Bao Shi: Slot Overview

On Yabla’s online Chinese English Pinyin dictionary, typing in “bao shi” brings up meanings like “to give the correct time,” “to release on bail,” and “precious stone.” As we’re looking at a Play’n GO online slot called Bao Shi, it’s fair to go with the third option here. That said, there aren’t really many precious stones on display, if any; instead, the game leans heavily into gold and a mechanic built around landing wilds, uncovering multipliers, and upgrading the highest-paying symbol to help you carve out a decent win or two.

Some players may feel a little watched with two eyes staring down over Bao Shi’s reel set. They belong to Lioras, the Lion God of Prosperity, who protects the temple that houses Bao Shi. According to the tale, a power-hungry warlord placed a dark curse on Lioras, turning him into stone, quieting the temple, and locking away its hidden riches. For players, waking the stone guardian is the goal, as it can place wilds on the reels and set off multipliers. It’s a nicely told backstory that gives extra context to a visually appealing slot, especially if you enjoy Asian-themed games.

Under Lioras’ constant gaze, play takes place on a 5×4 reel grid with 1,024 ways to win, paying for left-to-right combinations starting from the first reel. Volatility is on the punchier end, coming in at 7 out of 10, and the best RTP setting is 96.2%, which is the highest of five available configurations. Wagers run from 10c to $/€100 per spin.

Bao Shi’s symbol set includes 10-A royals, lanterns, coins, fish, sycees, and the Lioras icon, which pays 0.3x to 4x the bet for 5 OAK. In free spins and during the Lioras Blessings feature, the Lioras symbol is swapped for the higher-paying Golden Lioras, worth 6x for 5 OAK. The Drum symbol and the Gold Coin symbols act as wilds, substituting for all symbols except the scatter. Wilds can appear on the three middle reels only.

Bao Shi: Slot Features

The Lioras Blessings feature brings extra wilds into play and can also introduce multipliers, and it’s available both in the base game and in an enhanced version during the free spins bonus.

Lioras Blessings

Lioras, the figure positioned above the reels, collects Drum symbols whenever they appear. Each time a Drum is collected, Lioras Blessings can randomly trigger, granting 2 or 3 Gold Coins. Gold Coins can’t land on top of scatters, Drums, or Golden Lioras symbols. In the base game, Gold Coins may reveal an x2 or x3 multiplier, which is summed up and then applied to all wins. On top of that, any Lioras symbols showing are upgraded to Golden Lioras symbols, boosting payout potential.

Free Spins

Landing 3, 4, or 5 scatters awards 8, 12, or 15 free spins, respectively. During free spins, all Lioras symbols are upgraded to Golden Lioras symbols. Additionally, Lioras Blessings can randomly trigger while the feature runs, awarding 3 to 5 Gold Coins (excluding scatters, Drums, or Golden Lioras symbols), which may reveal an x2, x3, x4, or x5 multiplier. Multipliers are added together and applied to all wins. Any scatter that lands grants +1 free spin, up to a maximum of 100 free spins.

Bao Shi: Slot Verdict

With so many Asian-themed slots out there—many of them sharing a similar look—it’s not always easy to feel excited about another new arrival. Bao Shi, at first, came across as a welcome change. Play’n GO did a strong job setting the stage with a fairly detailed backstory, and Lioras’ intense stare over the reels gives a small shock when the game loads for the first time. In some respects, Bao Shi leans into classic Asian slot imagery; in others, it does manage to separate itself a bit, largely thanks to its memorable Lion Guardian character.

Lioras also has a functional role beyond the visuals. Give him a Drum in the base game and he can trigger blessings that add wild Gold Coins to the reels and potentially uncover multipliers—or he can do the same at random during free spins. That’s largely the extent of the feature set, though, as Bao Shi doesn’t pack in many extras. As a result, the base game can feel slow at times, and with Play’n GO typically not including feature buys, the wait for free spins can become repetitive. Still, Bao Shi does offer big upside for persistent and fortunate players, thanks to a hefty 15,000x max win. Max exposure probability wasn’t available at the time of review, but based on the studio’s history, it’s probably best not to assume full-cap wins will land particularly often.

Even so, there’s always the chance that a wave of upgraded Golden Lioras symbols will land, link up across plenty of ways, and combine with multipliers to produce something memorable. It didn’t happen during the review, and once the initial excitement of the big golden lion faded, the motivation to keep spinning for the long haul faded with it.