Wanted Dead or a Wild: 96.38% published RTP, very-high volatility, 12,500x max win

Wanted Dead or a Wild: our verdict

The slot that made Hacksaw's name, and still the sharpest expression of its DuelReels idea: a 5×5 grid where expanding wild reels fight for a multiplier, three bonus games that each change the rules, and a 12,500× ceiling that the maths actually reaches.

Why it is on the list

Four years after release it is still the game Hacksaw players pick first, and the reason is the design rather than the theme. Wanted Dead or a Wild is a 5-reel, 5-row, 15-line slot whose whole engine is the DuelReel: a VS symbol expands into a wild reel when that would complete a win, two outlaws duel on it, and the survivor's multiplier is applied to every win crossing the reel. Two DuelReels in the same win add their multipliers together before they multiply the line. That one rule gives the base game real top-end potential, which most slots reserve for a bonus.

How it plays

Three bonus games, from Hacksaw's own feature notes. The Great Train Robbery makes every wild that lands sticky, so the screen fills over the round and the same wilds pay again and again. Duel at Dawn is the DuelReel mechanic given a whole round to itself. Dead Man's Hand is the volatile one, and the one players buy. The base game is a grind between those rounds — Hacksaw rates the volatility 5 out of 5 on its own scale, the top of it — so this is a title you fund for the bonus, not for the base game.

The maths

Hacksaw licenses four returns for this title: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. That is an eight-point spread between the best and worst build, and the lobby does not tell you which one you are on — the paytable inside the game does. Max win is 12,500× the bet. Our reading of Roobet's build found the 96.38% version loaded, which is why the review names it as the place to play it.

Who it is for

Players who want a base game that can pay and are happy to sit through a dry stretch to see it. If you want a steadier ride on the same engine, Duel at Dawn, further down this list, is the same mechanic at 4 of 5 volatility.