Fire Joker vs Mega Joker

Fire Joker vs Mega Joker: comparison table

Both games look like something you might find in a pub: three reels, cherries, sevens and a joker. Fire Joker comes from Play'n GO, the Swedish studio behind Book of Dead. Mega Joker comes from NetEnt, now part of Evolution. The table below uses our verified slot facts; find more pairings on our slot comparison hub.

Two joker slots with fruit machine roots

Three-reel classic slot machines are the direct descendants of mechanical fruit machines, and both games keep the old symbol set. The joker symbol itself comes from card games and has been a wild on fruit machines for decades. Where the two games differ is in which part of the pub-machine experience they copy.

Fire Joker borrows the idea of a hold: when two reels look promising, the game holds them and spins the third. Mega Joker borrows the top-box idea, where a win in the main game can be taken up to a second set of reels that plays to a different paytable. Neither has nudges or a skill element. Our page on fruit slots online shows how other studios have adapted the format.

How Fire Joker works: respins and the multiplier wheel

Fire Joker pays on five lines across a 3x3 grid. The joker is the wild and substitutes for the other symbols. Two features add to the base game:

• Respin of Fire. When two reels land fully stacked with the same symbol but no win forms, those two reels are held and the remaining reel respins once, giving a second chance to complete the line. It is a respin feature, and it is decided by the random number generator like everything else.
• Wheel of Multipliers. When all nine positions fill with the same symbol, a wheel spins and multiplies the win by a value from 2x to 10x. That is how the game reaches its 800x ceiling.

Because both features are tied to stacked symbols on a small grid, Fire Joker's results are less spread out than Mega Joker's, which fits its medium volatility rating.

Respin of Fire compared with a pub machine hold

On a pub fruit machine, a hold is offered and you choose which reels to keep. Using an offered hold sensibly can avoid missing a win the machine has already allowed for, but no technique beats the payout percentage the machine is built to. Fire Joker takes away the choice: the game holds automatically when its rule is met. Our page on fruit machine holds explains the land-based version.

How Mega Joker works: the basic game and the Supermeter

Mega Joker has two sets of reels. The lower set is the basic game, where you choose your stake per spin and wins are paid along five lines. When you win in the basic game, you can collect the win or move it up to the Supermeter, a second set of reels at the top of the screen that plays at a higher stake per spin from the credits you moved up, with its own paytable including mystery wins. When you leave the Supermeter, the remaining credits go back to your balance.

The progressive jackpot is the third element. It is awarded at random in the basic game, and a share of each qualifying stake goes towards it, as our page on how jackpots are funded explains. The help screen states which stakes qualify and how the jackpot is triggered.

1. Choose your stake in the basic game and spin.
2. On a win, decide: collect it, or move it to the Supermeter.
3. In the Supermeter, choose the higher stake level offered and spin using those credits.
4. Collect the Supermeter balance when you want to stop, or when it runs below the stake.
5. The progressive jackpot can drop at random on a basic-game spin.

Our facts list Mega Joker's RTP as 'up to 99%', reached only at the top stake with the Supermeter. Lower stakes and not using the Supermeter return less. The game's help screen gives the exact figures for each way of playing.

Fire Joker vs Mega Joker RTP: why 99% needs a caveat

On the headline numbers, Mega Joker looks far cheaper: up to 99% against 96.15%. But that 99% is the best case, not the average across every way of playing. A player who uses low stakes in the basic game and never moves wins to the Supermeter plays a version of the game with a lower return. Fire Joker's 96.15% applies at every stake.

The right-hand column only applies if you play Mega Joker the way its top RTP assumes. Taking the Supermeter route also means staking more per spin, so the lower percentage cost doesn't always mean a lower cost in pounds per session. Our answer to should you bet max explains when a higher stake really does change the return.

Volatility and max win: 800x against a progressive jackpot

Fire Joker's medium volatility and fixed 800x ceiling put a firm upper limit on any spin. At the UK stake caps, that ceiling works out as below.

Mega Joker has no fixed multiple to quote. Its top prize is a progressive jackpot whose size changes as stakes feed it and resets after it is won, and its high volatility rating reflects that a large share of the return is concentrated in rare results. We don't publish jackpot amounts because they change constantly; the current value is shown in the game. The Gambling Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab) caps the stake per game cycle, not the jackpot.

Online joker slots vs a pub fruit machine

A pub fruit machine is usually a Category C gaming machine. The Gambling Commission's gaming machine categories (opens in a new tab) set Category C at a £1 maximum stake and a £100 maximum prize, and Category B to C machines must display a theoretical return to player. Online slots are not in these categories and follow the online rules instead.

Our fruit machines vs video slots comparison and the question of whether online slots have better odds than pub machines go further into the differences.

UK online rules for Fire Joker and Mega Joker

• No autoplay and no turbo since 31 October 2021, so each spin is started by you.
• A minimum 2.5 seconds per spin, which matters on fast three-reel games that once spun much quicker.
• No bonus buy on games supplied to Great Britain.
• Stake limits of £5 for players aged 25 and over and £2 for 18 to 24-year-olds apply to every spin, including Supermeter spins.
• The rules and RTP must be available in each game, under the Commission's standard on game information.

Joker slot myths: holds, Supermeter timing and jackpots

'The respin means a win is coming.' The Respin of Fire gives one extra spin of one reel. It often misses; the outcome is random.

'Move to the Supermeter after a cold spell.' The basic game has no memory of previous spins, so there is no right moment to move up. The decision changes the stake and paytable you play, not your luck.

'The jackpot is due when it gets big.' A progressive jackpot grows until it is won, but a large figure doesn't mean the next spin is more likely to trigger it. Our answer on the odds of winning a slot jackpot explains why.

Fire Joker or Mega Joker: which suits you?

If you like this style, our Sizzling Hot Deluxe vs Fire Joker comparison sets Fire Joker against another classic, and the 3-reel vs 5-reel slots page explains how small grids behave.

Where to play Fire Joker and Mega Joker in the UK

No partner offer is attached to either joker slot, and casino game lists change, so check the lobby for the title before you deposit. Coral Casino offers new players 100 free spins at 10p each after depositing and betting £10 on slots, and Ladbrokes Casino offers up to 500 free spins (50 a day for 10 days, 10p each) after a £10 slots spend; both are on selected games with no wagering. PlayOJO gives 80 no-wagering spins on Big Bass Bonanza with a £10 first deposit. All are 18+ and terms apply.

Set a deposit limit before you play. The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare (opens in a new tab), is free on 0808 8020 133 at any time.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.