It’s a Joker is a great choice for reel spinners craving a classic slot experience with an unexpected twist. In this Felix Gaming release, players meet a blood-curdling clown who strikingly resembles Pennywise from Stephen King’s best-selling horror novel It. This evil-looking creature lures players down into the sewers with tempting bonus features like free spins on almost every round and appetizing multipliers on their wins.
Despite his frightening appearance, the scary joker assists players in landing more winning combinations as the developers have endowed it with the power of substituting all other symbols in the game. Being a classic slot, It’s a Joker has a classic 3×3 set-up with 5 fixed paylines to land winning combinations on. The game has a medium volatility and a betting range from $0.25 to $7.50 per spin.
| It’s a Joker Slot Summary | |
 Game Provider: Felix Gaming |
Release Date: 10.2018 |
| Game Type: Video Slot |
Theme(s): Horror |
| Reels: 3 |
Wild Symbols: Yes |
| Rows: 3 |
Scatters: No |
| Paylines: 5 fixed lines |
Free Spins: Yes |
| Payout/RTP: 96.98% |
Bonus Game: No |
| Volatility Level: Medium |
Progressive Jackpot: No |
| Min Bet: 0.25 |
Autoplay: Yes |
| Max Bet: 7.50 |
Max Win: 700x |
It’s a Joker Theme
It’s a Joker is a classic fruit slot with a dark feel to it as its theme is loosely based on Stephen King’s character Pennywise, a formidable clown who lures children into the city’s sewers where he devours them. The developers have managed to create an eerie atmosphere by setting the reel-spinning action into a dark sewer with puddles, paper boats, and rotting leaves.
This somber mood is complemented by the creepy joker with his bloodshot eyes and wicked grin. The reel grid is shaped like a machine of some sort, with cogwheels jutting from all sides. The dissonant circus music playing in the background further adds to the creep factor of the game. Other than that, most of the symbols incorporated into It’s a Joker are what one would expect to see in a traditional classic slot. Bells, lucky sevens, and delicious fruits dominate the three reels.
How It’s a Joker Compares to Other Slot Games
Jokers have become an inseparable part of casino gaming and gamblers generally regard them as a symbol of luck. They have given rise to an entire subgenre, inspiring software developers to create dozens, if not hundreds of joker-themed online slots. However, few releases can outcompete It’s a Joker in terms of ominous atmosphere. One example that comes to mind is The Dark Joker Rises by Yggdrasil Gaming.
Yggdrasil’s rendition is not as creepy and uses a 5×3 reel grid with ten paylines rather than five as is the case in It’s a Joker. The game awards random mystery wins and free bonus respins with sticky jokers on the five reels. It has a greater winning potential compared to It’s a Joker, with a fixed jackpot of 6,000 coins ($24,000), but this comes at the expense of higher volatility and lower theoretical return that ranges from 79.70% to 96.30%.
More Slots with a Creepy Joker Theme
- The Dark Joker Rises by Yggdrasil Gaming (79.70%-96.30% RTP)
- Count Jokula by Play’n GO (96.22% RTP)
- Wicked Circus by Yggdrasil Gaming (75.00%-96.50% RTP)
- Horror Joker by Apollo Games (95.00% RTP)
It’s a Joker Symbols and Payouts
It’s a Joker comes with medium volatility which explains why it has a narrower betting range. The game is playable for as little as $0.25 per spin. The ceiling on bets reaches $7.50, so this game is not going to cut it with high rollers. Players can wager five to thirty coins per line in any of the three available denominations (0.01, 0.02, and 0.05). All winning combinations require a trio of identical symbols.
Players must land three creepy jokers to walk away with a top prize equal to 16 times their bets. The second-best payout of 10 times the bet is awarded for any combination containing jokers and jacks-in-a-box. Three jacks-in-a-box pay 5 times the winning wager, followed by three lucky sevens that offer payouts of 4 times the winning bet. The remaining symbols yield lower payouts within the 3x-to-0.4x range. This paytable may seem on the lower side compared to other online slots but we should not underestimate the fact that players can also land multipliers to further boost their wins.
| It’s a Joker Winning Combinations and Payouts | |
|---|---|
| Symbols | 3 Matches |
 Joker |
16x |
 Any Joker and Jack-in-the-Box Combination |
10x |
| Jack in the Box |
5x |
 Lucky Sevens |
4x |
 Grapes |
3x |
 Cherries |
1.4x |
 Lemons |
1.2x |
 Plums |
1x |
 Oranges |
0.8x |
 Bells |
0.4x |
Bonus Features Overview
The bonus features incorporated into this Felix Gaming release are nothing special but still suffice to keep players involved in the gameplay. Apart from a wild, the game can randomly award one or more free spins after each round. Additionally, players can cash in on random multipliers that have the potential to considerably boost their payouts from winning combinations.
Wild and Scatter Symbols
The menacing jester is pretty much the only special symbol players can anticipate in It’s a Joker. As is to be expected, the joker is wild and replaces other symbols when he pops out of his box. But this is hardly the only trick he has up his sleeve. Whenever the grinning joker randomly extends to cover the grid in full, he triggers another bonus feature that places an additional wild in the center of the reels. There are no scatters in this game.
Free Spins
More observant players will notice there are two additional grids on either side of the main reels. These sections are not designed to accommodate any symbols but rather contain the number of free spins and win multipliers players can win after each round. When free games are won, the reels automatically respin the respective number of times at no extra cost for the player.
This may happen even on losing rounds. The maximum number of free respins you can win at a time is capped at 5. The red grid to the left of the main reels displays the value of the multiplier applied on winning spins. Multiplier values range from 1x to 25x the payout. Naturally, some spins result in no multipliers or free spins.
Pros & Cons of It’s a Joker
- The high theoretical return percentage (96.98%) works to the advantage of players.
- The bonus features help maintain your interest in the game.
- The graphics perfectly convey the game’s spooky theme.
- The game is unsuitable for high rollers due to its narrow betting range.
- All winning combinations require a trio of identical symbols.
- The maximum possible win is on the low side of the spectrum.
It’s a Joker Slot FAQs
- What combination of symbols triggers the free games in It’s a Joker?
- The free spins, or respins to be more specific, are not triggered by a concrete combination of symbols. They can trigger randomly after any given round, even if it does not return a regular payout. The maximum number of respins is limited to 5, but the feature can still prove very lucrative, especially when combined with a higher random win multiplier.
- Is there a jackpot in It’s a Joker?
- There is, but its value is fixed rather than progressive. According to the game’s description, the maximum possible win players can achieve in It’s a Joker amounts to 700 times the total wager. Assuming your bankroll is large enough for you to bet the maximum of $7.50 per spin, this fixed jackpot translates into $5,250 in winnings.
- Does It’s a Joker feature a pick-me bonus?
- The developers from Felix Gaming have skipped on adding a pick-me bonus game to It’s a Joker but their decision makes sense considering this is a classic three-reel slot. The release is not entirely devoid of special features, however, as it comes with up to five free respins, maximum multipliers of 25x, and a wild joker that improves your winning odds. There is also a random bonus feature that adds an extra wild joker to the center position of the reels.