Magician’s Secrets

Magician’s Secrets Slot Review

Slot Provider: Pragmatic Play

RTP: 96.5% | Variance: High | Maximum Win: 5,000x

Our Score: 8.6

Play at Casumo Casino
QUICK LINKS: Game Information | Where To Play | Full Review | Testing Notes | Compare Slots | Tips For Players | About The Developer

WHY YOU CAN TRUST THIS REVIEW: The information and opinions on this page are the result of an comprehensive process of information gathering and live game testing by the gambling experts who work at allslotsites.com. Find out more here.

About Magician’s Secrets

Reviewed by:

Published Date: 13th January 2022

How We Review Slot Games

We test and rate all slot games across 5 criteria, assigning a score out of 10 for each and an overall score that is an average of the 5. To build an accurate assessment of each game we gather information from the supplier and play in real play or demo mode. Find out more.

Magician’s Secrets is a 6 reel and 4,096 payline slot from Pragmatic Play with a high variance and a magic theme. In the base game, wilds randomly expand to trigger re-spins and take on progressive multiplier values. But it’s the free spins round where the biggest payouts can be found. There is a choice of two configurations – 10 spins with expanding wilds with progressive multipliers and re-triggers, or 8 spins with pay symbols transforming into sticky wilds and re-triggers when any reel fills up with wilds.

You can win up to 5,000x on a spin in this game. Play starts from 10p per spin.

Magician’s Secrets Game Information

  • RTP: 96.5%
  • Variance: High
  • Maximum Win: 5,000x
  • Progressive Jackpot: No
  • Reels: 6
  • Rows: 4
  • Paylines: 4,096
  • Minimum Stake: £0.10
  • Theme: Magic
  • Features: Wilds, Expanding Wilds, Sticky Wilds, Free Spins

Testing Notes: Here’s What Happened When We Played Magician’s Secrets

IMPORTANT: To give you an accurate assessment of the games we review our writers play 200 spins. Whilst this is a useful tool to help us review games and to give an example of what might happen when you play, keep in mind that 200 spins is only a very small sample and cannot be used to accurately predict what might happen over another 200 spins. The outcome of all slots play is always random.

Boom Or Bust? Our Session By The Numbers

I played 200 spins on Magician’s Secrets for free at Casumo Casino to test the game and this is what happened.

  • Stake Size: £2
  • Start balance: £100,000
  • End balance: £99,931.40
  • Biggest Win: 87x
  • Free Spins: 2
  • Session Time: 16 minutes 35 seconds

200 spins on a high variance slot can leave you feeling short changed as its sometimes not enough to trigger the main features but that certainly wasn’t the case this time round. There was lots of action including two free spins triggers which gave me a chance to test out both configurations. The Sticky Wilds proved to be the most fruitful which you can see in the screenshots below as 5 Sticky Wilds were in play and an 87x win was triggered. The Expanding Wilds version brought up just a 10x win and only 1 expanded wild in play by the end of the round. In my opinion the Sticky Wilds is the better of the two rounds.

5 Sticky Wilds in Free Spins
5 Sticky Wilds in the free spins round

The only disappointment was that the Expanded Wild in the base game was infrequent, showing up just 6 times over 200 spins, many times with no payout. However, it did trigger a 16.5x win on one occasion.

887x win in free spins round
An 87x win triggered in the Sticky Wilds free spins round

What We Liked

  • Dramatic and stylish theme
  • Expanding Wilds and Sticky Wilds
  • Free Spins With Re-Triggers
  • Multipliers up to 10x in base game

What We Didn't like

  • Limited bonus features
  • Low max payout

Magician’s Secrets Review Scores

  • Theme and Design 10
  • RTP and Variance 8
  • Maximum Win 7
  • Symbols and Paytable 9
  • Features and Gameplay 9

What Our Reviewer Says ...

"A high quality production with magical atmosphere and the choice of two awesome free spins feature rounds with sticky or expander multiplier wilds."

Overall Score: 8.6

Theme & Design

Our Score 10

Awesome Magical Production and Atmosphere

Magician’s Secrets builds its magical atmosphere in style and if you like magic-themed games I think you will enjoy this one. The game takes place in the magician’s lair, an old fashioned library with rows of dusty spell books and potion bottles, and a starry night sky visible through a glass-domed ceiling. A white-bearded old wizard hosts the show and the magical atmosphere is enhanced by theatrical music with chimes, dramatic chords and whooshing noises as the reels spin and lock in place.

Magician's Secrets by Pragmatic Play
Magician’s Secrets – brimful of spells, potions and sparkling atmosphere

There are plenty of nice animated visuals too when wilds expand or the free spins round drops. In short, Pragmatic Play have done a top job here and are deserving of full marks!

RTP and Variance

Our Score 8

What is RTP?

RTP (Return to Player) refers to the amount a game will pay out in cash prizes expressed as a percentage of all the money wagered on that game. For example, a 96% RTP means a game will pay out £96 for every £100 wagered. This is an average number and will vary from one session to the next.  Read more here.

What is Variance?

Variance refers to how far a game will deviate from its RTP over time. High variance games deviate a lot and produce uneven win distributions and unexpected windfalls. Low variance games provide a more stable and even distribution of wins. Read more here.

Like many Pragmatic Play slots, Magician’s Secrets has more than one RTP setting. I have seen the game running at 96.51% and 94.49% at various UK casinos and slot sites. There are usually 2 or 3 more lower settings too. Though you won’t notice the difference between 96.51% and 94.49% when you spin, it’s always better to play at a higher RTP if you can. I checked 5 popular sites and this is what I found:

I would recommend MrQ from this sample as it is the only one to run at the optimum RTP.

Magician’s Secret is also a high variance slot, rated 5/5 on Pragmatic Play’s own volatility scale. So it will have an unpredictable payout distribution. You’ll find many similar games in Pragmatic’s catalogue including slots like Panda Fortune 2 and Cash Elevator, both or which are very volatile.

Maximum Win

Our Score 7

What Is Maximum Win?

Maximum win refers to the maximum amount a player can win from one spin. It is expressed as a multiple of the stake. For example, where the maximum win is 100,000x, from a £1 stake, the maximum win would be £100,000.  

The maximum payout in this game is 5,000x. That is a little under average for this provider whose high variance games often pay out as much as 10,000x or more in one spin. If you want higher potential then you could try Eye of the Storm (10,000x) or Power of Merlin Megaways (40,000x). Or read our article on Pragmatic’s highest maximum win slots.

Explore Games With Similar RTP, Variance and Maximum Win

Like the numbers? Here are some more games you might want to try.

Slot SiteSupplierRTPVarianceTop Payout
Hellvis WildPragmatic Play96.01%High5,000xPlay Here
3 Buzzing WildsPragmatic Play96.03%High5,000xPlay Here
Fruit Party 2Pragmatic Play96.53%High5,000xPlay Here
Hot FiestaPragmatic Play96.56%High5,000xPlay Here
Hand of MidasPragmatic Play96.54%High5,000xPlay Here
Towering FortunesPragmatic Play96.5%High6,442xPlay Here
Release The Kraken 2Pragmatic Play96.5%High5,000xPlay Here
Panda’s Fortune 2Pragmatic Play96.51%High5,000xPlay Here

Symbols and Paytable

Our Score 9

Great Value In The Premiums And Multipliers Still To Come!

Magician’s Secrets is a straight-forward 6 reel and 4 row slot with a Win Ways game engine. That means wins are triggered by landing 3 or more identical symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of their row.

That creates the classic 4,096 paylines that is very popular configuration found in slots like Pink Elephants by Thunderkick and The Final Countdown by Big Time Gaming.

Magician's Secrets Paytable
Paytable in Magician’s Secrets with 50x win for 6 premiums

What I particularly like here is that the paytable holds good value, especially when you consider that there are plenty of multipliers to trigger that can enhance your wins still further.

The low payers are the 4 card suits and the crest emblem. These are valued at from 0.1x for 3 diamonds up to 0.8x for 6 crests. The premiums are the wizards tool’s like potion bottles, knives, goblets and spell book. These are valued at from 0.3x for 3 potion bottles up to 50x for 6 spell books.

There is also a Wild in this game that can expand and come with multipliers, landing on reels 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only.

Features and Gameplay

Our Score 9

Superb Bonus Round With Two Configurations To Choose From

There is nothing spectacular about the choice of features for Magician’s Secrets – expanding wilds, free spins and multipliers. But it’s been nicely executed and the configuration of the TWO free spins round makes it feel like it has the potential to pop at any time.

Randomly Expanding Wilds With Multipliers

Firstly, the wild will randomly expand when it lands. When it does, it will carry with it a multiplier of between 2x and 10x. That’s a nice start, and any win that passes through the wild will take on that multiplier.

Magician's Secrets - Expanded Wild
An Expanded Wild with 2x multiplier in the base game

Choose Between Two Free Spins Rounds

I’m always a fan of games that give you a choice of free spins configurations, so Magician’s Secrets gets kudos for this. To trigger either you will need to land 3 or more Crystal Ball Scatters.

There are two feature options:

Expanding Wilds Free Spins

There is a lot to love here! Firstly, you start with 10 spins and in this version any wild that lands on reels 3 and 4 is GUARANTEED to expand AND triggers a re-spin. If you get a win from the re-spin then you get another re-spin, and so on.

But the best part is that a 1x multiplier is added to the expanded wild at the start, and with each new re-spin it increases by a further 1x.  All wins including that wild have the multiplier applied to them before pay out. You can also land two expanded wilds, both with multipliers, that combine if they are both involved in a win during this feature.

And finally, you can re-trigger the free spins by landing 3 more scatters. And there is no limit to how many times that can happen.

Magician's Secrets - Choosing Your Free Spins Round
Choosing between expanded wilds and sticky wilds
Sticky Wilds Free Spins

The second version of the free spins is with Sticky Wilds. Now, you only get 8 free spins, but before the round starts a random pay symbol is chosen and when it lands on reels 2 to 4 then it transforms into a Sticky Wild. And stays in position until the round ends.

Not only that, ALL other wilds are also sticky for the round.

And to finish, if you fill a reel with sticky wilds from top to bottom, then a further 3 spins are awarded.

The Final Verdict

Magician’s Secret is a great-looking slot with great visuals and a fun theme. The highlight for me was the free spins rounds. I love that fact that you get a choice of configurations as it gives you a level of interaction you don’t normally see. In my opinion the Sticky Wilds version is the better of the two, and certainly proved that way in testing. But if you prefer re-spins then the expander with 10 spins rather than 8 is still worth a punt. Perhaps the one disappointment in this game is the rather low maximum win at 5,000x. But leaving that aside, then Magician’s Secrets has a lot to offer and is sure to deliver its own magic moments.

Compare Magician’s Secrets With Similar Slots Picked By Us

Here are more games like Magician’s Secrets compared on configuration and features. Click through to read a review of each one.

Slot GameProviderThemeMin. StakeMax. RTPVariancePaylinesTop PayoutJackpot
Pragmatic PlayAncient Egypt£0.1096.71%High1010,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayPirates£0.2096.5%High2010,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayNorse£0.2096.46%High1010,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayMagic£0.2096.04%HighCluster Pays10,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayFood£0.2096.43%High16,3845,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayIrish£0.2096.54%Medium205,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayMagic£0.2096.09%HIghUp To 117, 64940,000xNo
Pragmatic PlayCrystals£0.2096.46%High117,64910,000xNo

Useful Tips When Playing Magician’s Secrets

Remember, online slots are games of chance, there is NO strategy that can improve your odds of winning. However, reading our review and following these tips will help you get the most out of your time playing this slot game.

1. Choose Your Free Spins With Care

I benefited well from the Sticky Wilds free spins feature and the lower number of starting spins – 8 – suggests Pragmatic think this is the more profitable. But it’s your choice – think carefully!

2. Set A Low Starting Stake

I recommend going in with a low starting stake. This is a game with a 10p minimum which means you can stretch your balance further which is useful in a volatile game like this one.

3. Play For Free First

If you want to get the feel for a game before spending your cash to understand how it works then you can play for free first. You can do this at Casumo Casino.

4. Play At Our Recommended Slot Sites

I also recommend that you choose to play at a slot site listed on this page which have been hand-picked by us because they are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission and all offer great value bonuses.

Who Made Magician’s Secrets?

  • Name: Pragmatic Play
  • Established: 2015
  • UK License: Remote 046683-R-325951-014
  • Total Games: 500 +
  • Known For: Wide range of themes and styles, live casino including gameshow formats, and bingo
  • Popular Slots: Fruit Party, Dog House Megaways, Big Bass Bonanza, Release the Kraken
Find More Pragmatic Play slots

Like The Sound of Magician’s Secrets? Here are 4 more games chosen for you...

Pragmatic Play

Power of Merlin Megaways

Variance: HIgh | RTP: 96.09

Max Win: 40,000x

Our Score 7.8

Play Now Read Review
Hacksaw Gaming

Magic Piggy

Variance: Medium | RTP: 96.19

Max Win: 7,500x

Our Score 7.6

Play Now Read Review
Play n Go

Merlin and the Ice Queen Morgana

Variance: High | RTP: 96.2

Max Win: 20,000x

Our Score 8.0

Play Now Read Review
Pragmatic Play

Spellbinding Mystery

Variance: High | RTP: 96.04

Max Win: 10,000x

Our Score 8.4

Play Now Read Review

Allslotsites.com - Trusted and Independent Online Slot Reviews

Allslotsites.com has been publishing online slot reviews since 2018. It’s fair to say we know a thing or two about what makes a good game – that magic mix of theme, style, gameplay and payout potential. For each slot we review we take you on the full journey through its narrative and design, reel configuration, key numbers including RTP and max win, volatility level, gameplay, and finally an expert verdict. You can also check our comparison tables to see how each slot matches up against others handpicked by our reviewers and check our tips on hitting that winning streak.

We are not paid by the developers whose games we cover. We are independent and our views of each game are honest. That is why you can trust us!

Learn, explore and find your next slots adventure with us!!