Shows how ‘networked’ we are — we thought that “Wolf Run” was our personal secret favorite discovery….and it turns out to be one of the most popular machines among slots players all over — there are many, many US casinos that have Wolf Run.

I’d seen the wolf’s face staring at me time and again before I decided to try it out. It’s nowhere near as gimmicky as plenty of other slot machines in Vegas; there’s very little in the way of video bonuses or special features. But as I (and apparently millions of other serious slot junkies) found out, it’s as close a guarantee of slots success as anything you can find on The Strip.

Not that Wolf Run is generic, by any means; with four visible symbols on each reel and a indispensable “stacked wilds” feature, it looks and plays subtly different from anything else out there. And the timberland graphics and animations are very well done — take that from a guy who’s originally from the High Sierras.

But the big difference is (as always) in the payouts, which come big and fast when the Free Spins round lines up with the stacked wilds. The machine lets you know it, too — the fuss that it makes when you win will definitely turn heads in your general area.

I’ve been trying to find something like Wolf Run that I can play online, without too much luck. The ones that look most like Wolf Run sure don’t pay out like it, and vice versa. However, Winpalace’s Rain Dance has a good-looking Native American theme, stacked wilds, and a nice random progressive that hits rather often for me.