Wanted Dead or a Wild (Hacksaw Gaming) – Review & Demo Play

Wanted Dead or a Wild Stats: Real RTP, Volatility & Max Win

From long sessions and tracker data, the real-world picture matches the sheet. Over 62.6 million rounds, RTP came out at 96.11%, close to the 96.15% figure. The hit rate sits at roughly 1 in 5.16 spins, so you see action without it feeling busy. Bonus entries are rarer at about 1 in 288.47 spins, which fits the high-vol model. When it pops, it can climb fast, with recorded multipliers reaching the 12,500x cap.

Volatility is right up there. The measured dispersion sits around 727.67, which translates to dry patches and then sudden bursts. The run rates for bigger hits frame expectations well. I’ve seen x10+ at roughly 1 in 100 spins, and x20+ at around 1 in 187.5. That’s the trade-off you live with here. If you want small nudges every other spin, this isn’t it. If you want a proper punt, this one qualifies.

I size my stakes with that profile in mind. Bankroll should cover the gaps, because the premium value arrives in bursts, most often through VS-heavy sequences or the two-stage Dead Man’s Hand. The headline max win remains 12,500x, and it is not theoretical fluff; top logs include x12,404 and x12,000+ events across long samples. You won’t see that every week, but the ceiling exists, and the path to it is clear enough.

About the Game in Wanted Dead or a Wild

The setup is clean. Five reels and five rows, 15 fixed ways paying left to right, and classic Western icons on the reels. Low symbols are 10 to A. Premiums are bull skulls, bandits, money bags, whiskey bottles, and the shotgun chamber. Wilds sub in, and VS symbols can turn a reel wild with a multiplier. You can land three types of feature: Duel at Dawn, The Great Train Robbery, and Dead Man’s Hand, each changing the mood.

Duel at Dawn in Wanted Dead or a Wild

Hit three or more DUEL symbols and you’re into Duel at Dawn with 10 free spins. The reel set gets loaded with more VS symbols than base game, so the pace shifts. When a VS joins a winning line, it expands to cover the reel, spawns two outlaws, and the winning outlaw stamps a multiplier on the reel. That reel turns wild for the spin. Values range from 2x to 100x, which is where the game wakes up.

Stacking VS is the aim. Land two or more and the multipliers add before line wins get counted, which can set up chunky totals. Hit a VS on every reel and you’ll see the whole grid act as wild, which is rare but thrilling. I’ve had my best runs here, though it can pass dead when VS refuses to show. Classic high-vol feel: barren spins, then one setup that pays for the lot.

Dead Man’s Hand in Wanted Dead or a Wild

Three or more DEAD symbols launch Dead Man’s Hand. It starts with a collect phase that plays on a three-spin meter. Land a wild or a multiplier and the meter resets to three, and the symbol gets banked into its pot. You keep collecting until you run out of spins. It’s tense, because every dead spin matters. I’ve seen piles of wilds with small multipliers, and lean wild counts with chunky multipliers. Both routes can work.

Then comes the showdown. You get three spins where the banked wilds spray onto the grid each time, and every win gets hit by the collected multiplier. This is pure setup value; the collect phase decides your level, the showdown pays it. When it lands right, it feels like a cashout mode. When it misses, it stings. I rate it as the swingiest feature in the slot, but also the one with the cleanest maths.

The Great Train Robbery in Wanted Dead or a Wild

Three or more TRAIN ROBBERY symbols start The Great Train Robbery, a 10-spin round with sticky wilds. Any wild that lands stays put for the rest of the feature, which builds pressure spin by spin. Compared with the other bonuses, this one plays steadier and can grind out fair totals when the early wilds arrive. Miss early, and it flatlines. Catch a cluster across the mid reels, and it sets a base for tidy pay lines.

Feature Buys in Wanted Dead or a Wild

If you don’t want to wait, you can buy in. Duel at Dawn costs 80x, The Great Train Robbery 200x, and Dead Man’s Hand 400x. I’ve used buys when I’m hunting specific outcomes: VS-heavy ladders in Duel, grindy sticky setups in Train, or a high ceiling shot in Dead Man’s. Buys ramp variance and session cost, so I pair them with a defined stop. The maths doesn’t change; you’re just skipping the base spin lottery.

Wanted Dead or a Wild Symbols and Paytable

Payouts run simple. Lows 10, J, Q, K, A pay 0.1x for three, 0.5x for four, 1x for five. Bull skull and bandit pay 0.5x, 2.5x, 5x. Money bag and bottle of whiskey pay 1x, 5x, 10x. The shotgun chamber tops the lot at 2x, 10x, 20x for three, four, five. Wilds substitute and carry their own line prize up to 20x for five of a kind. All wins pay left to right on 15 fixed lines across the 5x5 grid.

Feature triggers are scatters tied to their rounds. Three or more DUEL, TRAIN ROBBERY, or DEAD symbols start their namesake features. VS symbols can land in base and Duel at Dawn. When they expand, the reel turns wild and takes a multiplier from 2x up to 100x, with multiple VS adding together before line evaluation. That mechanic drives most of the highlight screens, so I always scan for those VS teases.

Wanted Dead or a Wild Symbols and Paytable

Symbol	Quantity	Payout
	Wild
	5	x20
	5	x20
	4	x10
	3	x2
	5	x10
	4	x5
	3	x1
	5	x10
	4	x5
	3	x1
	5	x5
	4	x2.5
	3	x0.5
	5	x5
	4	x2.5
	3	x0.5
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.1
	5	x1
	4	x0.5
	3	x0.1
	Scatter
	Scatter
	Scatter
	Scatter
	Multiplier