This Saturday marks the start of the 2017 Chinese New Year. The New Year will be celebrated by more than a billion people, making it one of the world’s biggest holidays. Well, what better way to ring in the new year than with the God of Prosperity himself! It is fitting then to play our Chinese-themed slot, Choy Sun Doa – the name of this slot literally translates to God of Prosperity or God of Wealth.
According to legend, Choy Sun is the accountant in charge of guarding all treasures in heaven. He is also able to bestow some of that fortune onto suitable candidates on earth. It’s no wonder that businessmen, investors, traders and gamblers pray to this deity! Let’s pay him a visit immediately.
Game Basics
There are 10 symbols in the game. You can win 5 to 200x with the lower-value guys – A, K, Q, J and 10. Meanwhile, the prizes range from 15 to 1,000x with the high-value symbols. This includes the golden dragon, gold coin, jade ring, koi fish or red packets. The God of Prosperity (the Chinese man with long beard) is the game’s wild symbol. He substitutes for all symbols except scatter symbols to create winning combinations. Finally, there’s the Scatter symbol – nugget of gold symbol – that activates free games.
Choy Sun Doa utilizes Aristocrat’s proprietary Reel Power™ system. Instead of betting on a certain number of paylines at a time, players buy entire slot reels. The more reels you buy, the more ways to win and the higher your chances of scoring winning combinations.
For example, if you buy two reels, you’ll enjoy 9 different ways to win. The number of ways to win are calculated by multiplying the number of positions active in each column (3 x 3 x 1 x 1 x 1 = 9 ways to win). The table below describes the five different reel options in detail. The game offers the middle row of symbols free, regardless of how many reels you choose to play with.
| Reels in Play | Reel Cost | Positions in Play | Ways to Win |
| 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 ways to win |
| 2 | 3 | 9 | 9 ways to win |
| 3 | 7 | 11 | 27 ways to win |
| 4 | 15 | 13 | 81 ways to win |
| 5 | 25 | 15 | 243 ways to win |
The chances of winning in each reel setting is largely the same – Aristocrat reports a 94.5 to 94.6% payout percentage for the entire game. Hence, you should feel free to choose whichever setting you prefer. Having more reels in play at a time usually results in a faster-paced game. However, if you have very little to play with, choosing one to three reels gives you time to slowly build up your bankroll.
Bonus Features
If you score three or more gold nuggets on the reels, you’ll unlock the exciting bonus game feature. You’ll be taken to a separate screen, where five different free game options are presented to you:
- 20 Free games with 2, 3 or 5x multiplier on all wins involving Choy Sun
- 15 Free games with 3, 5 or 8x multiplier on all wins involving Choy Sun
- 10 Free games with 5, 8 or 10x multiplier on all wins involving Choy Sun
- 8 Free games with 8, 10 or 15x multiplier on all wins involving Choy Sun
- 5 Free games with 10, 15 or 30x multiplier on all wins involving Choy Sun
So, which would you choose? Would you prefer more free rounds or larger multipliers? Would you settle for a couple of mediocre-sized wins, or would you take on higher risk and chase after the big wins? The game developer, Aristocrat informs that the payout percentage is essentially the same during either of these options. In other words, how successful you are during these bonus games comes down to luck.
Following Chinese tradition, older family members give younger family members red envelopes filled with money. In this slot game, Choy Sun is happy to step in! During the free games, any red packets that appear results in a random prize of 2 to 50x your stake. Receiving red packets symbolizes good fortune in the coming year. Let’s hope this sets the tone for your luck in 2017!
How Does The Game Perform?
Truth be told, Choy Sun Doa’s graphics are slightly less sophisticated than other slots you’d find at Fortune Frenzy casino. The reels are decked in symbols that represent wealth and prosperity in Chinese culture. The background music is like those that you’d hear at casinos in Macau, the Las Vegas of Asia.
The Feature That You Should Look Out For
Choy Sun Doa is powered by a company called Aristocrat Technologies, which specializes in producing land-based slot machines for the Australian and North American market. You can tell that they understand player engagement better than anyone else. The Choy Sun Doa slot, as well as other games by this developer, delivers a steady rhythm of small and big wins. It takes years of experience and trial and error to perfect a slot’s payout timing algorithm.
And Finally…
If you’re born in the year of the rooster – that’s 1993, 1981, 1969 or 1957 – it’s said to be your lucky year. Start raking in that good fortune with the God of Wealth himself. Even if you aren’t born in one of those years, I’d give the Choy Sun Doa slot a shot. You might have landed yourself in his good books and are due for a hefty payout!
