Wanted Dead or a Wild
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Quick Stats
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Game name | Wanted Dead or a Wild |
| Provider | Hacksaw Gaming (Malta) |
| RTP | 96.38% default — operator-configurable down to 94.55%, 92.33% or 88.42% (source: Hacksaw Gaming official game page, SlotCatalog) |
| Volatility | 4/5 — high (Hacksaw Gaming’s own rating) |
| Max win | 12,500x stake |
| Min bet | A$0.20 per spin |
| Max bet | A$100 per spin |
| Paylines | 15 fixed paylines on a 5×5 grid |
| Bonus buy available | Yes — 80x, 200x or 400x depending on feature (not available in UK) |
| Mobile compatible | Yes — HTML5, iOS and Android |
| Free demo available | Yes |
| Release date | 29 September 2021 |
What is Wanted Dead or a Wild?
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a high-volatility pokies game from Hacksaw Gaming, a Malta-based studio founded in 2018 that has built its reputation on high-ceiling, mathematically aggressive titles. It was released on 29 September 2021 and quickly became one of the most-streamed pokies in the world, with over 1.1 billion minutes watched on streaming platforms in 2022. The theme is a deliberately bleak Wild West — scorched earth, dead trees, a sun-bleached sky — rather than the cartoon-saloon aesthetic of most Western-themed pokies.
The core loop is simple on the surface. You spin a 5×5 grid looking to line up three or more matching symbols from the leftmost reel across one of 15 fixed paylines. What drives the game is the DuelReels mechanic: VS symbols that land as part of a winning combination expand to cover an entire reel, trigger a duel animation between two outlaws, and turn that full reel wild with a multiplier between 2x and 100x. If multiple VS symbols land on the same winning spin, their multipliers are added together before being applied to payline wins. Three separate bonus rounds sit on top of that base mechanic.
This is not a pokies game for casual spinners. The hit rate is around 19.36% — roughly one winning spin in every five — and the base game symbols pay modestly on their own. The design is built around long periods of nothing followed by rare, potentially very large wins that usually come from the bonus rounds. If you’re used to the steady tempo of Lightning Link or Dragon Link in Australian pubs, the rhythm of this game will feel quiet for long stretches.
How Wanted Dead or a Wild plays
- Set your bet in AUD. At offshore platforms supporting AUD, the stake range runs from A$0.20 to A$100 per spin. Use the up and down arrows next to the spin button.
- Spin the reels. Press the centre button to spin. Turbo spin and autoplay are both available, with autoplay including loss-limit and single-win-limit stops.
- Look for winning combinations. Wins require three or more matching symbols on a payline, starting from the leftmost reel. High-paying symbols include the revolver barrel, money bag, whiskey bottle and outlaw skull. Low-paying symbols are playing cards 10 through A.
- Watch for VS symbols. When a VS symbol lands as part of a winning combination, it expands to fill the whole reel, triggers a duel, and applies a 2x–100x multiplier to that reel.
- Trigger bonus rounds via scatters. Three or more Train Robbery, Duel or Dead scatters trigger the corresponding bonus round. These are described in detail below.
- Consider the bonus buy — with caution. Players in jurisdictions where bonus buy is permitted can purchase direct entry into a bonus round for 80x, 200x or 400x the base bet.
- End the session when your pre-set budget runs out. This is a high-volatility pokies machine. Long losing runs are mathematically normal, not bad luck.
Bonus features and special mechanics
DuelReels (base game and free spins)
Triggered whenever a VS symbol lands as part of a winning combination. The VS symbol expands to cover the full reel, two outlaws duel, and the winning multiplier (2x to 100x) is applied to the entire reel, which becomes wild. When multiple VS symbols land on the same spin, their multiplier values are added together before being multiplied against any payline wins. In practical terms, most base game wins involving VS symbols will sit in the 2x–10x range; the 100x outcomes are rare.
The Great Train Robbery
Triggered by landing three or more Train Robbery scatter symbols. Awards 10 free spins. All wild symbols that land during the feature become sticky and remain in place for the rest of the round. Hacksaw rates this feature at medium volatility — it is the smoothest of the three bonus rounds and the most likely to deliver a moderate return. Bonus buy cost: 80x the base bet (theoretical RTP 96.27%).
Duel at Dawn
Triggered by landing three or more Duel scatter symbols. Awards 10 free spins on a modified reel set where VS symbols appear much more frequently, with the potential to cover all five reels with duelling outlaws in a single spin. This is Hacksaw’s highest-volatility bonus round and is explicitly described in the provider’s own documentation as “all or nothing.” This round is your realistic path to the max win — and also your realistic path to spending 200x your bet for a minimal return. Bonus buy cost: 200x the base bet (theoretical RTP 96.33%).
Dead Man’s Hand
Triggered by landing three or more Dead scatter symbols. This is a two-phase feature. In the collection phase, you start with three respins and collect wild symbols and multipliers — each wild or multiplier resets your respin counter to three. The phase ends after three consecutive non-winning spins. Hard caps apply: a maximum of 20 wilds and a maximum 31x multiplier can be collected. In the Showdown phase, three final free spins are played with all collected wilds placed randomly on the grid and the accumulated multiplier applied to all wins. Bonus buy cost: 400x the base bet (theoretical RTP 96.43%).
Bonus buy
Lets players in permitted jurisdictions skip the base game and buy direct entry into any of the three bonus rounds. The feature is not available to UK players due to regulatory restrictions. At a A$1 stake, buying Dead Man’s Hand costs A$400 in a single click. The bonus round you buy into may return well under what you paid — this is a design feature, not a malfunction. Bonus buys should only be considered with a bankroll that can absorb multiple unsuccessful purchases without distress.
RTP and volatility — what it means for your session
The default theoretical return-to-player (RTP) for Wanted Dead or a Wild is 96.38% — above the 96% industry average for online pokies. However, the RTP is operator-configurable. Hacksaw Gaming offers this game to licensees at four different RTP tiers: 96.38%, 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42%. The RTP you actually get depends entirely on which version the platform has decided to deploy, and players are often not told which tier is active.
What this means in practical terms for an Australian player:
- At 96.38% RTP, expected loss per A$100 wagered is A$3.62
- At 94.55% RTP, expected loss per A$100 wagered is A$5.45
- At 92.33% RTP, expected loss per A$100 wagered is A$7.67
- At 88.42% RTP, expected loss per A$100 wagered is A$11.58
Before depositing, check the game’s information panel — the RTP is always displayed within the game itself. If the platform has set it below 96%, you are paying a significantly worse game. SlotCatalog’s verified data shows some markets serving versions as low as 88.42%.
On volatility: Hacksaw rates this game 4 out of 5. With a hit rate of roughly 19.36%, around one spin in every five is a winner — but most winning spins pay less than your stake. Meaningful wins come almost exclusively from the three bonus rounds, and triggering a bonus round naturally (without buying it) typically takes hundreds of spins. Long losing runs are an expected outcome of this game’s maths, not bad luck. Bankroll management is critical. The statistical probability of hitting the 12,500x max win is approximately 1 in 6 million spins — a number worth remembering every time you see a big-win video on social media.
Bonus buy warning: Buying Duel at Dawn or Dead Man’s Hand (200x and 400x the bet respectively) significantly increases the cost per round. At a A$0.20 stake, a Dead Man’s Hand bonus buy costs A$80. At A$1, it costs A$400. The bought round may return below the purchase price — this is a known outcome, not a failure.
Bet range and bankroll guidance
The bet range at AUD-supporting offshore platforms is typically A$0.20 minimum to A$100 maximum per spin. This is a wide range that suits both small-stakes spinners and high-rollers.
Suggested session bankrolls, bearing in mind this is a high-volatility game where bonus rounds may take 100+ spins to trigger naturally:
- Low-stakes play: at A$0.20 per spin, a A$20 budget gives you 100 spins. A more realistic session budget for actually seeing a bonus round is A$50–A$100 (250–500 spins)
- Mid-stakes play: at A$1 per spin, plan for at least a A$200–A$500 session budget — and expect some sessions to end without a single bonus round
- High-stakes play: at A$10+ per spin, the variance swings become large. A single Dead Man’s Hand bonus buy at A$10 stake is A$4,000
This is not a pokies game suited to tight budgets if your goal is to experience the bonus features. If you’re sticking to a A$20 session, expect most sessions to be pure base game and end without reaching a bonus round. The demo is a better way to see the features if budget is tight.
A basic responsible gambling reminder: set your session budget before you start, don’t increase your bet to chase losses, and walk away when your budget is spent. Pokies are designed to feel close to a win on losing spins — that feeling is by design, not evidence that a win is coming.
Free demo availability
Yes — a free demo of Wanted Dead or a Wild is available. The demo runs in browser using fun credits rather than real money, shows all three bonus rounds (often bought directly rather than triggered), and requires no registration or deposit at most review sites that host it.
Where to find the demo:
- Hacksaw Gaming’s own website hosts a demo (subject to age verification)
- Independent review sites such as SlotCatalog, BigWinBoard, and VegasSlotsOnline host no-registration demos
- Many offshore platforms also offer demo mode before you deposit
The demo version of the game plays identically to the real-money version mechanically — same features, same RTP at the tier the hosting site has chosen. The obvious limitation is that you cannot win real money. We strongly recommend spending at least 100–200 demo spins to feel the pace of the game — particularly the length of base-game droughts — before committing any real money to it.
Where Australians play Wanted Dead or a Wild
Wanted Dead or a Wild is widely distributed — SlotCatalog’s 2026 data shows it available in 59 countries across 5 of 7 scanned casinos. It is not legally offered by any Australian-licensed operator, because no licensed Australian online casino exists. Australian players who play this pokies game do so on offshore platforms.
Informational note: the platforms listed below are mentioned for game-availability reference only. This is not a referral or endorsement.
- Stake.com — licensed in Curaçao. Carries the full Hacksaw Gaming catalogue including Wanted Dead or a Wild. Supports cryptocurrency deposits; AUD handling varies
- Shuffle.com — licensed in Anjouan. Cryptocurrency-focused platform that carries this title within the Hacksaw Gaming lineup
- Other international operators licensed under the Malta Gaming Authority, Curaçao eGaming, or similar offshore jurisdictions typically carry this game in their Hacksaw Gaming section
None of the platforms listed above hold an Australian gambling licence. Playing on offshore platforms carries legal, financial, and consumer-protection risks. Dispute resolution, fund recovery, and regulatory oversight all differ significantly from what Australian-licensed wagering operators are required to provide. Australian players should make their own informed decision about whether to use these services, and should verify each platform’s current licensing, payment support and terms before depositing.
Responsible gambling
Pokies are engineered to be engaging. Features such as the “near-miss” effect, sound design that rewards losses-disguised-as-wins, and the anticipation built into bonus symbols are all deliberate design choices. High-volatility pokies like Wanted Dead or a Wild require more discipline than most, because the long droughts between meaningful wins can push players into loss-chasing behaviour — increasing bet size out of frustration or repeatedly buying bonus rounds trying to “make back” losses. This is one of the most common patterns in problem gambling, and this game’s structure invites it.
Verdict
Wanted Dead or a Wild is a well-built, mathematically honest high-volatility pokies game that delivers exactly what it advertises: long quiet stretches punctuated by rare, potentially very large bonus-round outcomes. Its biggest strength is the DuelReels mechanic and the variety across its three bonus rounds, which give real pacing differences within one game. Its biggest risk for Australian players is the combination of configurable RTP (which can be set as low as 88.42%) and an aggressively priced bonus buy feature (up to 400x stake) that can drain a bankroll quickly.
Recommended with caution — and only for experienced pokies players with a firm, written session budget, a clear understanding that the 12,500x max win is statistically nearly unreachable, and the discipline to walk away when the budget runs out. Not recommended for new players, anyone on a tight budget, or anyone who struggles with loss-chasing. Always check the RTP tier in the game info panel before spinning, and treat the bonus buy feature as a high-cost gamble in its own right, not a shortcut.
