, it stirs up mixed feelings in us. Part of us looks forward to a new game and another part fears that it will be another one with the “same old, same old” features we’ve seen so many times before. Unfortunately, John Hunter and the Book of Tut falls into the latter category. It’s not a bad game by any means, but it doesn’t move the book series forward an inch in terms of innovation, twists or originality.
On a positive note, John Hunter and the Book of Tut stays true to its legendary source of inspiration if you like the original Book of Ra. The big difference is that the graphics are more modern and the RTP is much higher (at least in most casinos, but watch out for the flexible RTP ranges). The volatility is as high as you can expect from a book slot, and you can place bets between 10 pence and £100 per spin on all platforms and devices.
In other words, spinning on your Android, iPhone or iPad is no problem, and you can win up to 5,000 times your bet on a single spin here (this is the maximum standard win for most book slots). This is hardly John Hunter’s first rodeo, and he should be familiar with the tombs of ancient Egypt by now. Incidentally, too, and we think this game would have benefited from a more original theme and perhaps a 2-scatter respins feature to give you pause sometimes when it comes to triggering the all-important bonus round.
What are the symbols?
As you may have guessed, John Hunter himself is the highest paying symbol in this game, and there are also three other Egyptian symbols of higher value here. The regular royal symbols have been decorated with some Egyptian ornaments, but still pay low compared to the premium symbols. You need between 3 and 5 matching symbols in a combination to win. Here we present you the paytable for John Hunter and the Book of Tut slot:
- John Hunter – Pays 500x for 5 on a payline.
- Wild/Scatter Book – Pays 200x for 5 anywhere
- Pharaoh’s Head – Pays 200x for 5 on a payline
- Cat Statue – Pays 75x for 5 on a payline
- Scarab Statue – Pays 75x for 5 on a payline
- Royal Symbols – Pays 15x to 10x for 5 on a payline
What are the bonus features?
Since this is a true book slot, we all know what matters here, and that is the free spins bonus round. Nevertheless, you will also benefit from the wild book symbol in the base game. This symbol pays off pretty well in its own regard, as you win 200x, 20x and 2x when you land 5, 4 and 3 on a payline. The wild book also substitutes for all regular symbols to help you form winning combinations.
In this regard, it behaves like any wild symbol in most games, but the book also serves as a scatter symbol. This means that if you land 3 to 5 anywhere on the reels, you will get the aforementioned payout. This is also how you trigger the main free spins bonus round of the game.
Free Spins in John Hunter and the Book of Tut
As mentioned earlier, you need to land 3, 4 or 5 book scatter symbols anywhere on the same spin to trigger the free spins feature. This will give you 10 spins no matter how many scatters you land. You will then be taken to a new screen where the pages of the book will display different random symbols as you scroll.
Finally, one of the regular symbols is selected as the special symbol. This is the symbol that expands to cover the entire reel when you land it during the bonus round. The good news is that this selected expanding symbol doesn’t have to be aligned on adjacent reels to pay. For example, you can land it on reels 1, 3, and 5, and it will still give you a payout as if it had landed on reels 1, 2, and 3. Please note that the selected symbol will only “bother” to expand if it means that it will become part of a winning combination.
If you feel that 10 free spins is not enough, you can retrigger the feature and get 10 new spins if you land at least 3 book scatters during the feature. There is no cap on how many times you can do this, which means that you can get a lot of extra free spins if you are lucky.
How much you can win per free spin largely depends on which symbol is selected to expand. Below we show the potential maximum win for each possible selected symbol. Please note that you only need to fill the screen with the selected symbol to win the following amounts:
- Q, J or 10 = 100x the total bet.
- K or A = 150x the total bet
- Scarab or Cat = 750x of total bet
- Pharaoh’s head = 2,000x of the total bet
- John Hunter = 5,000x the total bet
How to play the game
John Hunter and the Book of Tut is not a very complicated slot, but there are still a few things you should know when it comes to gameplay. Here, we’ll quickly go over everything you need to know to get the most out of this game and properly prepare you for this deep dive into the ancient Egyptian chambers.
First, you can check out the paytable and info screen by clicking on the “i” button in the left corner. This is a dynamic paytable that changes the payout values according to your bet level. This means that you can easily find out how much each symbol pays per total bet, and you can find good information about the game rules and other useful things on the info screen.
Next, you need to decide on your bet level, and you can easily change your bet using the plus and minus buttons on either side of the spin button. The hamburger menu, located above the volume slider in the left corner, will take you to the game settings. Here you can enable Quickspins (which we recommend) and turn the music and/or sound effects on or off.
If you want to sit back and relax while the reels spin, you can click on the autoplay button below the spin button. Here you can choose between 10 and 100 autospins and stop the autospins when your bankroll is reduced by a selected amount. You can activate turbo spins if you want really fast gameplay, and you can also stop the autospins when you win a certain amount or trigger the bonus round. That’s what we had about playing John Hunter and the Book of Tut, and we wish you good luck with your spins!
The 200 Spins John Hunter and the Book of Tut Sample
Nothing is more exciting than the first 200 spins of a brand new slot, as this is where our beginner’s luck is put to the test. Please note that 200 spins has no statistical significance, but it still helps us (and you) to get a first impression of the game. Your results will most likely be different than ours, but hey, you can think of it as 200 experience spins that you didn’t have to pay for.
As always, we started by setting the bet level at £1 per spin, and then we checked the paytable. John Hunter is the symbol you’d want as the selected expanding symbol during the bonus round, but we weren’t so lucky, unfortunately. Still, the first 100 spins were by far the most interesting and we had some decent beginner’s luck with this game.
We actually managed to trigger the free spins bonus round on our third spin, and the expanding symbol chosen was J. Not exactly a high-payer, and we only won 20 times our bet as a total win from all 10 free spins. Incredibly, we actually got a second chance on the 12th spin when we landed 3 book scatters again. This time we won 67 times our bet, which is a decent amount, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The next (and last) 100 autospins were far less exciting. We got a lot of dead spins with wins between 0.5x and 3x sprinkled in every now and then. We didn’t trigger the bonus round during these spins, but we did manage to win 41x on one spin in the base game, which is decent. This is the way to go with a very volatile game, and we hope your beginner’s luck far outstrips ours.
Rating Conclusion
The book slot saga never seems to end, and this time it’s John Hunter’s turn to explore the mystery of the ancient Book of the Underworld. The game is very similar to Book of Ra, but not completely identical. For example, the RTP is significantly higher, but the bonus round is more or less the same. The base game can be a bit boring and triggering the bonus round is not always easy.
If you like the John Hunter character and enjoy following his epic journeys, you might prefer John Hunter and the Book of Tut over legendary book slots like Book of Dead and Book of Ra Deluxe. As always, the maximum win potential is 5,000x, and the graphics and soundtrack are quite good here.
Pros
Wild symbol with scatter payouts
Free spins with selected expanding symbol
High volatility and 5,000x maximum win potential
Cons
Does not add anything new or original to the book slot series
John Hunter And The Book Of Tut Slot FAQs
What is the payout percentage (RTP) of John Hunter and the Book of Tut?
Pragmatic Play is a developer that allows operators to choose their own RTP. This means that RTP values can vary between markets and casinos, but the “default” RTP is 96.5%. This is the payout percentage you should aim for. So always check with the casino before you start playing. Available RTP values are 96.50% and 94.50%.
How volatile is this game?
Like most book slots, John Hunter and the Book of Tut is a game with high volatility. It scores 5 out of 5 on Pragmatic’s volatility scale, so you need to mentally prepare yourself for a ride that can take a toll on your bankroll. For this reason, it’s a good idea to set a reasonable bet that will keep you afloat long enough to trigger the bonus round at least a couple of times.
Is the free spins bonus round different from those on other book slots?
Yes and no. You could say that the bonus round here is the “standard” book slot bonus round, but there are book slots where the bonus round has been changed significantly. In John Hunter and the Book of Tut slot, however, it’s all about the default expanding symbol that we’ve seen many times before.
What is the biggest possible win in John Hunter and the Book of Tut slot?
The game itself claims that the maximum win is 5,500 times your bet, but we don’t see how this is possible. Filling the reels with the symbol with the highest payout (John Hunter) will pay exactly 5,000 times your bet, and the maximum scatter win you can get for triggering the feature is 200 times your bet. We can only assume that the maximum win for the bonus round is capped at 5,500x in total. However, a maximum win potential of 5,000x is the standard for most book slots.
Can I play the John Hunter and the Book of Tut slot for free?
Yes. In fact, you can play the demo version of John Hunter and the Book of Tut right here on this page. All you have to do is scroll up, and you’ll find the free version of this game available to load. You’ll also find a number of trusted casinos where you can play for real money whenever you feel ready.
