Marlin Masters Slot (Hacksaw Gaming)

The Marlin Masters slot is played on the classic setup of 5-reels and 4-rows with 14 paylines available. Wins are awarded by matching 3 or more symbols in adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel.

Bets for this game start at 10p and go up to £100. You can adjust your bet amount using the up and down buttons on desktop and on the plus and minus buttons if you're using mobile. If you’re a non-UK player, you can utilise the Autoplay option, which allows you to make up to 1,000 spins. There are also Turbo and Super Turbo functions, which speed up the spins. 

There is an RTP rate of 96.24%, which is above the online average of 96%. There are also rates of 94.39% and 92.35% available. The base game hit frequency rate is 29.70% based on the top RTP, which means wins occur on average every 3.36 spins. 

You’ll find a volatility rating of medium with a score of 3 out of 5. The maximum win is 7,500 times the bet.

Jenny Mason

Queen of Bingo

Jenny Mason has more than 17 years of experience in the online gambling industry and has worked for some of the UK’s top betting brands. She started at OLBG in 2014 and her role involves creating great content and looking after the marketing activity. Jenny is knowledgeable in all areas of online sports betting and has an interest in slots and bingo.

If you’ve played fishing-themed slots before, the Marlin Masters slot game will feel familiar. You're travelling on a large fishing vessel, floating amidst deep-sea waves under cloudy skies - a storm is brewing in the distance.

During the bonus features, the fisherman -  AKA the face of the game -  takes centre stage. He appears both on the reels and in a small boat beside the main vessel, fishing under the cover of night.

The soundtrack blends American country vibes with guitar solos, accompanied by the soothing sounds of splashing waves and traditional slot sound effects.

The reels are designed as a wooden sign adorned with fishing gear. Symbols include various fish caught on the line alongside standard icons carved into wooden plaques.

Here’s a list of all symbols as well as their values:

• A/K/Q/J/10: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.10, 0.50 or 2 x bet
• Green/Brown Fish: 3, 4 or 5 = 0.50, 2 or 5 x bet
• Blue/Orange Fish: 3, 4 or 5 = 1, 3 or 7.50 x bet
• Wild: Substitutes for all other symbols & 5 pays 10 x bet
• FS Scatter: 3+ trigger the bonus features
  
  

Marlin Masters Mobile

The Marlin Masters mobile slot is built with the latest HTML5 technology, meaning a top smooth experience on any device. Whether you’re playing on Android, iOS, tablet, or desktop, the game plays superbly. If you prefer playing on a desktop, Hacksaw recommends a 16:9 aspect ratio.

There are 6 bonus features to enjoy as part of the Marlin Masters slot game, which are Lootlines, Catch Them All!, Reel It In!, Off The Hook!, Plenty of Fish in the Sea and a Bonus Buy.

Lootlines

Marlin symbols bring payouts, and each symbol has a cash prize of one of the following amounts: 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x, 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 100x, 250x, 500x or 1,000x. Marlin symbols are collected when there are 3 or more matching symbols that are part of a win.

Catch Them All!

The fisherman reels in big wins if at least 1 symbol lands at the same tie as the marlin symbol. He acts as a collector, collecting all marlin cash prizes on the grid, with multipliers up to 20x. Multiple fishermen landing on the grid work together for bigger payouts.

Reel It In! 

Landing 3 FS symbols triggers the Reel It In! free spins bonus feature, where you receive  10 free spins. During the feature, the Marlin Progress Bar appears on top of the grid. Whenever a fisherman symbol lands on the grid, the Marlin Progress Bar advances by one step. This happens whether or not the fisherman collects any marlin symbols during that round. As the bar progresses, your rewards grow with each new level reached: 

• Upgrade 1: After collecting 4 fisherman symbols, you'll earn 10 additional free spins, with all subsequent fisherman symbols guaranteed to have a multiplier value of at least x2. 
• Upgrade 2: At the next stage, another 10 free spins are awarded, and all fisherman symbols gain a minimum multiplier value of x4. 
• Upgrade 3: Reach the top level to gain 10 more free spins, ensuring all fisherman symbols land with a multiplier value of at least x10.

Off The Hook!

Landing 4 FS symbols triggers the Off The Hook! feature, where there are 15 free spins. The Marlin Progress Bar also appears here but with better upgrades, which you can see below. All fisherman symbols come with a guaranteed multiplier of at least x2, and you progress through the levels by collecting fisherman symbols to unlock the following upgrades: 

• Upgrade 1: Collect 4 fisherman symbols to earn 15 additional free spins, with all subsequent fisherman symbols carrying a multiplier value of at least x4. 
• Upgrade 2: Reach the next level to gain another 15 free spins and boost all fisherman symbols with a minimum multiplier of x10. 
• Upgrade 3: Hit the top stage to receive 15 more free spins, ensuring every fisherman symbol lands with a multiplier of at least x15.

Plenty of Fish in the Sea

Landing 5 FS symbols triggers the Plenty of Fish in the Sea feature, where there are 10 free spins. Every marlin symbol that lands carries a minimum multiplier value of 5x. And on every spin during this feature, at least 1 marlin symbol and 1 fisherman symbol will land, significantly increasing your chances to collect big payouts.

Bonus Buy

If you’re outside the UK, you can opt for the Bonus Buy feature, where the following options are available: 

I was surprised to see Hacksaw Gaming dive into the fishing-themed genre with the Marlin Masters slot game. It’s a departure from their usual style, known for quirky comic book or gothic-style games. Still, the graphics are high-quality, as expected from this studio, even if less distinctive than usual.

I’m not a fan of fishing-themed slots, but they have a massive following. If you enjoy them, you’re in good company - popular series like Pragmatic Play’s Big Bass Bonanza and Blueprint Gaming’s Fishin’ Frenzy have long captured players’ attention.

Marlin Masters reminded me of the Big Bass series with its Fisherman character, fisherman collector symbol and Marlin Progress Bar above the grid. The bonus features are varied enough to satisfy most players, with marlin and fisherman symbols working well together as cash prize triggers and collectors. Land a decent multiplier, and it can be quite rewarding.

The progress bar was straightforward, making it easy to track upgrades. All 4 free spins features offered decent potential. While the game doesn’t reinvent the wheel - or should I say 'reel' - it delivers a familiar and enjoyable experience. After all, few slot games truly break the mould.

With a max win of 7,500 times the bet, it’s about right for a medium volatility game, so this is a good balance. Marlin Masters scores a 3.5 out of 5 from OLBG, the bonus features are decent, and the fishing theme and generic graphics will appeal to many players. In August 2025, Hacksaw Gaming released a sequel, Marlin Masters: The Big Haul, which has a higher RTP rate and bigger max win potential. 

The Marlins Masters slot review was written by our slot game experts on the OLBG Expert team. I will begin with Jenny Mason, our prime slot reviewer, who has 17+ years of experience in iGaming, working for top UK brands. Jenny is an expert in slots and bingo. It was then verified by Chris Taylor, who has written over 10,000 slot game reviews in an iGaming career spanning over 2 decades.   

Chris Taylor

The King of Slots

Chris Taylor is an industry veteran originally from Gibraltar. Having worked in the online gambling industry since 2004, Chris loves slots and has reviewed over 10,000 online slot games. Running a slots-focused website for 13 years, Chris is the go-to guy for everything slots-related.