Rhyming Reels Hearts and Tarts Slot Review - RTP, Free Spins & Features

Provider	Microgaming

Rhyming Reels - Hearts and Tarts Slot Review

Microgaming's Rhyming Reels series takes classic British nursery rhymes and turns them into slot games - and Hearts and Tarts is one of the more entertaining entries in the range. Released in 2015, this 5-reel, 30-payline slot retells the tale of the Queen of Hearts, her stolen tarts and the mischievous Knave who made off with them. If you've already played Old King Cole or Jack and Jill from the same series, you'll know what to expect: a polished game built around a familiar theme, with a bonus round that can deliver some genuinely strong returns.

The game runs at an RTP of 96.1%, which sits comfortably above the industry average. Volatility is classed as medium, leaning toward the higher end - you can go through stretches without much happening, but the stacked symbols and free spins multipliers mean the bonus round can make up for it quickly when it does land.

Theme and Symbols

The reels sit inside the pages of an open book, a design motif that runs across the Rhyming Reels series and gives the game a storybook feel. The symbols carry the nursery rhyme theme throughout. Lower-paying symbols are the standard playing card values from ten to Ace, while the main symbols are all drawn from the story: the Queen of Hearts herself, the Knave caught mid-theft, a pair of maids, heart-shaped tarts and a set of oven gloves.

The Queen of Hearts is a stacked symbol, meaning she can appear covering multiple positions on a reel at once. This is one of the key base-game features - stacked high-value symbols significantly improve the odds of landing full-reel combinations, and the Queen pays well when she fills the board. It is not unusual to see her stacked across a full reel during the base game, which keeps things interesting between bonus triggers.

Wild and Scatter Symbols

The Hearts and Tarts logo serves as the wild symbol. It substitutes for all other symbols on the reels except the scatter, and a line of five wilds pays out at 4,000x your line bet - the highest symbol value in the paytable. The wild does not appear during the base game in stacked form, but that changes during the bonus round (more on that below).

The Crown is the scatter symbol. It pays out based on how many appear anywhere on the reels, regardless of payline positions. Five Crown scatters trigger a payout of 200x your total bet, which is a meaningful hit on its own before the free spins even begin.

Free Spins Bonus

Three or more Crown scatters anywhere on the reels trigger 10 free spins. This is where Hearts and Tarts shows its teeth. During the bonus round, all wins are doubled as standard, but the stacked Queen mechanic from the base game gets an upgrade - the Hearts and Tarts wild becomes stacked across all reels, meaning it can appear on every position simultaneously. Any wins involving these stacked wilds are quadrupled rather than doubled.

The combination of stacked wilds covering the full board and a 4x multiplier creates the potential for some very large single-spin payouts. The game's theoretical maximum payout sits at around 2.4 million coins. In practice, landing a full board of stacked wilds during the free spins is rare, but the elevated multipliers mean even partial wild coverage can produce strong returns.

Free spins can also be retriggered. Landing three or more Crown scatters during the bonus round resets the counter, extending the feature. There is no cap specified on retriggering, so a good run can stack up significant additional spins.

Betting Range

The minimum bet is 30p per spin and the maximum is £75. The 30 paylines are non-fixed, meaning you can reduce the number of active lines to lower your stake - though playing fewer lines cuts your coverage of the board and reduces the likelihood of landing winning combinations, so most players keep all 30 active. The autoplay function supports between 5 and 500 consecutive spins, with optional win-limit and loss-limit stops.

How It Compares to Other Rhyming Reels Games

Hearts and Tarts uses the same core engine as the rest of the Rhyming Reels series - stacked symbols, a scatter-triggered free spins round, and the storybook visual frame. What sets this one apart slightly is the wild multiplier upgrade during the bonus: the shift from 2x (standard wins) to 4x (wild wins) during free spins gives the bonus round a higher ceiling than some of the other entries in the series. Players who enjoyed Old King Cole or Jesters Jewels will find the mechanics familiar but with a slightly more aggressive bonus structure here.

The trade-off is the medium-to-high volatility. Sessions without a bonus trigger can feel lean, and the base game relies heavily on the stacked Queen to deliver meaningful wins between features. If you prefer lower variance play with more frequent smaller wins, this may not be the best fit. But if you're comfortable with the variance in exchange for a higher-reward bonus round, Hearts and Tarts delivers. You can find casinos that carry Hearts and Tarts in our UK casino listings.

Key Facts

Provider: Microgaming (Games Global)
Release: December 2015
Reels / Rows: 5x3
Paylines: 30 (non-fixed)
RTP: 96.1%
Volatility: Medium (higher end)
Bet range: £0.30 - £75
Wild: Hearts and Tarts logo (substitutes all except scatter)
Scatter: Crown (triggers free spins at 3+)
Free spins: 10, retriggerable, with stacked wilds and 4x multiplier on wild wins
Max payout: 2.4 million coins

Verdict

Rhyming Reels - Hearts and Tarts is a solid mid-variance slot that rewards patience. The base game keeps things moving with the stacked Queen, but the real draw is the free spins round, where the upgraded stacked wilds and multipliers can produce outsized results. The 96.1% RTP is respectable, and the retriggerable feature adds some longevity when you do land the bonus. It is not the flashiest game in the Microgaming catalogue - the 2015 graphics show their age - but the mechanics hold up and the nursery rhyme theme is executed with enough charm to make it a pleasant play. Worth a session if you like Microgaming's storytelling approach to slots.

What is the RTP of Rhyming Reels Hearts and Tarts?

The slot has an RTP (return to player) of 96.1%, which is above the industry average for online slots.

How do you trigger the free spins in Hearts and Tarts?

Landing three or more Crown scatter symbols anywhere on the reels triggers 10 free spins. The feature can be retriggered by landing three or more scatters again during the bonus round.

What happens to the wild symbol during free spins?

During the free spins round, the Hearts and Tarts logo wild becomes stacked across all five reels. Any wins involving these stacked wilds are multiplied by 4x rather than the standard 2x that applies to other wins during the bonus.

Is Rhyming Reels Hearts and Tarts a high or low volatility slot?

The game is classed as medium volatility, though it leans toward the higher end of that range. Base game wins can be infrequent, but the bonus round with stacked wilds and multipliers can produce strong returns when triggered.

Who makes Rhyming Reels Hearts and Tarts?

The slot was developed by Microgaming, now operating under the Games Global brand, and was released in December 2015 as part of the Rhyming Reels series.

What is the maximum win in Hearts and Tarts?

The theoretical maximum payout is around 2.4 million coins, achievable during the free spins round when stacked wilds cover the reels with a 4x multiplier active.