Mega Joker is one of those classic fruit machines that looks simple and hides a trap for the unwary. If you want to know how to play Mega Joker slot UK players should start with one fact: the headline 99% return only applies if you set the game up a specific way. Play it casually and you could be stuck on a far lower figure without realising. This guide walks through a round and shows you where the money is.
Mega Joker is a NetEnt game: three reels, five fixed paylines, and a straightforward fruit and sevens theme. It has been part of the NetEnt range for well over a decade, though sources disagree on whether it first appeared in 2008 or 2011.
The two parts of the game: base mode and Supermeter
Mega Joker runs on two stacked sets of reels. The lower set is the basic (base) mode. Above it sits the Supermeter, a second set of top reels that uses a different paytable.
When you land a win in base mode, those winnings are not paid straight to your balance. They are added to a Supermeter credit shown in the middle of the machine. You then face a choice:
- Collect the credit back to your balance, or
- Play on in Supermeter mode, betting that credit on the top reels.
Supermeter mode becomes available after any base win below 2,000 coins. It is optional, and knowing when to use it is most of the skill in this game.
How the Supermeter mode works and whether to use it
Once you are in Supermeter mode, all five paylines stay active and you bet in larger units: 20, 40, 100 or 200 coins at your pre-selected coin value. The paytable up here is more generous, and the Jokers start doing interesting things.
Mystery wins are driven by Joker positions and your bet size. A few examples from the game:
- In the base game at bet 100, a Joker on the middle reel pays a mystery win between 100 and 2,000 coins.
- In Supermeter at bet 200, one or more Jokers anywhere pays a mystery win of 100–2,000 coins per Joker.
- In Supermeter at bet 20, three Jokers on a payline pay a fixed 1,000 coins.
You can collect your Supermeter credits and send them back to the base balance at any point. If the Supermeter ever reaches 2,000 coins, it auto-collects and drops you back to the base reels.
Should you use it? If you are chasing the advertised return, yes — the higher RTP depends on playing through Supermeter at the top coin level. If you simply want to bank a win, collect and move on. There is no wrong answer, only a trade-off between return and keeping what you have.
The RTP and how to actually reach 99%
NetEnt advertises Mega Joker at 99.00% RTP. That figure is not automatic. It applies only when you bet at the maximum coin level and play using Supermeter mode.
Drop the stakes and the return drops with them. At the minimum bet of one coin per spin, the RTP falls to roughly 76.9%. At the maximum ten-coin bet it climbs to the full 99%. One source gives the range as 76.9%–99%; another lists a payout band of 85.28–99. Either way, the gap between careless play and correct play is enormous.
So if you want the best return the maths allows:
- Set the coin value and lines so you are playing the maximum bet (the full range runs £0.10 to £10.00 per spin, with coin values of 0.10 or 0.20 across up to five lines).
- When you win in base mode, enter Supermeter rather than collecting every time.
- Keep playing at the top coin level throughout.
This is a high-volatility game, so even at 99% the swings are sharp. Decide your limits before you start and stick to them.
Why your RTP feels so low at small stakes
The low-stake figure is not bad luck — it is built into the game. At one coin a spin the machine simply returns around 76.9%. If you play Mega Joker like a penny slot, you are playing a different, far worse game than the one on the advert. The 99% is reserved for maximum-coin Supermeter play, full stop.
The progressive jackpot
Mega Joker carries a progressive jackpot. It is awarded at random, and the odds of triggering it improve as your stake rises. It can land on any base-game spin at maximum bet — in other words, outside Supermeter mode. This is another reason the max-coin setting matters: it is the only configuration that keeps the jackpot in play.
Maximum win and bonus features
The maximum win is 2,000 coins, worth up to 20,000.00 at the highest stake, which matches NetEnt's 200x bet figure. The Supermeter also caps at 2,000 coins before auto-collecting.
Don't expect modern extras. Mega Joker has no wild symbol, no scatter, no free spins and no buy feature. The Supermeter is the only real bonus, and the mystery Joker wins and progressive jackpot sit alongside it. It is an older design, and that minimalism is the point.
Trying it free on mobile
A free demo version of Mega Joker is available online, and it runs in a browser on both desktop and mobile. The demo is the ideal place to practise the Supermeter decision and watch how the displayed RTP behaves at different coin levels before committing any money. Set it to max coins, trigger a base win, and step through Supermeter a few times until the flow is second nature.