Quick Stats
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Provider | NetEnt (Swedish; now Evolution Gaming group) |
| Game Type | Video Slot |
| RTP | 97.07% |
| Volatility | Low (Blackspins stats field shows 97.07% — data entry error; correct is Low) |
| Reels / Rows | 5 × 3 |
| Paylines | 99 Fixed |
| Min Bet | $0.50 per spin |
| Max Bet | $250.00 per spin |
| Max Win | 1,980× stake |
| Release | Late 2013 |
| Features | Sticky Win™ (every winning spin; winning symbols lock, rest re-spin), Wild (3 types; substitutes all regular symbols), Random Wilds (free spins only), Free Spins (5+ electric eel scatters; up to 20 spins; 2× multiplier), Sticky Win™ in Free Spins |
| Theme | Comic Book / Film Noir Detective |
| Platform | Desktop & Mobile (HTML5) |
What Is Jack Hammer 2?
Jack Hammer 2 is NetEnt at their best in the 2013 era — a sequel to the original Jack Hammer that took the winning formula (comic book noir, Sticky Win respins) and expanded it to 99 paylines while introducing Don Crabby as the new villain and random wilds during free spins.
The game looks like a 1940s pulp detective comic strip rendered in high-definition. Jack Hammer is the hard-boiled detective. Pearl is the love interest in danger. Don Crabby is the grotesque mob boss with literal crab claws instead of hands. The dockside city setting at night, the bold comic-panel compositions, the soundtrack that pulls directly from noir film — every element serves the aesthetic. It’s one of the more committed theme executions in NetEnt’s catalogue.
The Sticky Win™ mechanic is the game’s signature event. Land any winning combination on the 99 paylines and the winning symbols freeze in place while the non-contributing symbols re-spin. New wins from the re-spin also freeze. This continues until the re-spin produces nothing new. The final locked configuration is then paid as a single combined win. On 99 paylines, a sticky win chain can build substantial combined payouts from a sequence of modest individual wins.
With 97.07% RTP and low volatility, Jack Hammer 2 is positioned explicitly at the “play longer, win smaller but more often” end of the spectrum. LuckyMobileSlots’ review calibrates expectations honestly: expect typical sessions of 20–40× your bet from significant wins. The 1,980× maximum exists but requires extensive sticky chain and free spins alignment.
RTP and Volatility
Jack Hammer 2 carries an RTP of 97.07%, confirmed universally. The house edge is 2.93% — among the lowest available in the Blackspins lobby, significantly below the 3-4% of standard 96-97% titles. For every $100 wagered over millions of spins, the game returns $97.07.
Volatility is Low — the Blackspins volatility field incorrectly shows 97.07% (a copy-paste error of the RTP value). Every independent source from SlotsMate to SlotCatalog to NetEnt’s own materials confirms Low volatility.
Low volatility + 97.07% RTP + 99 paylines = a game designed to return money frequently in small amounts. You won’t go long between wins, but most individual wins will be modest. The Sticky Win chains and free spins are where the meaningful payout events concentrate.
At $0.50 minimum, a $50 session covers 100 spins. Low volatility means those 100 spins are likely to include many small returns, making bankroll life longer than equivalent sessions on medium or high volatility titles at the same stake.
Betting Range
Jack Hammer 2 accepts bets from $0.50 to $250.00 per spin across 99 fixed paylines. The $250 maximum is a generous ceiling that scales the 1,980× maximum win to $495,000 at max stake.
The Blackspins stats field shows Min/Max Bet: 50/500 — these are coin values in the game’s internal denomination system, not dollar amounts. The actual $0.50–$250 range is confirmed by AboutSlots, SlotCatalog, and chipy.com.
Autoplay is available. Quick Spin mode is also available for faster sessions.
How to Play Jack Hammer 2 — Step by Step
- Set your bet. Choose between $0.50 and $250.00. All 99 paylines are fixed and always active.
- Open the paytable. Check symbol values (paid per payline × your bet). Note the three wild types, the electric eel scatter trigger count, and the free spins structure.
- Press spin. Three matching symbols on any of the 99 paylines from the leftmost reel produce a win. With 99 paylines on a 5×3 grid, many symbol configurations pay simultaneously.
- Sticky Win™ activates on any win. Winning symbols freeze in place; the green “Sticky Win” banner appears. All non-contributing symbols re-spin while the winning symbols remain locked.
- If the re-spin produces new wins: Those new winning symbols also lock. All currently locked symbols remain; only the non-winning positions re-spin again.
- Chain continues until a re-spin produces no new winning symbols. Then all locked symbols are paid together as a combined win total. This is calculated across all paylines simultaneously.
- Wild symbols. Three wild variants (standard, Don Crabby’s claw, Jack Hammer’s fist) all substitute for regular symbols. They can contribute to the Sticky Win chain as substitute completions.
- Electric eel scatters anywhere. Scatter symbols don’t need payline alignment — they pay and count from anywhere on the 15-position grid. 5+ electric eels on a single spin trigger free spins.
- Free spins feature. All wins during free spins are multiplied by 2×. Sticky Win™ is also active during free spins, building chains on top of the multiplier. Random Wilds can appear at any position during free spins.
- Free spins can retrigger by landing 5+ scatters during the feature — potentially extending to 40 total free spins per SlotCatalog.
Try this: During your first 20 base-game spins, note how many Sticky Win chains extend to 2 or more re-spins. The 99-payline density means chains are common, but their length varies — two-step chains are frequent, three-step or longer are the session’s headline events. Understanding your session’s chain rhythm helps set realistic expectations for when the free spins will matter most.
Symbols and Paytable
Jack Hammer 2 uses 9 regular symbols split between low and high-value groups, plus three wilds and a scatter.
Low-paying symbols (5): Microphone, violin case with crab, overturned fish barrel, villain in speedboat, dockside evening scene. These represent the crime thriller environment — background detail rather than character focus.
High-paying character symbols (4, ascending): Goons (Don Crabby’s henchmen), Don Crabby (the villain), Pearl (the hostage), Jack Hammer (the hero, highest-paying regular symbol). AskGamblers confirms payouts range from 0.1× to 10× your stake for 3–5 on a payline.
Wild (three variants): Standard wild, Don Crabby’s claw, Jack Hammer’s fist. All three substitute for any regular symbol across paylines. Can appear on any reel.
Electric Eel Scatter: The free spins trigger. Pays directly anywhere on the grid. 5+ in a single spin triggers free spins. Count scales the award: 5 = 10 spins; 8+ = 20 spins.
Watch for: Multiple electric eel scatters across different reels on the same spin where a Sticky Win chain has already started. Scatters don’t interfere with a running sticky chain — if you land a winning combination plus 4 electric eels simultaneously, the sticky chain resolves first, then the scatter count counts toward a potential free spins trigger. On 99 paylines, both events can occur on the same spin.
Bonus Features
Sticky Win™ (Base Game and Free Spins)
Jack Hammer 2’s defining mechanic. Active on every winning spin without any trigger requirement.
When 3+ matching symbols land on any payline, all contributing winning symbols freeze (“stick”) on the grid. The non-winning symbol positions re-spin while the locked symbols remain. If the re-spin produces:
- New winning symbols: Those symbols also lock in place. All currently locked symbols stay; remaining non-winning positions re-spin again
- No new winning symbols: The chain ends. All locked wins across all paylines are calculated and paid simultaneously as a combined total
The longer the chain, the larger the accumulated win. Because 99 paylines are active simultaneously, a re-spin that adds one symbol can complete multiple new payline combinations at once, dramatically extending the chain’s cumulative value.
During free spins, the Sticky Win™ mechanic remains active — chains build on top of the 2× multiplier, meaning each chained win is doubled.
Free Spins
Trigger: 5 or more electric eel scatter symbols appearing anywhere on the 5×3 grid simultaneously.
Free spins awarded scale with scatter count:
- 5 scatters = 10 free spins
- 6 scatters = 12 free spins (verify in-game for exact scale)
- 7 scatters = 15 free spins
- 8+ scatters = 20 free spins
During free spins:
- All wins multiplied by 2×
- Sticky Win™ active (chains add to wins, then 2× applied to final total)
- Random Wilds appear at random positions, substituting for any symbol except regular wilds and scatters
- Retrigger: 5+ scatters during free spins extend the feature — up to 40 total free spins possible per SlotCatalog
The combination of 2× multiplier + Sticky Win chains + Random Wild placements creates the game’s highest single-session payout scenarios.
Design and Theme
Jack Hammer 2 renders a 1940s film noir detective universe as a comic strip. The bold outlined characters, the limited-palette colour pop aesthetic, the cinematic dockside night backdrop — it’s as strong a visual identity as any NetEnt title in their classic catalogue. Don Crabby with his crab claws and mob boss suit is a genuinely memorable villain design. Pearl, the hostage, appears in the paytable with the wide-eyed helplessness of classic pulp fiction. Jack Hammer himself is the archetypal hard-boiled detective.
The soundtrack matches — big-band noir jazz underlies the base game, building to more intense orchestration during Sticky Win chains. Win celebration sounds are crisp and satisfying. The comic-panel framing during the game’s narrative moments (particularly around free spins triggers) is executed with genuine craft.
HTML5 — confirmed on desktop and mobile. The 5×3 grid and 99-payline layout scale well to mobile screens in both landscape and portrait orientations.
Is Jack Hammer 2 Worth Playing?
Pros:
- 97.07% RTP is among the highest in the Blackspins lobby — house edge of only 2.93%
- Low volatility means frequent small wins keep session bankrolls active longer
- Sticky Win™ on every winning spin creates engaging chain sequences without requiring a separate trigger
- 99 paylines maximises the number of simultaneous payline interactions per spin and per sticky chain
- Three wild types add visual variety to a mechanic that fires consistently
- Random Wilds during free spins add genuine surprise value to bonus sessions
- One of the most recognisable and beloved NetEnt classics — the production quality holds up a decade after release
Cons:
- Maximum win of 1,980× is modest for a slot this well-known — high-volatility titles can produce multiples of this
- Low volatility means individual wins rarely exceed 20-40× per session’s headline event per LuckyMobileSlots
- No progressive jackpot; no escalating multiplier; no pick-me bonus — the feature set is deliberately simple
- Released in 2013 — visual quality, while still good, is dated against 2020+ productions
- 5 scatters required to trigger free spins is a high count for a 15-position grid — the feature can be infrequent during typical sessions
- $250 maximum bet is generous but may not suit conservative players unused to the stake range suggestion
Jack Hammer 2 is the Blackspins lobby’s most reliable RTP play for casual, low-stakes sessions. The 97.07% return rate, low volatility, and Sticky Win™ chain mechanic combine to create exactly what the game promises — steady, entertaining, comic-book-flavoured pokie play where wins come regularly and the session outlasts your money’s expected lifetime at any other equivalent game. It’s not the game for jackpot hunters. It is the game for players who want to know the house edge is genuinely low, the wins will come, and every spin might kick off a chain.
Responsible Gambling
Jack Hammer 2 uses a certified random number generator (RNG). All reel outcomes, Sticky Win chain events, scatter appearances, Random Wild placements, and free spins session results are fully random and independent between spins. The 97.07% RTP applies across millions of spins — individual sessions will deviate. Set a session budget before playing, and contact your local responsible gambling support service if gambling causes concern.