Top Casinos to Play Wanted Dead or a Wild
How to Start Playing Wanted Dead or a Wild for Real Money
Choose a Casino
Select a licensed UK casino offering Hacksaw Gaming slots. Verify the site displays UKGC licensing in the footer.
Register
Create your account with email and personal details. UK casinos require identity verification for compliance.
Make a Deposit
Fund your account via PayPal, debit card, or other accepted methods. Minimum deposits usually start at £10.
Find the Slot in Casino Lobby
Search "Wanted Dead or a Wild" or browse Hacksaw Gaming's section. The game appears in most providers' western-themed categories.
Set Bet and Start Spinning
Adjust your stake from £0.20 to £100, then spin to trigger VS Duels and chase those three unique bonus modes.
About the Slot
Wanted Dead or a Wild drops you into the lawless frontier where gunslingers settle scores and train heists promise fortune. Released in 2021, this Hacksaw Gaming slot stands out through its three completely different bonus modes – each offering distinct mechanics and paths to the 12,500x maximum win.
Western Theme and Visuals
The wild west setting captures that dusty, sun-bleached aesthetic of frontier towns where outlaws ruled. Wanted posters plaster the backdrop, weathered wood frames the reels, and the atmosphere drips with that deadly duel tension.
When Hacksaw designed Wanted Dead or a Wild, the aim was recreating those legendary robbery tales and high-noon showdowns through visual storytelling. The soundtrack layers gunfire, galloping horses, and saloon piano into an authentic western soundscape.
Symbol Values and Payouts
Wins form left-to-right across 15 fixed paylines. Only the highest win per payline counts toward your total. The Wild symbol substitutes for all regular symbols but not Bonus or VS symbols.
| Symbol | 5-of-a-Kind Payout |
|---|---|
 |
5 - 40x |
 |
5 - 40x
4 - 20x 3 - 4x |
 |
5 - 20x
4 - 10x 3 - 2x |
 |
5 - 20x
4 - 10x 3 - 2x |
 |
5 - 10x
4 - 5x 3 - 1x |
 |
5 - 10x
4 - 5x 3 - 1x |
 |
5 - 2x
4 - 1x 3 - 0.2x |
 |
5 - 2x
4 - 1x 3 - 0.2x |
 |
5 - 2x
4 - 1x 3 - 0.2x |
 |
5 - 2x
4 - 1x 3 - 0.2x |
 |
5 - 2x
4 - 1x 3 - 0.2x |
VS Duel Symbols
VS symbols are the heartbeat of Wanted Dead or a Wild. When a VS lands and contributes to a winning combination, it expands to cover the entire reel. Two outlaws appear, each displaying a random multiplier.
Possible multiplier values: 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 100x. The outlaws duel – the winner's multiplier applies to that reel, which then becomes fully wild.
Multiple VS symbols on different reels first add their multiplier values together, then multiply with any line wins. Landing VS on all 5 reels simultaneously turns the entire grid wild with combined multipliers that can reach absurd levels.
Wild Symbols
Standard Wild symbols substitute for everything except Bonus and VS symbols. Their behavior changes dramatically depending on which bonus mode you're playing.
In Dead Man's Hand, wilds get collected with their positions stored for the Showdown phase. In The Great Train Robbery, all wilds become sticky – they lock in place for the entire 10-spin duration, progressively filling the grid.
Three Bonus Modes
Three different Scatter symbols trigger three completely separate bonus features. DUEL scatters activate Duel at Dawn. DEAD scatters launch Dead Man's Hand. TRAIN ROBBERY scatters trigger The Great Train Robbery.
Each requires 3 or more matching scatters landing anywhere on the reels. You can't mix scatter types to trigger features – you need three of the same kind. The three distinct bonus modes create variety that most slots can't match, offering vastly different mechanics and win potential approaches.
Maximum win of 12,500x is achievable in base game and all three bonus modes, though the routes differ significantly.
Duel at Dawn
Three or more DUEL scatter symbols trigger Duel at Dawn, awarding 10 free spins. The reels load with significantly more VS symbols than base game – you'll typically see 2-4 VS symbols per spin.
VS duels remain active throughout with the same multiplier range up to 100x. Multiple VS symbols create massive multiplier combinations when they expand simultaneously. This mode offers the most volatile path to maximum win through pure multiplier stacking.
Dead Man's Hand
Three or more DEAD scatter symbols trigger Dead Man's Hand. This two-phase feature plays differently from traditional free spins.
Collect Phase: You start with 3 spins. Wild and Multiplier symbols that land get collected – wilds stored left of the reels, multiplier values totaled on the right. Every collection resets your spin counter back to 3. The phase continues until you have 3 consecutive spins without collecting anything.
Wild and Multiplier symbols are non-winning during collection – they don't contribute to payouts, only to your stored arsenal.
Showdown Phase: After collection ends, you receive 3 spins. All collected wilds apply to the grid on each spin. All wins get multiplied by your total collected multiplier value.
Strategic collection determines your final payout. A strong collection phase with 10+ wilds and a 50x+ multiplier creates conditions for substantial Showdown wins.
The Great Train Robbery
Three or more TRAIN ROBBERY scatter symbols trigger The Great Train Robbery, awarding 10 free spins with the sticky wilds mechanic.
Every wild that lands remains locked in place for the entire feature duration. The grid progressively fills with wilds as spins advance – later spins carry substantially higher win potential as wild coverage builds.
By spins 8-10, you'll often have 10+ sticky wilds covering the grid, creating near-guaranteed wins on every remaining spin. The escalation feels less explosive than VS Duels but more consistent than Dead Man's Hand.
Bonus Buy Options
The BUY BONUS button offers direct purchase access to all three bonus modes, bypassing the wait for organic scatter triggers. Each mode has different costs and RTP values.
Bonus Buy Pricing
| Bonus Mode | Cost | RTP |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Train Robbery | 80x bet | 96.27% |
| Duel at Dawn | 200x bet | 96.33% |
| Dead Man's Hand | 400x bet | 96.43% |
Betting Strategy Tips
High volatility slots like Wanted Dead or a Wild demand disciplined bankroll management. The slot can deliver substantial wins, but dry spells between features stretch longer than medium variance games.
Bankroll Management
A minimum session bankroll of 100-200x your chosen bet provides reasonable cushion. At £1 per spin, that's £100-£200 allocated.
Long dry spells are possible between bonus triggers – we've logged test sessions exceeding 300 spins before hitting a scatter combination. Budget accordingly and resist the urge to chase losses by increasing stakes mid-session.
Choosing the Right Bonus
Dead Man's Hand carries the highest Bonus Buy RTP at 96.43%, making it mathematically optimal when purchasing features. However, the two-phase mechanic can frustrate if your collection phase ends early with minimal wilds.
Duel at Dawn offers pure VS duel action with frequent multiplier explosions. The Great Train Robbery provides steady sticky wild buildup that's easier to track mentally.
Choose based on playstyle preference rather than pure RTP – the 0.16% difference between Train Robbery and Dead Man's Hand won't significantly impact short-term sessions.
Game Screenshots
FAQ
The maximum win reaches 12,500x your stake. This can hit in base game through multiple VS Duels with 100x multipliers or during any of the three bonus modes. Dead Man's Hand offers the highest Bonus Buy RTP at 96.43%, making it statistically the most favorable path toward max win when purchasing features.
VS symbols expand to cover the entire reel when they contribute to a win. Two outlaws appear with random multipliers between 2x and 100x, then duel to determine the winner. The winning multiplier applies to that reel, which becomes fully wild. Multiple VS symbols on different reels add their multiplier values together, then multiply with line wins. Landing VS on all 5 reels turns the entire grid wild.
Duel at Dawn (10 spins) loads the reels with VS Duel symbols and multipliers. Dead Man's Hand uses a two-phase system – first collect wilds and multipliers, then apply them in a 3-spin Showdown. The Great Train Robbery (10 spins) employs sticky wilds that remain in place throughout the feature. Each mode offers distinct mechanics and paths to the 12,500x maximum.
You start with 3 spins. Every time a Wild or Multiplier symbol lands, it's collected (stored left/right of reels) and the spin counter resets to 3. This continues until you have 3 consecutive non-winning spins. Wild and Multiplier symbols don't pay during collection. After collection ends, you get 3 Showdown spins where all collected wilds apply to the grid and wins multiply by your total collected multiplier.
Yes. The BUY BONUS button offers direct purchase of all three modes. The Great Train Robbery costs around 75x bet (RTP 96.27%), Duel at Dawn costs approximately 100x bet (RTP 96.33%), and Dead Man's Hand costs roughly 350x bet (RTP 96.43%). Exact prices vary slightly based on current bet level.