Introduction to Grand Buffalo Hold and Win
Grand Buffalo Hold and Win is a casino slot from BGaming that blends a common slot mechanic with an even more common slot theme. We can’t lie and say that most buffalo-themed slot releases we’ve seen for the last few decades haven’t been mostly the same, as it’s a pretty safe bet and works well enough. It makes us feel like BGaming set itself up to create their safest and probably most unoriginal release there is, but we don’t want to fully write the game off just yet, as we still have to talk about its gameplay and features. To start off, we have to say that this game doesn’t really have a base game, and is more or less centered around its two bonus games, with the Fireball Respins with its Jackpots, and the Free Spins feature with its Multiplier Wild Symbols. These two features make up for most of the action that the game has to offer, as outside of it, you’ll be spinning for regular paylines, but it isn’t all too bad, as both bonus games are volatile enough to offer some pretty exciting wins, and you might even reach the max win of 5,000X the bet.
Check out the hoodoos and canyons where tall and proud animals roam, along with two volatile bonus games with a complex puzzle of a Jackpot. If your interest has been piqued, then be sure to check out the Grand Buffalo Hold and Win demo beforehand.
Theme, Gameplay, & Payouts
Grand Buffalo Hold and Win is a video slot from BGaming with 6 Reels, 2-8 Rows, and 262,144 ways to win. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.1 and a Max.bet of 50. Grand Buffalo Hold and Win comes with a higher-than-average RTP of 96.7%, a hit frequency of 23.09%, and high volatility, where explosive wins can feel like the norm, with some long stretches of small or no wins happening, but with the chances of hitting the max win of 5,000X the bet.
The game is set in the typical canyons where most buffalo-themed games are set, with a playing grid filled with various animals known as the near-royalties of the animal kingdom. In the background is the empty desert, with tall hoodoo mountains, eagles flying overhead, and the occasional tumbleweed, which, along with the soundtrack, sets the vibe perfectly. You can play the game on most mobiles, desktops, and notepads.
The lower-paying symbols are J, Q, K, and A. Creating a win with 6 of the same symbols will pay out 0.5X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are the wolf, moose, cougar, and eagle. Landing a win with 6 of the same symbols pays out 1X to 5X the bet. On top of this, there are the Special Symbols, ranging from Wilds, Scatters, Fireballs, Lightning, and Jackpots, but more on those in the next section.
Special Features & Mechanics
What is the max win in the slot Grand Buffalo Hold and Win?
You can win up to 5,000x the bet.
What features are available in the slot Grand Buffalo Hold and Win?
The features are Wild Symbols, Fireball Respins, Free Spins, Jackpots, Ante Bet (Chance 2X), and Feature Buy.
Wild Symbols
Wild Symbols help form winning combinations by substituting for all symbols except Scatter Symbols and can only appear on reels 2 to 5.
Fireball Respins
Fireball Symbols can land in the base game with a random value ranging from 1X to 15X, however, they can’t payout unless in the Fireball Respins, which can be awarded by landing 6 Fireball Symbols on the reels. During the bonus game, Special Symbols can appear on the reels, ranging from:
Fireball Symbols = Fireball Symbols come with a random value ranging from 1X to 15X.
Fireball Jackpot Symbol = Fireball Jackpot Symbols land with either the Mini (20X) or Major (100X) Jackpot.
Lightning Symbols = Lightning Symbols can appear in 3 sizes and are randomly distributed across various cells. If one of these cells contains a Fireball, then that position will split into two symbols.
Free Spins
By landing 4, 5, or 6 Scatter Symbols, you will be awarded the Free Spins feature with 12, 15, or 20 spins. During the bonus game, Wild Symbols will come with a random Multiplier of 2X, 3X, or 5X. You can also retrigger the feature by landing 3, 4, 5, or 6 Scatter Symbols, which will award you with 5, 12, 15, or 20 additional spins.
Jackpots
There are 3 Jackpots in the game, two of which can be won during the Fireball Respins feature through the Fireball Jackpot Symbols, with the Mega Jackpot being a bit more complicated. To win the Mega Jackpot, you must have completed 2 objectives, and those are to collect a total of 250 Scatter Symbols from the base game and Free Spins, and to land 48 Fireball Symbols during the Fireball Respins, which will payout the 1,000X Mega Jackpot.
Ante Bet (Chance 2X)
By turning on the Ante Bet, you increase your chances of triggering the Free Spins or Fireball Respins, at the cost of increasing your bet by 2X.
Feature Buy
Through the Feature Buy, you can instantly trigger any of the bonus games for a price based on the current bet.
100X = Awards the Free Spins feature.
100X = Awards the Fireball Respins feature.
Final Thoughts on Grand Buffalo Hold and Win
Whenever we check out the latest BGaming releases, it’s always a bit of a coin flip when it comes to themes, as sometimes we get really interesting and fun themes like with Clucking Hell or Snoop Dogg Dollars, and other times we get, well, Grand Buffalo Hold and Win. We’re not saying that the game looks bad, it’s just quite uninspiring, as we’ve had thousands of releases that look nearly identical, and that’s why we previously said that it feels like a safe release, as there’s very little to go wrong with a winning formula. However, on the other hand, when there’s next to no innovation or uniqueness, it also suffers from being easily forgettable, and that’s where the features need to come in and save the day. So with that said, let us discuss these features in more detail.
As previously mentioned, this game is nearly all about its bonus games, with very little gameplay in its base game, outside of paylines and the occasional basic Wild Symbol. Starting with the Fireball Respins, which is the titular Hold and Win bonus game, and the more interesting of the two features, all thanks to the Lightning Symbols being able to divide prizes for double the profit. In comparison, the Free Spins feature only comes with Multiplier Wild Symbols, which, while being one of the most universally loved features in slots, aren’t all that interesting as the main gimmick of a bonus game, and feel a bit lacking in comparison. All in all, BGaming delivers a game with a basic theme and two bonus games that, yet again, feel uninspired. We feel that if the game came with some more substance in its base game, or even added something more interesting to its Free Spins feature, we would’ve been a bit nicer, but as it is now, the game ends up being short, which is a bit disappointing, as we really enjoyed its Fireball Respins and the puzzle-like Mega Jackpot.
Grand Buffalo Hold and Win is a slot all about bonus games, be it the Cash Prize Respins or Multiplier Wild Free Spins, set out in the empty, vast canyons.
