Duel at Dawn
- Trigger
- 3+ Duel scatters
- Spins
- 10 free spins
- Twist
- More VS symbols on the reels
- Buy volatility
- Very high
Wanted Dead or a Wild Slot DuelReels, three bonus games and the 12,500x max win explained
Wanted Dead or a Wild is Hacksaw Gaming's western slot on a 5×5 grid with 15 paylines. VS symbols turn whole reels wild with multipliers up to 100x, and three kinds of scatter lead to three different bonus games. This guide explains every rule from the game's own information pages, along with the maths behind the max win.
12,500xMax win
96.38%Highest RTP version
100xTop DuelReel multiplier
15Paylines on a 5×5 grid
3Bonus games
4/5Volatility rating
Ready to face the outlaws?Wanted Dead or a Wild is in the Hacksaw Gaming section of Stake. Check that online casinos are legal where you live before you sign up.
Play the slot at StakeWanted Dead or a Wild rules
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a video slot from Hacksaw Gaming, released in 2021. It was the first game built around DuelReels, the studio's mechanic where a VS symbol turns into a full wild reel with a multiplier. The rules below come from the game's information pages and Hacksaw's official page for the game.
- Provider
- Hacksaw Gaming
- Released
- 2021
- Grid
- 5 reels and 5 rows
- Paylines
- 15, paying from the leftmost reel
- Special mechanic
- DuelReels from VS symbols
- DuelReel multipliers
- 2x to 10x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 100x
- Bonus games
- Duel at Dawn, Dead Man's Hand, The Great Train Robbery
- Bonus trigger
- 3 or more matching scatters
- Bonus buy
- All three bonus games, where allowed
- Max win
- 12,500x the total bet
- RTP
- 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% or 88.42%
- Volatility
- 4 out of 5, very high
The 5×5 grid and 15 paylines
The game has five reels of five symbols each. Wins pay along 15 lines from left to right, starting on the leftmost reel, and the paytable sets how many matching symbols each line needs. Only the highest win on each line is paid, and wins on different lines in the same spin add up.
The game's paytable shows each payout in your currency at your current bet. Hacksaw's page for the game doesn't list these amounts, so check them in the game info.
Symbols
Ten regular symbols fill the reels. The five card ranks from 10 to A are the low symbols. The five western symbols are the high ones, and Hacksaw's official screenshot shows four of them, the masked outlaw, the revolver cylinder, the bull skull and the whiskey bottle.
Masked outlaw
Revolver cylinder
Bull skull
Whiskey bottle
Card ranks, 10 to A
Five special symbols complete the set. The sheriff's badge is the wild, the VS symbol starts a duel, and three different scatters lead to the three bonus games.
Wild
VS symbol- Duel scatter
Dead scatter
Train Robbery scatter
The wild
The wild substitutes for every symbol except the VS symbols and the three bonus scatters. It lands as a single symbol in the base game, while DuelReels, Dead Man's Hand and The Great Train Robbery all bring extra wilds of their own.
VS symbols and DuelReels
When a VS symbol lands, the game checks whether its reel would be part of a win if the whole reel turned wild. If it would, the symbol expands to cover the reel and two outlaws appear on it, each with a different multiplier. They duel, the multiplier of the outlaw left standing applies to the entire reel, and every position on that reel becomes wild.
The surviving multiplier is always one of these 13 values from the game rules.
- 2x
- 3x
- 4x
- 5x
- 6x
- 7x
- 8x
- 9x
- 10x
- 20x
- 25x
- 50x
- 100x
When a win runs through two or more DuelReels, their multipliers are added together first, and the total then multiplies the line win. Two DuelReels at 20x and 7x on the same line give 27x, so a line win worth 2x the bet becomes 54x. A VS symbol on every reel turns the whole grid wild. VS symbols land in the base game and in Duel at Dawn.
Three scatters, three bonus games
Each bonus game has its own scatter. Three or more matching scatters in the base game start the bonus of the same name, and each one plays in a different way.
Dead Man's Hand
- Trigger
- 3+ Dead scatters
- Spins
- Collect phase, then 3 showdown spins
- Twist
- Up to 20 wilds and a 31x multiplier
- Buy volatility
- High
The Great Train Robbery
- Trigger
- 3+ Train Robbery scatters
- Spins
- 10 free spins
- Twist
- Every wild that lands stays sticky
- Buy volatility
- Medium
Duel at Dawn
Three or more Duel scatters start Duel at Dawn with 10 free spins. The win rules of the base game still apply, but the reels carry more VS symbols than usual, so DuelReels turn up more often and several can land on the same spin. Hacksaw's game page says this mode can fill the screen with up to five DuelReels, and it calls Duel at Dawn your best shot at the max win.
Dead Man's Hand
Three or more Dead scatters start Dead Man's Hand, a bonus in two phases. The first is a collect phase where only wild and multiplier symbols matter, and they pay nothing at this stage. The counter of remaining spins goes back to three each time you collect a wild or a multiplier, and the phase ends after three spins in a row with nothing collected. The game's splash screen puts the ceiling at 20 wilds and a 31x multiplier.
The showdown follows with three spins. On each one, all your collected wilds land on the grid in random positions, and every win is multiplied by your total multiplier. With the full 20 wilds, only 5 of the 25 positions keep a regular symbol.
The Great Train Robbery
Three or more Train Robbery scatters start The Great Train Robbery with 10 free spins. Every wild that lands sticks to its position until the end of the round and keeps counting in new wins on later spins, so the number of wilds on the grid can only grow. The rules only mention VS symbols for the base game and Duel at Dawn, which leaves the sticky wilds to carry this round.
Buying a bonus
Where the casino allows it, the BUY BONUS button lets you start any of the three bonus games straight from the base game. The buy menu shows the price of each bonus as a multiple of your bet, and the game info lists a separate RTP for each buy. The game files label The Great Train Robbery buy as medium volatility, Dead Man's Hand as high and Duel at Dawn as very high.
Max win
The max win is 12,500 times your total bet. The rules name three modes where it can happen, which are the base game, Duel at Dawn and Dead Man's Hand. When a round reaches the cap, it ends at once, the win is paid and any free spins left are discarded. Hacksaw also reviews every max win by hand and contacts the winner within 48 hours to verify it.
Fancy a duel?Land a VS symbol and let the outlaws fight over your multiplier at Stake.
Play the slot at StakeHow DuelReels multipliers add up
Pick the multiplier of the surviving outlaw on any reel of the official grid, and the calculator applies the DuelReels rules to show what a win through those reels receives.
Surviving multiplier on each reel
0DuelReels on the grid
1xMultiplier for a win through all of them
Pick a multiplier under a reel to turn it into a wild DuelReel.
The 42x rule behind the max win
The game info spells out when the base game reaches the max win. A VS symbol has to land on every reel, which turns the whole grid wild and makes all 15 lines winners, and the five multipliers must add up to at least 42x. Five DuelReels at 8x make only 40x, while four at 10x and one at 2x reach exactly 42x. The weakest possible full screen totals 10x. Any total above 42x hits the same 12,500x cap, so a screen of five 100x outlaws pays no more than one at 42x.
Which DuelReels count for a win
A DuelReel only boosts the wins that pass through it. Every line starts on the leftmost reel, so a DuelReel on reel 1 takes part in every winning line. A DuelReel on reel 5 only helps a line that already matches across the first four reels.
The outlaws are waitingEvery VS symbol can bring up to 100x to a whole reel.
Start a duel at StakeWanted Dead or a Wild RTP and volatility
Hacksaw publishes four RTP versions of the game, and the casino chooses which one it offers. The game info states the version in use, and Hacksaw calculated it over 10 billion simulated rounds. The other two columns are our own arithmetic.
| RTP version | House edge | Average cost per $100 wagered |
|---|---|---|
| 96.38% | 3.62% | $3.62 |
| 94.55% | 5.45% | $5.45 |
| 92.33% | 7.67% | $7.67 |
| 88.42% | 11.58% | $11.58 |
The gap adds up over a session. Across 1,000 spins at $1, the average loss is $36.20 on the 96.38% version and $115.80 on the 88.42% version, more than three times as much. Check the RTP line in the game info before you play for real money. On a keyboard, SHIFT and I open it.
Hacksaw rates the volatility 4 out of 5, the level its games call very high. Most spins return little, and the big wins come from DuelReels and the bonus games.
Know the numbers? Take your shotCheck the RTP in the game info, set a budget and play at Stake.
Play the slot at StakeHow to play Wanted Dead or a Wild at Stake
- Open Stake, sign up, then search the casino for Wanted Dead or a Wild.
- Set your stake with the arrows next to the BET display. The range of bets depends on the casino.
- Press the spin button or the space bar to play a round. AUTOPLAY plays a chosen number of rounds, and STOP ends it early.
- Use BUY BONUS to start a bonus game straight away, if your country allows it.
- Open the game info to read the paytable, the RTP and the full rules.
On a keyboard, SHIFT and P show or hide the paytable.
Where to play Wanted Dead or a Wild
Wanted Dead or a Wild is in the Hacksaw Gaming library at Stake, one of the largest crypto casinos, together with other Hacksaw slots such as Le Bandit and Duel at Dawn.
Stake isn't available in every country, so check that you're allowed to play where you live before you sign up.
Wanted Dead or a Wild FAQ
How does Wanted Dead or a Wild work?
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a Hacksaw Gaming slot with five reels, five rows and 15 paylines that pay from the leftmost reel. A VS symbol can turn its reel into a wild DuelReel with a multiplier up to 100x, and three matching scatters start one of three bonus games. The max win is 12,500x the bet, and the top RTP version returns 96.38%.
What are DuelReels in Wanted Dead or a Wild?
DuelReels are reels taken over by a VS symbol. When the expanded reel would be part of a win, the VS symbol covers the whole reel, two outlaws duel and the survivor's multiplier, from 2x to 100x, applies to the reel, which turns wild. A win that passes through several DuelReels gets the sum of their multipliers. Wanted Dead or a Wild was the first Hacksaw game to use them.
How do you hit the 12,500x max win?
In the base game, the rules give an exact recipe. A VS symbol has to land on all five reels at once, which turns the whole grid wild, and the five DuelReel multipliers must add up to at least 42x. The max win can also come in Duel at Dawn and Dead Man's Hand, and the round stops as soon as the cap is reached.
What is the RTP of Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Hacksaw offers the game in four versions, at 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42% RTP, and each casino picks one. On the top version the house keeps $3.62 of every $100 wagered on average, and on the lowest it keeps $11.58. The game info shows the RTP of the version you are playing, along with a separate RTP for each bonus buy, so check it before you play.
Which bonus game is the best in Wanted Dead or a Wild?
It depends on how much risk you enjoy. The game's buy menu rates The Great Train Robbery as medium volatility, Dead Man's Hand as high and Duel at Dawn as very high. Duel at Dawn loads the reels with VS symbols and gives the best shot at a screen full of DuelReels. Sticky wilds make The Great Train Robbery the steadiest of the three, and Dead Man's Hand sits in between.
How does Dead Man's Hand work?
Dead Man's Hand runs in two phases. In the collect phase, wild and multiplier symbols go into two counters, up to 20 wilds and a 31x multiplier, and the spin count returns to three each time you collect one. Three spins in a row without a collection end the phase. The showdown then plays three spins where your wilds land at random on the grid and every win is multiplied by your total.
Can you buy the bonus in Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Yes, where the casino and local rules allow it. The BUY BONUS button opens a menu with The Great Train Robbery, Duel at Dawn and Dead Man's Hand. Each one is priced as a multiple of your bet and has its own RTP in the game info. Some countries ban bonus buys, the UK among them, so the button may be missing where you play.
Is there a strategy for Wanted Dead or a Wild?
No strategy changes the result of a spin, because every outcome is random and the RTP is fixed by the version the casino runs. You can still choose the version, your bet and your budget. Look for 96.38% in the game info, pick a bet that can ride out long dry spells on a very volatile slot, and set a loss limit before you start.
Which slots are similar to Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Duel at Dawn is a later Hacksaw western built on the same DuelReels, with multipliers up to 200x and an Outlaw symbol that shoots wilds onto the grid. Le Bandit, another Hacksaw hit, swaps the Wild West for a raccoon thief in Paris and pays in clusters, with a 10,000x max win. Both are in the Hacksaw section at Stake next to Wanted Dead or a Wild.