Books & Bulls review
Books & Bulls is a 2016 slot from German studio Gamomat. Spanish bullfighting provides the theme: you play the torero, and the reels mix bullfighting characters and props with card symbols. The 5×3 grid packs two different free games: a book round with an expanding symbol and a bull round with sticky Wilds. That dual setup is what sets it apart from standard Book of Ra clones. The game grew out of the German land-based tradition, and it shows everywhere: a short paytable, few lines, two gamble features and stakes built for unhurried play.
Five or ten lines
Wins are read along a line starting from the leftmost reel. The description lists five- and ten-line variants. So different casinos may run different versions, and the rules screen is where you check which one you have.
Line pays run rightwards from reel one. Full coefficients, minimum lengths for each type and symbol weights are absent. At equal total stake, five versus ten lines changes the share on each line; more lines alone do not establish a higher average award. Comparative version RTP is unpublished.
The torero and two separate Scatter sets
The torero is the Wild: he substitutes for all regular symbols but not the scatters. Both the book and the bull act as scatters, and each leads to its own bonus. A trio of either type, in any positions, opens the matching round.
The first practical point follows straight away: mixed scatters do not add up. Two books and a bull are not “three scatters” but two incomplete sets. Each bonus counts only its own symbol, and the Wild helps neither.
The regular-play torero does not persist. Two books and a bull do not trigger entry: three or more of one type are needed rather than a mixed total. The player does not choose a mode; the matching Scatter set triggers its ten games.
Type A: expansion without adjacent reels
Books landing three or more at a time award 10 free games. A random symbol is picked as the special symbol first; during the free games it expands to fill its reel and pays regardless of its position on a line, the classic book mechanic. The official feature list calls this “free games of type A”.
The special type expands with enough qualifying reels and pays on all active lines without adjacency or a reel-one start. If a selected cape needs three reels, appearances on two and four are insufficient, but one, three and five provide three expanded columns. That type’s exact threshold and selection weights are unspecified; the example is conditional. It does not establish that only one or two spins usually pay.
Type B: sticky Wilds through ten spins
Bulls in the same numbers open the second free games round, also 10 spins, listed by Gamomat as “free games of type B” with sticky Wilds. Here the torero becomes a sticky Wild: every Wild that lands stays in place until the end, so the earlier they appear, the more lines they can complete.
Counting the landing spin, a Wild on spins one, three, five, eight, ten remains for ten, eight, six, three, one spins. Three arriving on one, two, three give 10+9+8 = twenty-seven presences; on eight, nine, ten they give 3+2+1 = six, a 4.5 ratio. This measures duration rather than payout: symbols, positions and combinations can change the result. Every line crosses the middle reel, but not necessarily a single cell on it.
Hypothetical toreros on reels two to four of one line extend an ordinary reel-one start to four if substitution is eligible. A matching fifth reel makes five. Scatters are not substituted, so collected Wilds do not guarantee payment on every remaining spin. Mode average pays, retriggers and entry rates are unpublished. The free spins guide explains the principles.
Two gamble features and parameters
After an award, card doubling and a risk ladder are available: the amount climbs rungs, with collection possible at each. Card success doubles the amount; failure loses the gambled win. Under hypothetical independent 50/50 chances, two successes give one quarter, and three one eighth; this illustrates probability rather than confirms this build’s odds. Exact rungs, limits and probabilities are absent. The slot glossary defines the terms.
Main RTP is 96.11%, with other market models available on request but no figure list. Help identifies the active percentage. Book of Ra Deluxe lists 95.10%, a 1.01-percentage-point gap. Volatility is high; hit and feature rates unknown. Stakes are 0.05–6. Maximum award and termination at it are unpublished; an absent number does not mean unlimited payouts.
The Books & family and other bullfights
Gamomat recommends Books & Temples and Books & Pearls, with a book round and second mechanic. ELK’s Wild Toro uses a walking bull knocking down matadors and leaving Wilds: medium volatility, respins without free spins. Book of Ra Deluxe has one expanding-symbol feature, and Book of Aztec takes that principle to an Aztec theme. Berlin studio releases appear on its provider page.
