Shining King is the latest online pokie from the designers at iSoftBet. Playing this game is like stepping back in time to 1950’s Las Vegas. There’s a swinging jazz soundtrack, old-school slot symbols, and plenty more to get you in the mood. The only thing that could improve the ambience would be an appearance by the Rat Pack.

Locating Shining King

In order to play this online poker machine, you’ll need to find a casino that offers games from iSoftBet. For Aussie punters looking for variety and quality customer service, I suggest either Casino Chan or Johnny Kash.

Options for Wagers

When it comes time to bet, you’ll have eight options to choose from. You’re required to wager on all 20 lines, and this results in a minimum of $0.20 and a maximum of $20.

As you can see from the numbers above, Shining King is best-suited for players on a budget. While this may be a turn-off for some, I occasionally find it refreshing to play a game with such low stakes.

Top Tracker

This horizontal tracker sits atop the normal reels. It moves from right to left on every spin, and it adds one additional symbol to reels two through five. This is the only place where you’ll find the wild symbol.

Cascading Wins

Winning symbols are replaced, giving the player a chance for additional payouts. When a winning symbol is in the top tracker, it’s replaced by symbols shifting from right to left. On the rest of the reels, the symbols drop down from above the reels.

I love this sort of pokie, as it delivers plenty of bang for your buck. If you feel the same way, then I’d certainly suggest putting it on your short list of games to try.

Shining King Paytable

This section examines the symbols for Shining King, as well as their corresponding payouts. Please remember that prizes adjust based on the player’s wager, so the following numbers aren’t written in stone. In the examples below, I’m assuming the maximum wager of $20 per spin.

  • Cherries – Pays $2 for three matches, $4 for four, $8 for five, and $16 for six.
  • Lemons – Valued at $3 for three matches, $5 for four, $10 for five, and $18 for six.
  • Orange – This symbol is worth $3 for three matches, $5 for four, $10 for five, and $20 for six.
  • Plums – Valued at $4 for three matches, $5 for four, $12 for five, and $20 for six.
  • Grapes – Worth $4 for three matches, $8 for four, $12 for five, and $35 for six.
  • Watermelon – This icon pays $4 for three matches, $8 for four, $12 for five, and $35 for six.
  • Bell – Pays $5 for three matches, $10 for four, $15 for five, and $40 for six.
  • Star – Worth $5 for three matches, $20 for four, $30 for five, and $40 for six.
  • Dollar Sign – Valued at $20 for three matches, $40 for four, $50 for five, and $150 for six.
  • Seven – Pays $40 for two matches, $100 for three, $200 for four, $500 for five, and $1000 for six.
  • Wild – This symbol only appears on the horizontal top tracker. When it does, it substitutes for any symbol except the bonus.
  • Mystery – Shown as a question mark, this symbol can show up on any spin. For more details, read the section below.
  • Bonus – Depicting a king’s crown, this icon is responsible for triggering the bonus round.

Mystery Symbol

During any spin, one or more of these question mark symbols may appear on the reels. When this occurs, all such icons transform into the same symbol (limited to regular symbols, but not the wild or bonus).

Shining King from iSoftBet

Free Spins Bonus

Four bonus icons anywhere on the reels trigger the Free Spins round. You’ll receive 12 free spins, and you’ll also earn five spins for each bonus icon (up to a maximum of 27 spins).

An unlimited multiplier is also active during this phase of the game. It starts at x1 and increases by one each time you get a cascading win.

You can also earn additional bonus spins during the round. To accomplish this, you’ll need to get three or four bonus symbols on the top tracker. Three earns you five spins, while four is worth 10 spins.

Crown Bet

Located on the left of the screen, this option is guaranteed to trigger the Free Spins bonus round. It costs 75x the total wager, so a max bet of $20 would make this worth $1500.

While it sounds like a great option, I wouldn’t get carried away. The designers have made sure that the risk and reward are equal, so it’s not a sure-thing when it comes to making a profit.

Final Thoughts

Shining King is an excellent pokie for low rollers, and I love the jazz soundtrack and laid back feel of the game. The ability to buy the bonus round is always welcome, and the cascading wins feature in an old favourite.

It should also be noted that this pokie uses the Megaways system, which gives it up to 117,649 ways to win. I’ve always found this system to be a little confusing, but I may be in the minority.

Additional Reading

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