Sherlock Holmes Slot Machine

Inspired by this unique character, IGT has produced Sherlock Holmes Hunt for Blackwood Slot, a sleuthing adventure in which you'll be helping Sherlock and Watson bring down the infamous Lord Blackwood. The developer has included plenty of tools to help you out, including a Mystery Multiplier feature, a Teamwork feature which makes the two partners unite for bigger payouts, and a Picker Puzzle leading to two interesting bonus rounds.

IGT's take on one of the most famous detectives ever has been inspired by the 2009 movie starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law as Sherlock and his faithful companion. The two have been hired by a secret fraternity to stop Lord Henry Blackwood, a serial killer who threatens to murder the members of Parliament using supposedly supernatural weapons.

If you head to 221B Baker Street, you'll find all three characters as well as the detective's former adversary Irene Adler. The game features 30 paylines played with 60 coins per spin, with line wins paying from left to right and multiplying respective symbol wins by the selected coin value.

Players can set the coin value at a minimum of £0.01 and a maximum of £3, and spin for as little as £0.60 or as much as £180. On any of your spins, a multiplier can mysteriously appear to boost the payout up to 10 times. The Teamwork Feature can equally unexpectedly make Sherlock and Watson merge to create the game's second most valuable symbol.

Pick Your Freebie

Landing 3 bonus icons anywhere on reels 1, 3 and 5 triggers the Picker Puzzle. You'll be offered 5 picks to use in a room filled with Sherlock's belongings and reveal either instant wins or clues leading to a bonus. A single coin symbol wins you 2x the total bet, while two multiply the payout x5 and three multiply it x10. The same icon marked "+1" awards an extra pick, and three or four scroll symbols will win you 10 or 15 spins in the Hunt Bonus.

Three icons picturing a wheel are what one needs to score the Blackwood Wheel Bonus, and four will win the same but also make the initial wheel richer.

The Wheel Bonus starts with 3 active green pointers and a wheel that contains instant prizes and Blackwood and Sherlock wedges. When the pointer lands on a Blackwood wedge, it gets deactivated, and should that happen with all three, your bonus round ends. However, if a pointer ends up on a Sherlock wedge, they will all get reactivated and you'll win the Sherlock prize.

The wheel changes to include higher prizes and more Blackwood wedges after the fourth spin and then again after the eighth, thus increasing the feature's win potential but also making it more difficult to keep the wheel spinning. If after 10 spins you still have at least one active pointer, the total bonus win is doubled and the bonus round ends.

Spin for Free with Locked Wilds

Free Spins are available via the Hunt Bonus which plays with Locked Wilds. You'll see five locations on the reel map circled to mark the scenes of Blackwood's crimes. If a special Blackwood or Sherlock icon lands on any of these locations, the original symbol becomes Wild and remains fixed until Free Spins play out. The Bonus Doubler multiplies the total feature win x2 if you manage to lock Wilds on all five crime scene locations.

The long-term theoretical payout of IGT's title ranges between 93.24% and 96.39%. As far as individual icons go, the most valuable one is the game logo which pays up to 500x the coin value. Land as many as you can while getting the most out of the special features and you'll see just how lucrative fighting crime can be.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the RTP of Sherlock Holmes slots?

Sherlock Holmes Hunt for Blackwood has a variable RTP (Return to Player) ranging from 93.24% to 96.39%, depending on the casino configuration. The lower end is typical of land-based settings, while the upper end applies in the best online configurations. The game's multiple bonus paths — the Picker Puzzle, Blackwood Wheel Bonus and Hunt Bonus free spins with Locked Wilds — all contribute to the higher end of this range when triggered favourably.

Can I play Sherlock Holmes slots for real money online?

Sherlock Holmes Hunt for Blackwood real money slots are available at online casinos carrying the IGT game library, with the best access in the UK and regulated European markets. The game's £0.60–£180 bet range and three distinct bonus modes make it a well-rounded real money option for fans of film-licensed detective-themed slots. US and Canadian players are generally limited to land-based casino play.

How does the Picker Puzzle work in Sherlock Holmes slots?

The Picker Puzzle is triggered by landing 3 bonus icons on reels 1, 3 and 5. Players make 5 picks in Sherlock's room, revealing either instant cash wins (multiplied at 2x, 5x or 10x total bet), extra picks (+1 icon), or clues that direct you to a bonus round. Three or four scroll symbols award 10 or 15 free spins in the Hunt Bonus, while three wheel symbols lead to the Blackwood Wheel Bonus.

How does the Blackwood Wheel Bonus work in Sherlock Holmes slots?

The Blackwood Wheel Bonus uses 3 active green pointers on a spinning wheel containing prizes, Blackwood wedges and Sherlock wedges. Landing on a Blackwood wedge deactivates a pointer — if all three are deactivated the bonus ends. Landing on a Sherlock wedge reactivates all pointers. The wheel upgrades after spin 4 and spin 8, adding higher prizes but also more Blackwood wedges. Surviving 10 spins with at least one active pointer doubles the total bonus win.

What are the Locked Wilds in the Sherlock Holmes Hunt Bonus?

The Hunt Bonus free spins feature uses a Locked Wilds mechanic. Five crime scene locations are marked on the reels, and whenever a special Blackwood or Sherlock symbol lands on one of these positions, it converts to a Wild and stays locked in place for the remainder of the free spins. Locking Wilds on all five crime scene locations triggers the Bonus Doubler, which multiplies the entire feature win by 2x.

What is the Mystery Multiplier feature in Sherlock Holmes slots?

The Mystery Multiplier is a random base game feature that can activate on any spin — without needing to trigger a dedicated bonus round. When it fires, a multiplier appears and boosts the current spin's payout by up to 10x. The Teamwork Feature is a similarly random base game event where the Sherlock and Watson symbols merge to create a single higher-value combined symbol, providing an unexpected boost to base game returns.