We’re surely all familiar with the pub one armed bandit - a proper classic fruit machine of the three reels, one payline variety. Well, if you’re in the mood of playing something in that vein but don’t feel like heading to your local then Realistic’s Big Wheel might be the game for you. However, this game does have a modern twist - the titular Big Wheel, which can trigger one of six bonus features. Which ones will you get? you can find out by playing the game, but make sure to read our Big Wheel slot review before you do!
Big Wheel keeps things as simple as possible - it features 3 reels, each with 3 rows, and has a single payline. Thus getting a win requires you to land 3 matching symbols in the middle row. It’s a formula that has been around since the very first days of mechanical slot games, but whether it’s enough for these days of video slots depends on the player and their tastes.
Wagering can vary from as little as £0.25 to as much as £100.00, and just as well since wins can reach up to 300x the stake. According to Realistic the RTP is relatively low at 95.23%, as is the volatility. It all makes for a very basic slot, basically, although the action does liven up once you trigger the titular Big Wheel.
There are lots of different online casinos where you can play Big Wheel. Here is our pick of the best slot sites:
You’ll know what Big Wheel looks like if you’ve ever played a fruit machine or classic slot. The visuals are bright and cartoony (or crude if you’re feeling rather unkind), and feature the 3-reel slot at a fairground. The white reels hold the bold symbols, which are the cherries, oranges, bells, and grapes. There are also ducks, which are the highest paying symbols. The middle reel holds the Big Wheel logo symbol, which triggers the Big Wheel feature if landed on the middle row. Add a few beeps that play out when you start the game, and that’s all there is to this game, really. Now let’s take a look at how much landing a payline with the symbols is worth:
Cherries
5x the bet
Oranges
10x the bet
Bells
15x the bet
Grapes
20x the bet
Ducks
30x the bet
While Big Wheel looks old fashioned, it’s actually a modern slot that can run on smartphones as well as your laptop and desktop PC. This is thanks to HTML5, which allows you to play slots on your internet browser without any additional downloads. The simple visuals actually allow the game to look at its best on any size display and in any orientation, be it landscape or portrait.
Unlike the one armed bandits of old, Big Wheel actually has a few bonus features up its sleeve. The Nudge feature is actually a tribute to old fashioned slots, while the Big Wheel can bring a full range of bonuses. Let’s take a closer look at these, then.
Any losing spin of Big Wheel may randomly award you with a number of nudges. These allow you to move a reel down by one symbol in order to hopefully land a winning combination. Of course, this won’t always lead to a winning spin, in which case you may randomly get another feature - the Super Spin. This is a spin that’s guaranteed to lead to a win.
Another feature that can be randomly triggered by any losing spin is the Crazy Reel bonus. This pays out for any winning combination on the reels. If there are 3 ducks in view then you’ll get a Jackpot Chance, something we’ll detail next.
The ducks are not only Big Wheel’s highest paying symbols. Land this payline and you may randomly get a Jackpot Chance free spin. This means another chance to potentially get yet another winning combination.
The last, and most impressive, of this game’s features, the Big Wheel can be triggered by landing the game logo symbol found on reel 3 in the payline. This is a spin of the wheel that holds 6 different bonuses. This is what they involve:
Realistic puts a bonus focused spin on the fruit machine with Big Wheel - and ultimately fails to impress. The gameplay is repetitive even by slot standards, win potential low, visuals and audio crude, and chances to trigger the titular Big Wheel frankly miniscule. There are plenty of far superior classic-style slots available at any online casino, and if you want something completely different then we suggest simply heading to the pub and giving its one armed bandit some love.
Rating: 4.0
Here are some common questions we’ve been asked about the slot Big Wheel.