Hot Tuna – What Is This Slot?
Hot Tuna is a 5×3 slot game developed by the award-winning software company Pragmatic Play in collaboration with Reel Kingdom. It went live on 9 February 2026. The slot game features 10 paylines and a Money symbol along with a bonus round of Free Spins with a 7-step meter. It is the spiritual cousin to several fishing slot games, such as Big Bass Bonanza.
The aim of the slot game is to spin the reels to land a winning combination of symbols. The Money symbols will pay out random prizes between 2× and 2,500× the player's total bet. These prizes are only paid out during the bonus round of Free Spins when the Wild fisherman will collect all the prizes. The Hot Tuna symbol pays ×10 for all collected Money symbols during the same Free Spins round. Additionally, the more Hot Tuna symbols collected on the screen at the same time, the higher the multiplier will be of all the collected Money values. Filling the 7-step money meter with 42 total Money symbols will retrigger the bonus round with 10 additional spins along with a guaranteed Hot Tuna ×10 prize on every spin within the Free Spins round.
How to Play Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is played on a standard 5×3 reel layout with 10 paylines. All wins pay out from left to right on the screen, starting from the leftmost reel. All winning combinations will be multiplied by the player's bet on each line.
- The bet for Hot Tuna can be adjusted using the + and − buttons. When using Ante Bet mode the bet multiplier is 10×. During normal game play, the multiplier is 5×. The minimum and maximum bet for Hot Tuna is $0.05 and $480 respectively.
- The player can spin the reels by clicking the Spin button. The reels will spin on the 5×3 screen on 10 paylines. All winning symbols will pay out from left to right starting from the leftmost reel. The winnings from all paylines will be multiplied by the player's bet on each line. Only the highest winning amount is paid per line.
- Money symbols (blue fish) will land on the reels on every spin. The value of the Money symbol ranges from 2×, 5×, 10×, 15×, 20×, 25×, 50×, 100× or 2,500× of the total player bet. These values will be paid out during the bonus round of Free Spins.
- The Scatter symbols will appear on any of the reels on the screen. Landing 3, 4 or 5 Scatter symbols will award the player with 10, 15 or 20 free spins respectively. If the player lands exactly 2 Scatter symbols, there is a random chance that the game will add a third Scatter symbol on the screen on a respin or randomly placed on one of the reels.
- The Money symbols will not pay out during the base game of Hot Tuna. However, during the bonus round of Free Spins, the Wild symbol will collect all the Money symbols from the screen.
Bonus Features
Money Symbol
Money is represented by a blue fish that can land on any of the reels. On every spin, each Money symbol will take a random prize value from the following list: 2×, 5×, 10×, 15×, 20×, 25×, 50×, 100× or 2,500× of the total player bet. These values will be displayed on the symbol during the bonus round. Money symbols will be paid out only during the bonus round of Free Spins.
Hot Tuna Symbol (×10 Multiplier)
The Hot Tuna symbol is an exclusive symbol during the bonus round of Free Spins. When it is collected by the fisherman, it will pay ×10 for all the Money values collected during the same bonus round spin. If there are 2 Hot Tuna symbols paid out at the same time, there will be a ×20 multiplier for all the values collected by the Wild.
Wild Symbol (Free Spins only)
The Wild in Hot Tuna is the fisherman that will collect all the Money symbols from the screen during the bonus round. Each Wild will pay out 1 additional bonus spin along with collecting all the Money symbols from the screen. If the Money symbol lands without a Wild on the screen, it will be collected on the side of the screen on the meter.
Money Meter (7-Step Progression)
Any Money symbols that do not get collected by the Wild during the bonus round will be added to a side meter. Every 6 Money symbols will fill one step of the 7-step screen meter. When the screen meter is filled with 42 Money symbols, the player will earn 10 additional bonus spins for Hot Tuna and a Hot Tuna ×10 will be paid on every spin that follows. Every time the screen meter is filled again with the 42 symbols the player will earn another 10 bonus spins along with another Hot Tuna ×10 that will be paid on each spin. Any symbols that go beyond the final step of the money meter will carry over to the next meter of 7 steps.
Free Spins Round – How It Works
The Free Spins round of Hot Tuna is where the biggest prizes are paid out to the player. During the bonus round, special reels will spin in which the Wild (fisherman), Hot Tuna, Money and blank symbols will land on the screen. Additionally, during this round, the player can also get the regular payline symbols that are within the game.
| Scatters Landed | Free Spins Awarded |
|---|---|
| 3 Scatters | 10 free spins |
| 4 Scatters | 15 free spins |
| 5 Scatters | 20 free spins |
What Happens Each Free Spin
| Event | Effect |
|---|---|
| Wild (fisherman) lands | +1 free spin awarded; all visible Money symbols collected and paid (with any Hot Tuna multiplier applied) |
| Money symbol lands without a Wild | Collected to the side meter — adds 1 step progress (every 6 fills one meter step) |
| Hot Tuna symbol lands | Collected; ×10 applied to all Money values in the same collection event (additive if multiple Hot Tunas) |
| Meter fully filled (42 Money symbols) | +10 free spins; Hot Tuna symbol hits randomly at every subsequent free spin |
| Meter filled again | +10 more free spins; additional Hot Tuna can also randomly hit each spin |
| Surplus symbols beyond final meter step | Carry over to the first step of the next meter |
| No Wild or Money symbols on screen at end of a free spin | Wild, Money, and Hot Tuna symbols can appear in random positions (Hot Tuna only if feature has been retriggered at least once) |
Special Bets & Buy Feature
Hot Tuna has an Ante Bet mode and the option to buy Free Spins. These 2 features cannot be used at the same time.
| Mode | Bet Multiplier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | 5× | Standard play — natural Free Spins frequency |
| Ante Bet | 10× | Higher chance to win Free Spins naturally; more Scatter symbols on the reels. Buy Free Spins disabled while active |
Buy Feature
| Buy Option | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Free Spins | 100× total bet | Instantly triggers the Free Spins round; 3, 4, or 5 Scatters can randomly hit on the triggering spin (awarding 10, 15, or 20 free spins) |
RTP & Variance Explained
Hot Tuna has an RTP or Return to Player percentage of 96.53%. This percentage applies to all modes within the game. The RTP will be the same for Ante Bet and Buy Free Spins modes. Hot Tuna is rated at maximum volatility. The volatility of the game is due to the nature of the Money symbol win being only paid during the bonus round. Additionally, the maximum winning prize is 2,500× the total player bet which is lower than most high volatility slot games.
| Bet Mode | RTP |
|---|---|
| Normal play (5×) | 96.53% |
| Ante Bet (10×) | 96.53% |
| Buy Free Spins (100× total bet) | 96.53% |
Our Verdict
✅ Pros
- Consistent 96.53% RTP across all modes — no penalty for Ante Bet or Buy Feature
- Hot Tuna ×10 multiplier stacks additively — multiple in one collection multiply all Money values
- 7-step meter retrigger guarantees Hot Tuna on every spin — enormous potential in extended rounds
- Wild fisherman awards +1 free spin on every collection — rounds can extend naturally
- 2 Scatter near-miss mechanic gives extra shots at triggering Free Spins
- Solid fishing-theme execution with clean Reel Kingdom visuals
- Free demo available instantly — no registration required
❌ Cons
- Max win capped at 2,500× — low for a 5/5 volatility slot
- Base game can be extremely dry — almost all value is in Free Spins
- Ante Bet and Buy Feature cannot be combined
- Money symbol values not visible in the base game — limited base game engagement
Hot Tuna FAQ
The RTP of Hot Tuna is 96.53% during normal game play. This same percentage will be displayed during the Ante Bet and Buy Free Spins mode. There is no penalty for the RTP of the game within these 2 modes.
The maximum winning value for Hot Tuna is 2,500× of the player's total bet. This maximum win can be earned during both the base and bonus game modes. Additionally, if the total win hits 2,500× of the total player bet during the bonus round, the bonus round will end and the win will be paid to the player.
The Money symbols in Hot Tuna are represented by a blue fish that can land on any of the reels. Each Money symbol pays out a value of between 2×, 5×, 10×, 15×, 20×, 25×, 50×, 100× or 2,500× of the total player bet. These symbols only pay out when collected by the Wild during the bonus round of Hot Tuna.
The Hot Tuna symbol will only appear during the bonus round of Free Spins. When it is collected it will pay ×10 for all the values collected from the Money symbols during that same bonus round spin. Additionally, if 2 Hot Tuna symbols are collected during the same bonus round spin, the ×10 multipliers will be paid out as a ×20 for the player's total collected Money value during that same bonus spin.
To trigger the Free Spins round the player must land 3, 4 or 5 Scatter symbols on the reels. If 3 Scatters are landed the player wins 10 bonus spins. If 4 and 5 Scatters are landed the player will win 15 and 20 bonus spins respectively. Additionally, if exactly 2 Scatters are landed, the game will randomly add a third Scatter symbol on the screen. This can be done by re-spinning the reels or placing one of these symbols in a random position on the screen.
Any Money symbols that are not collected by the Wild will be placed into a 7-step screen meter on the side of the screen. Every 6 Money symbols will fill one of the 7 steps on this meter. When the meter is filled with 42 Money symbols, the bonus round will be re-triggered with 10 additional bonus spins for the player. Additionally, each bonus spin that is earned will guarantee a Hot Tuna ×10 prize on each bonus spin. Each time the screen meter is filled again, another 10 bonus spins will be earned and another Hot Tuna ×10 prize will be earned on each bonus spin. Any symbols that go beyond the final step on the screen meter will carry over into the next meter of 7 steps.
When the Ante Bet is activated the player's bet is doubled from 5× to 10× of the total player bet. Additionally, there will be more Scatters on the reels which will give the player a better chance of landing enough to win Free Spins. However, while the Ante Bet is active the Buy Free Spins feature will be disabled.
Yes, the free demo of Hot Tuna is available on this page. There is no need to create an account or to deposit money into your account to play the demo mode of the slot game. All features of the game will be playable within the free demo mode.