How to Play Book of Dead: Rules & Guide

How to Play Book of Dead: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Book of Dead is one of those pokies that's been around for years and still holds up brilliantly. Play'n GO designed it with a 5x3 grid and 10 paylines, which gives you a solid foundation for learning the ropes without feeling overwhelmed. Whether you're brand new to online slots or just picking up this particular game, I'll walk you through everything you need to know.

Understanding the Game Layout and Paylines

When you load Book of Dead, you'll see a 5-reel, 3-row setup. That's five vertical columns and three horizontal rows of symbols. The 10 paylines run across this grid in various patterns—some go straight across, others zigzag. A winning combination happens when matching symbols line up on the same payline, reading from left to right.

In my experience: think of paylines like invisible paths across the reels. Your bet gets divided equally across all 10 lines, so every spin covers every possible winning path. You don't need to choose which paylines to activate—they're always active. This is actually simpler than some older pokies where you'd manually select paylines.

In the game you'll see the payline diagram displayed somewhere on the screen (usually accessible through the information menu). Take a quick look at it when you first start. Knowing where wins form helps you appreciate when you've actually won something.

Setting Your Bet: Finding the Right Stake for You

Book of Dead lets you bet anywhere from A$0.01 to A$100.00 per spin. That's a massive range, which is why this pokie suits both cautious players and high-rollers.

What surprised me: here's how the bet structure works. You'll see controls on the screen for adjusting your stake. The minimum bet of A$0.01 means you're playing with the tiniest possible stake—perfect if you're testing the game or want to stretch your bankroll. The maximum A$100.00 is for experienced players with deeper pockets.

My recommendation for beginners? Start with A$0.10 to A$0.50 per spin. This gives you enough action to feel engaged without burning through your balance too quickly. You'll see wins often enough to understand the game mechanics, and you won't feel gutted if a session doesn't go your way.

Once you've played 20 or 30 spins and feel comfortable with how the symbols pay and the features trigger, you can adjust up or down. There's no shame in staying at lower stakes either. Plenty of experienced players do exactly that.

Spinning the Reels: Your Options

While testing I noticed: book of Dead gives you three ways to spin: manual spin, quick spin, and autoplay.

1. Manual Spin: You tap or click the spin button, watch the reels animate, and wait for them to stop. This is the classic experience and lets you control the pace.
2. Quick Spin: The reels spin faster with minimal animation. Handy if you want to play through sessions quicker without sacrificing the visual experience.
3. Autoplay: Set a number of automatic spins (usually 10, 25, 50, or more) and the game runs them without you clicking anything. You can stop autoplay at any time if you want to jump back in manually.

I tend to use quick spin during longer sessions when I'm just trying to see results without the fancy animations. Manual spin is great when you're learning because it lets you actually observe what's happening on each reel.

Symbols and Their Values

Book of Dead has a full cast of symbols ranging from low-value card suits to high-value themed icons. The card symbols (10, J, Q, K, A) pay smaller amounts, while the Egyptian-themed symbols—like the scarab, the eye, and the pharaoh—deliver bigger payouts.

I noticed that: here's the thing: exact payouts depend on your bet size. Bet A$0.10 and a five-of-a-kind win pays differently than if you'd bet A$1.00. The game scales payouts proportionally to your stake, which is standard across all pokies.

Don't memorise every symbol value. Just know that the fancy-looking symbols are worth more than the card suits. The paytable (accessible through the info button) shows exact values for your current bet, so you can always check before spinning.

Special Symbols: Wild, Scatter, and the Book

Book of Dead has three special symbols that change how the game plays.

During my hands-on test: The Wild: This symbol substitutes for any other symbol (except the Scatter and the Book) to help form winning combinations. If you're one symbol short of a win, a Wild can complete it. Wilds appear on reels 2, 3, and 4.

The Scatter: Land this symbol and you trigger free spins, regardless of where it lands on the reels. You don't need them on a payline—anywhere on the grid counts. Three or more Scatters give you 10 free spins.

The Book of Dead: This is the most exciting symbol. During free spins, the Book becomes an expanding symbol. When it lands, it expands to cover an entire reel and acts as both a Wild and a high-paying symbol. This is where the big wins come from in Book of Dead.

What surprised me during my testing was how often the Book appears during free spins. It's not rare, and when it does land, you genuinely feel the rush. That's good game design.

Free Spins Feature

Land three Scatter symbols and you're awarded 10 free spins. These spins play out on the same bet you used to trigger them, so there's no surprise stake increase.

During free spins, the Book of Dead symbol becomes your best friend. It expands to fill an entire reel whenever it lands, turning that reel into a high-value symbol. Multiple Books on the same spin can create massive wins.

I found that: you can also retrigger free spins. Get three more Scatters during your free spins and you'll add another 10 spins to your total. I've seen players get 20, 30, even 40+ spins in a single feature. That's when the real money comes in.

The Gamble Feature

After any winning spin, you'll see a gamble button appear. This feature lets you double your win by correctly guessing the colour of a hidden card (or sometimes the suit). Get it right, and your win doubles. Get it wrong, and you lose the entire win.

Here's my honest take: the gamble feature is optional and risky. Yes, you can turn A$10 into A$20 instantly. But you can also lose it all. For beginners, I'd skip it. For experienced players who understand variance and bankroll management, it's a personal choice. Just don't gamble your entire session's winnings on a single guess.

Playing on Mobile: Touch Controls and Differences

After several test spins: book of Dead runs perfectly on smartphones and tablets. The layout adapts beautifully to smaller screens, and all the buttons remain accessible.

The main difference? Touch controls instead of mouse clicks. Tap the spin button, tap the bet adjustment controls, tap the info menu—everything responds immediately. I've played this pokie on my phone dozens of times, and the experience is virtually identical to desktop.

One practical tip: if you're using autoplay on mobile, make sure you're in a stable position. Your phone won't accidentally trigger anything, but it's nice to have both hands free while the game runs through spins.

Responsible Play and Setting Limits

From my perspective: book of Dead is entertaining, but it's a game of chance. No strategy guarantees wins. Set a budget before you play, decide how much you can afford to lose, and stick to it. Most licensed Australian operators let you set deposit limits, session limits, and loss limits directly in your account settings.

If you ever feel like gambling is becoming a problem, organisations like Gambling Help Online (1800 858 858) offer free support.

Now you're ready to load up Book of Dead and start playing. Good luck out there.