Cash Crooks by Hacksaw Gaming: How Dials and the Hidden Epic Bonus Work

Cash Crooks is a Hacksaw Gaming slot released on 13 August 2026, built around a cartoon bank-heist story featuring Betty and Clyve and, more importantly, a mechanic that differs from the studio’s more familiar Wild-driven formats. The game uses a 5-reel, 4-row layout with 14 fixed paylines, medium volatility and a maximum win of 10,000x the stake. Its main feature is the Vault Dial system: special Vault symbols can activate prize dials that feed multiplier values into a Piggy Bank above the reels. The same idea runs through the base game and all three free-spins rounds, but its strength changes considerably between Grab’n Go, Fierce & Fur-ious and the Hidden Epic Bonus called Vault to Victory.

How the Vault Dials Work in Cash Crooks

Cash Crooks keeps its ordinary reel structure relatively straightforward. Winning combinations are formed from left to right across 14 paylines, and there are no standard Wild symbols helping to complete those combinations. Instead, the most important special symbol is the Vault. A Vault can appear on reels 1, 3 and 5, with no more than one appearing on each of these reels during a spin. Once the regular payline results have been settled, every landed Vault activates its own Vault Dial.

A Vault Dial can produce an additive multiplier, a multiplicative multiplier or the game’s Max Win result. In the standard configuration, additive values can reach 250x, while multiplicative values can reach x20. The distinction is important because these two multiplier types are not simply added together in the same way. Additive values increase the amount stored in the Piggy Bank directly, whereas a multiplicative result can multiply an amount that has already been accumulated. This is why a spin containing several Vault symbols can develop very differently from one containing only a single dial.

When more than one Vault Dial activates on the same spin, they are processed from left to right. Their results are combined through the Piggy Bank shown above the grid, and the completed Piggy Bank value is then awarded. There is one important restriction: if a multiplicative value is the first dial result in the sequence, it is treated as an additive value rather than multiplying an empty starting amount. The order of the dials therefore matters, especially when additive and multiplicative values appear together.

Why Additive and Multiplicative Dials Produce Different Results

The easiest way to understand the system is to think of additive multipliers as building the Piggy Bank and multiplicative multipliers as potentially increasing what has already been built. For example, an additive result can establish or increase the current value before a later dial is processed. A following multiplicative result can then have a greater effect because there is already a multiplier in the Piggy Bank to work with. The game performs this sequence automatically, so players do not need to calculate the result manually.

This left-to-right processing makes the position of the Vault symbols relevant. Two spins can contain a similar set of dial values but produce different calculations depending on their order. A multiplicative value appearing first cannot immediately multiply a previous amount, while the same type of value appearing after an additive result can increase an established Piggy Bank total. Cash Crooks therefore places much of its feature variability outside the ordinary payline wins and inside the sequence in which the Vault Dials resolve.

The Max Win is also one of the possible Vault Dial outcomes, rather than being tied exclusively to a particular symbol combination on the paylines. Cash Crooks has a published maximum win of 10,000x the stake, so the game stops once its maximum permitted payout has been reached. The Vault system should still be viewed as a random feature rather than a progression that becomes more likely after unsuccessful spins: previous dial results and previous losses do not make a large multiplier or Max Win outcome due on a later spin.

Grab’n Go and Fierce & Fur-ious Free Spins

The first two main bonus games are connected to FS Scatter symbols. Landing three Scatters in the base game activates Grab’n Go, while four Scatters activate Fierce & Fur-ious. Both start with 10 free spins and retain the core Vault Dial mechanic rather than replacing it with an unrelated feature. This makes the progression easy to follow: the bonus rounds mainly change how frequently Vaults appear and how strong their dial values can be.

Grab’n Go is the first bonus level. During its 10 free spins, the basic Cash Crooks mechanics remain active, but Vault symbols have an increased chance of appearing compared with normal play. The Vault Dials use the standard range of rewards, including additive multipliers, multiplicative multipliers and the possible Max Win result. Additional FS symbols can also extend the round: two Scatters appearing during the bonus award two extra free spins, while three Scatters award four additional spins.

Fierce & Fur-ious is triggered directly by four Scatters and also begins with 10 free spins. Its main difference is a stronger Vault Dial configuration. The additive values available in this mode start higher and can include 10x, 15x, 20x, 25x, 50x, 100x and 250x, while the multiplicative set can include x3, x4, x5, x10, x15 and x20. The retrigger rule remains in place, so two Scatters can add two spins and three can add four.

How the Bonus Gamble Changes the Free Spins Round

Before Grab’n Go or Fierce & Fur-ious begins, Cash Crooks can present a Bonus Gamble. This is an optional step rather than a requirement for entering the free-spins feature. Instead of immediately starting the standard 10-spin round, the player can use the gamble for a different outcome. Possible results include a changed number of free spins or an upgrade to the next bonus level.

The number of awarded spins can move within a range from 5 to 20, meaning the gamble does not simply add extra spins to the original award. It can produce more than the standard 10, but it can also reduce the number available. A Bonus Upgrade has a different effect: Grab’n Go can be upgraded to Fierce & Fur-ious, while Fierce & Fur-ious can progress to Vault to Victory. After an upgrade, another gamble opportunity may be available before the upgraded round begins.

This feature does not change the random nature of Cash Crooks or create a strategy that improves the mathematical return of an individual spin. It changes the form of the bonus that will be played and involves accepting the possibility of a less favourable spin count in exchange for the possibility of a stronger result. Players who do not want to take that additional risk can decline the gamble and begin the bonus they originally triggered with its normal allocation of 10 free spins.

How the Hidden Epic Bonus Works in Cash Crooks

The third and highest free-spins tier is Vault to Victory, identified as the Hidden Epic Bonus in Cash Crooks. It is naturally triggered by landing five FS Scatter symbols in the base game. Vault to Victory begins with 10 free spins and retains the stronger Vault Dial setup used by Fierce & Fur-ious. Its defining rule is that at least one Vault Dial is guaranteed to appear on every free spin, putting the slot’s central mechanic into every round of the feature.

The guaranteed dial does not mean that every free spin produces a large payout. Individual Vault Dials still resolve randomly, and their values can differ substantially. What changes is the frequency of the feature itself: there is no need to wait for a spin on which a Vault happens to appear, because at least one activation is guaranteed each time. When several Vaults appear together, the usual left-to-right combination process remains relevant and their values are handled through the Piggy Bank in the same way.

Vault to Victory can also be extended through extra Scatter symbols. Two Scatters appearing during the round add two free spins, while three add four. Each additional spin is significant mechanically because the guarantee of at least one Vault Dial continues to apply. The bonus therefore combines the stronger multiplier set of Fierce & Fur-ious with guaranteed access to the game’s central Vault feature on every spin, which is the key difference between the Hidden Epic Bonus and the two lower bonus tiers.

RTP, Volatility and What to Check Before Playing

Cash Crooks is classified as a medium-volatility release, with a published maximum win of 10,000x the stake. One commonly listed configuration has an RTP of 96.22%, but Hacksaw Gaming supplies different RTP configurations of the game for different operators and markets. For that reason, the percentage shown on one casino site should not automatically be assumed to apply everywhere. The active RTP should be checked in the game information or help section before playing with real money.

Optional FeatureSpins and direct bonus purchases can also be available where local rules and the operator permit them. BonusHunt FeatureSpins cost 3x the normal stake per spin and make a bonus game five times more likely to trigger. Safe & Sound FeatureSpins cost 50x and guarantee at least one Vault symbol on every spin. Direct access to Grab’n Go is listed at 100x the stake, while Fierce & Fur-ious can be purchased for 250x. These options may be disabled entirely in jurisdictions where feature purchases are restricted.

None of these features changes the basic principle that every outcome is random and that the maximum win is a theoretical upper limit rather than an expected result. Higher-cost FeatureSpins and bonus purchases can also cause a balance to change much faster than standard spins. Setting a spending limit before starting, checking the actual stake attached to each feature and treating the game as paid entertainment rather than a way to recover previous losses are practical ways to keep the session controlled.