Dream Catcher Rules, Payouts, RTP and Bet Types Explained

Dream Catcher was the first live game show, the game that established live game shows as a genre of live casino games. A presenter spins a large wheel, and bets on the winning segment are paid according to the number printed on it. The concept is simple, and many spin-off games have since been built on it.

What You Will Learn

• Dream Catcher is an adaptation of money wheel games such as the Big Wheel and the Big Six.
• Landing on a 2x or 7x segment triggers a respin, and consecutive multipliers are multiplied together.

This article takes about 8 minutes to read.

Basic Rules of Dream Catcher and How to Play

Dream Catcher is a live game show released in 2017 by Evolution, one of the leading providers of live casino games.

It adapts money wheel games long popular in land-based casinos, such as the Big Wheel and the Big Six, for online live play.

The wheel (a type of money wheel) is divided into segments marked with numbers such as 1, 2 and 40. The lower the number, the more segments carry it, and the higher the number, the fewer: 1 has 23 segments, for example, while 40 has only one.

Players bet on the segment where they think the wheel will stop. If the prediction is correct, the bet pays that number to 1.

For example, a winning $10 bet on 1 pays 1 to 1, so you win $10 and get $20 back in total, including your original bet.

That is all there is to the basic rules; there is very little to learn.

Dream Catcher Specifications

The max win, payout cap and bet limits vary by casino.

How a Round of Dream Catcher Is Played

Each round of Dream Catcher has just three steps. If you know them before your first game, you will find it easy to follow the action.

STEP1

Predict the Winning Segment and Place Your Bet

While betting is open, predict which segment will win next and bet on any of the numbers 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 40. You can place chips on several numbers at the same time.

You can also use the autoplay feature to repeat the same bets, in the same amounts, as in the previous round.

STEP2

The Wheel Is Spun

When betting closes, the presenter spins the wheel. Each presenter spins it differently, and the point at which the presenter lets go of the wheel varies from spin to spin. Because the wheel turns many times on every spin, the presenter has no practical way to stop it on a chosen number.

STEP3

The Wheel Stops and Winning Bets Are Paid

When the wheel comes to rest, the segment under the pointer at the top is the winning number for that round.

If you bet on the winning number, your bet is paid at odds equal to that number. As soon as the round ends, betting opens for the next round.

A 2x or 7x Segment Triggers a Respin

Besides the number segments such as 1 and 40, the wheel has two segments marked “2x MULTIPLIER” and “7x MULTIPLIER.”

When the wheel stops on one of these, the presenter spins it again. If the respin lands on a number, the winnings on that number are multiplied by 2 or 7, depending on the multiplier segment.

If a respin lands on another multiplier, the wheel is spun once more and the multipliers are multiplied together. For example, if 2x is followed by 7x, 7x and 7x and the wheel then lands on 5, the bet pays 2 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 5 = 3,430 to 1, returning 3,431 times your stake including the original bet. The probability of landing on a multiplier four times in a row is extremely low, however, and most rounds are settled without any multiplier.

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Dream Catcher Payouts and Probabilities

The Dream Catcher wheel is divided into 54 segments, and no two adjacent segments carry the same number.

These figures are the probabilities for a single spin. Once respins are taken into account, the final probability of each number winning is slightly higher: 44.23% for 1, 28.85% for 2, 13.46% for 5, 7.69% for 10, 3.85% for 20 and 1.92% for 40.

On a 2x or 7x segment, all bets stay in place and the wheel is respun with the multiplier applied (see “A 2x or 7x Segment Triggers a Respin” above).

Dream Catcher Return to Player (RTP)

The RTP of Dream Catcher is often given as 96.58%, but that figure applies only to bets on 10. Depending on the number you bet on, the RTP ranges from 90.57% to 96.58%.

The RTP for each number, calculated from the number of segments, the payouts and the way multipliers are applied on respins, is shown below. Evolution’s published figures range from 90.57% to 96.58%. The table shows our own calculations, which differ slightly from the published figures.

Bets on 10 have the lowest house edge, followed by 2 and 1. The three numbers with the lowest RTP are 40, 5 and 20, and 5 has a higher house edge than 20 even though it is not a high-paying segment. Every bet loses money in the long run, but for the same amount wagered, bets on 10, 2 and 1 keep your losses smaller.

The highest figure, 96.58%, is not especially high compared with live casino games as a whole. Because the RTP is below 100% on every number, the longer you play, the closer your results will tend to come to the expected loss.

Ways to Bet on Dream Catcher and How Their Risk Differs

One approach sometimes suggested for Dream Catcher is to keep betting on 1 with a betting system. A betting system, however, only changes the variance of your results and the way you manage your bankroll. It does not change the RTP or the expected value. Even after respins are taken into account, 1 wins only 44.23% of the time, so losing streaks are common. In practice, the choice of bets is mainly a way to reduce volatility or to adjust the size of the wins you aim for. The ratios below, such as 1:1, are ratios between bet amounts, not payouts.

Start with the low-risk approach, and consider the medium-risk and high-risk combinations only once you are comfortable with higher volatility.

Low-Risk Bets (High Chance of Winning)

One low-risk approach is to bet on both 1 and 2. Once respins are taken into account, one of the two wins 73.08% of the time, and because wins come often, swings in your results stay small. The profits are small too, however, and the expected value is no better. The RTP is 95.51% for 2 and 95.34% for 1, the highest among the six numbers after 10. Large wins are unlikely, but a multiplier can still produce a high payout. This combination also suits players with a limited bankroll.

How you divide your stake between 1 and 2 is up to you, but here are two examples.

• $1 on 1 and $1 on 2: if 1 wins, you break even ($0); if 2 wins, you are up $1
• $2 on 1 and $1 on 2: if 1 wins, you are up $1; if 2 wins, you break even ($0)

This means that if you bet on 1 and 2 at a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1, you break even or make a small profit whichever number wins.

Medium-Risk Bets (Somewhat Lower Chance of Winning)

The medium-risk approach is to bet on three numbers: 2, 10 and 20. Once respins are taken into account, one of them wins 40.38% of the time. The bet on 2 limits losses, while the bets on 10 (the number with the highest RTP) and on 20 (a high-paying number) offer bigger wins.

Returns are large when a multiplier comes into play, so this combination suits players who can accept moderate swings in their results. Even after a 2x or 7x, the respin is unlikely to land on a high-paying segment, but because you also have a bet on 2, you are more likely to benefit from the multiplier.

A common approach is to bet the same amount on each of 2, 10 and 20. If 2 wins, you break even, and if 10 or 20 wins, you make a large profit. Some players bet different amounts on 10 and 20, but as a guide, aim for a 1:2 ratio between your bet on 2 and your combined bets on 10 and 20.

High-Risk Bets (Low Chance of Winning)

The high-risk approach is to skip the low payouts and bet on both 20 and 40. Once respins are taken into account, one of them wins only 5.77% of the time, so your bankroll may keep shrinking for a long stretch without a win. The RTP is also on the low side, at 92.74% for 20 and 90.81% for 40.

Of the three, this combination produces the largest payouts when a multiplier comes into play. Long losing streaks are to be expected, however, so raising your bet size can drain your bankroll quickly. It is not suitable for players with a limited bankroll.

The ratio between 20 and 40 varies from player to player. As a guide, bet at 2:1 if you want roughly the same profit whichever number wins, or at 1:1 if you want a bigger profit when 40 wins. Each spin is an independent event, so past results cannot tell you when a win is more likely.

Summary: RTP Depends on the Number You Bet On, and 10 Has the Lowest House Edge

Evolution’s Dream Catcher brought the money wheel from land-based casinos into the live casino format, and it has remained popular since its release in 2017. Its basic format, in which a presenter spins a large wheel and the segment it stops on determines the payout, was later carried over into the company’s Monopoly Live and Crazy Time.

The RTP ranges from 90.57% to 96.58% depending on the number you bet on, and bets on 10 have the lowest house edge. When multipliers stack, a win can reach several thousand times your bet, but every bet loses money in the long run. With no bonus games, the rules are simple, which makes Dream Catcher a good choice when you want to play a live game show at a relaxed pace.