| Provider | Microgaming |
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What A Hoot Slot Review
What A Hoot is a 5-reel, 3-row slot from Microgaming with 9 paylines and an RTP of 96.94%. Released in December 2015, it is a low-volatility game built around an owl theme, aimed at players who want straightforward spins without chasing complex bonus mechanics. There are no free spins, no bonus rounds, and no progressive jackpot - the top prize is 5,000x your line stake through the base game alone.
Theme and Design
The reels are set against a dark night-sky background where only the eyes of owls are visible through the gloom, giving the game a distinctive look compared to most cartoon animal slots. Four owl characters fill the high-value symbol positions: a white owl with a party hat, a blue owl blowing a hooter, a yellow owl clutching a joke book, and a brown owl with a drink in hand. Rather than the usual 9-to-Ace playing card filler symbols, the lower-value positions are taken by acorns, sesame seeds, berries, and chestnuts, keeping the theme consistent across the entire paytable.
The "What A Hoot" logo acts as the top-paying symbol. Land five of them on an active payline and you collect 5,000x your line stake - equivalent to up to £25,000 at the maximum £5 coin size. The four owl symbols pay between 250x and 600x for five of a kind, with the blue owl at the higher end of that range.
Wild and Scatter
The wild is a tree symbol, depicted with pairs of eyes peering out from the leaves. It appears on reels 2, 3, and 4 only, substituting for all standard symbols to complete winning combinations. Because it is limited to the middle three reels, it works best for filling gaps in multi-symbol lines rather than forming wins on its own.
The scatter is a jar with fireflies escaping from it. Unlike most scatters, this one does not trigger free spins - it simply pays a multiplier on your total bet: 2x for three jars, 10x for four, and 50x for five. Scatters pay regardless of payline position, so five jars anywhere on the reels returns 50 times your stake in a single hit.
Betting and Volatility
The minimum bet is £0.25 per line, giving a minimum spin cost of £2.25 across all 9 paylines. The maximum coin value is £5, bringing the top bet to £45 per spin. With low volatility and an RTP of 96.94%, the game pays out relatively frequently but in smaller amounts. This makes it well suited to longer sessions on a fixed budget rather than high-risk, high-reward play.
If you are looking for Microgaming games with similar low-volatility profiles, Alaskan Fishing and Loaded are worth a look. For something with more volatility from the same provider, Immortal Romance and Thunderstruck offer more complex feature sets.
No Bonus Features
What A Hoot has no free spins, no pick-and-click bonus, no gamble feature, and no autoplay functionality. For some players that is a dealbreaker. If bonus rounds are a priority, Lucky Leprechaun or Bush Telegraph from Microgaming both include free spins rounds. What A Hoot compensates with a clean, fast gameplay loop - every spin resolves quickly without waiting for cascading animations or multi-stage bonus sequences.
The simplicity also makes it a reasonable choice for players new to online slots who want to understand how paylines and standard symbol combinations work before moving to games with more layered mechanics. The 9-payline structure is easy to follow, and the paytable is short enough to read in under a minute.
Where to Play
What A Hoot is available at a range of online casinos that carry the Microgaming software library. For the full catalogue of games from this provider, see our Microgaming software page. If you prefer nature-themed slots with similar aesthetics, Fairies Forest and Magical Forest cover comparable territory. Animal-themed low-volatility alternatives worth trying include Howling Fun and Birds!
Verdict
What A Hoot is a clean, no-frills Microgaming slot with a 96.94% RTP and a 5,000x top prize available on every spin. The owl theme is well executed, the lower symbols stay on theme rather than defaulting to playing cards, and the scatter pays up to 50x total bet without needing to unlock a bonus mode. The absence of free spins or any bonus round will put off players who expect modern feature stacks, but for low-stakes, steady-paced play it holds up well. Bet range of £2.25 to £45 per spin gives reasonable flexibility for most session sizes.
Where to Play What A Hoot
These online casinos carry Microgaming games including What A Hoot. Read our Donbet review or browse all casino reviews.
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