The four versions
Hacksaw’s own game page lists four RTP settings for Wanted, and Bigwinboard, SlotCatalog and AboutSlots list the same four. The table turns each into money: the average cost of 1,000 spins at $1, which is $1,000 of total bets.
| RTP | Casino keeps | Average cost of 1,000 × $1 spins | Next to 96.38% |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96.38% (default) | 3.62% | $36.20 | – |
| 94.55% | 5.45% | $54.50 | 1.5× |
| 92.33% | 7.67% | $76.70 | 2.1× |
| 88.42% | 11.58% | $115.80 | 3.2× |
Nothing on screen tells the versions apart. The lower versions pay back less, and the gap is spread so thinly across thousands of spins that one session won’t show it.
What RTP tells you, and what it doesn’t
RTP is a long-run average. Hacksaw’s rules say its figures come from simulating 10 billion rounds. At 96.38% the game pays back $96.38 of every $100 bet across everyone who plays it for long enough. It says nothing useful about tonight: from $100 you will usually leave with less, often with nothing, and occasionally with more.
In a high-volatility game like this one, a large share of that return is paid out in rare big wins, so most sessions finish below the RTP and a few finish far above it. The streams show you those few.
Volatility and hit frequency
Hacksaw rates Wanted 4 out of 5 on its volatility scale, which reviewers translate as high. None of the sources we read calls the game as a whole “very high”; that label belongs to the Duel at Dawn bonus on its own. The Great Train Robbery is rated medium and Dead Man’s Hand high.
Hit frequency is 19.3% according to Bigwinboard and AboutSlots, 19.36% according to SlotCatalog. Either way, about one spin in five returns something, and many of those returns are smaller than the bet: three of the lowest symbols on a line pay a tenth of it.
How to check your version
- Open the game’s rules or info screen. Hacksaw’s rules include the line “The theoretical payout (RTP) for this game is …%”, filled in with the version you are playing.
- Look at the casino’s own game page or help section. Some list the RTP of each game.
- Ask support. It is a reasonable question and they should be able to answer it.
If you can’t find it
Assume the lowest, 88.42%, until told otherwise. A casino running the top version usually has no reason to hide it.
One trap: SlotCatalog’s summary box shows “RTP 94.55%” with an “RTP RANGES!” flag. That is the configuration it tracks, not a different maximum. Its own review text gives 96.38% as the top figure.
Bonus buy RTPs
Buying a bonus barely changes the price. The Great Train Robbery buy returns 96.27%, Duel at Dawn 96.33% and Dead Man’s Hand 96.43%. These numbers appear to belong to the 96.38% version; we found no source that gives the buy RTPs for the lower three. The bonus buy guide has the costs at common stakes.
The version on vip.hacksaw.tv
vip.hacksaw.tv, where the play links on this site go, runs its own version of Wanted. The figures above describe Hacksaw Gaming’s release, not that version. Its declared RTP is 96.28%, from the operator’s own simulation of 500 million rounds; no independent test lab has certified it. That is a tenth of a point below Hacksaw’s top setting and above the other three. The cap is the same 12,500x.
Its bonus buys cost the same 80x, 200x and 400x, at stakes up to 75. The buy RTPs quoted on this site describe Hacksaw Gaming’s release, not that version.
Questions people ask
What is the RTP of Wanted Dead or a Wild?
96.38% in its default version. Hacksaw also supplies 94.55%, 92.33% and 88.42% versions, and each casino picks the one it runs.
Why does my casino show a lower RTP?
Because that is the setting it chose. Hacksaw offers four and the operator picks one. The symbols and features are the same; the maths underneath is set to pay back less.
Is 96.38% a good RTP for a slot?
It is in the normal range for an online slot. 88.42% is low by any standard: you would lose on average about $11.58 of every $100 you bet, against $3.62 at 96.38%.
Does buying the bonus improve the RTP?
Barely. On the 96.38% version the buys return 96.27% to 96.43%, from 0.11 points below the base game to 0.05 above it.
