Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win — Slot Review by Playson

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Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win is a high volatility slot from Playson, built on a classic 5×3 grid with 20 fixed paylines. Set across the North American wilderness — desert mesas, dusk skies, wolves, mountain lions and eagles — the game is the fourth entry in Playson's Buffalo Power series and the one with the most layered feature set. Two independent bonus modes run alongside each other: a Hold and Win respin round that awards instant coin wins and five fixed jackpot tiers, and a Free Spins round where stacked Buffalo Wilds boost a multiplier counter with every appearance. The RTP is 95.44%, the hit frequency is 27.16%, and the maximum win reaches x10,468 the stake.

How to play Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win

The game opens on a 5×3 grid against a dusk-lit prairie backdrop with atmospheric drumbeats and Native American-style music. Before spinning, select your bet using the plus and minus controls at the bottom of the screen — stakes run from AUD 0.20 to AUD 100 per spin. A Turbo Spin option is available to speed up reel animation without affecting mechanics or RTP. Autoplay lets you set a session length and loss limits before stepping back.

Wins form when three or more matching symbols land from left to right across any of the 20 fixed paylines. Buffalo Wilds substitute for all standard symbols to complete or extend lines. The base game plays at a 27.16% hit frequency — roughly one in every four spins returns something — though most base game hits are modest. The real weight of the maths sits in the two bonus modes.

After any winning spin, the Gamble Feature becomes available. Players can choose to risk their win in a coin-flip mechanic to double the payout or lose it entirely. It is optional and can be skipped each time it appears.

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win rules

Symbols and paytable

The paytable divides into four low-value card symbols and four high-value animal symbols. Card ranks — Jack, Queen, King, Ace — make up the low tier, each paying 2.5x the stake for a five-of-a-kind combination. Animal symbols carry the full weight of base game payouts. Confirmed symbol hierarchy from high to low: Bear (top animal payer at x12.50 for five-of-a-kind), then Eagle, Mountain Lion and Wolf as the remaining high-pay animal symbols. The full paytable pays out on combinations of three or more matching symbols from the leftmost reel.

Special symbols

• Buffalo Wild (Stacked): Substitutes for all regular symbols. Does not replace Scatter, Bonus or Power symbols. In Free Spins, each partially visible Buffalo Wild adds +1x to the total win multiplier; each fully visible Buffalo Wild adds +2x. The multiplier applies to all wins on that spin.
• Scatter (Mountain / Free Spins symbol): Appears on reels 2, 3 and 4 only. Three Scatters landing simultaneously trigger the Free Spins round. No cash value on its own.
• Bonus symbol (Energy Orb): Appears in the base game and during Free Spins. Contributes to triggering the Hold and Win round. Displays a cash value during the Hold and Win feature.
• Power symbol (Golden Buffalo): Contributes to triggering the Hold and Win round. Collecting Power symbols unlocks the five fixed jackpot tiers.
• Mystery symbol: Appears only during the bonus game. Transforms into one of the special symbols — Bonus, Power or other — when it lands.

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win bonus features

Free Spins

Landing three Scatter symbols on reels 2, 3 and 4 simultaneously triggers 8 Free Spins. During the round, Buffalo Wilds appear as stacked symbols and carry a multiplier mechanic: every partially visible Buffalo Wild on the reels at the time of a win adds +1x to the total win multiplier for that spin, and every fully visible Buffalo Wild adds +2x. The multiplier applies to the total win of the spin it activates on and resets at the end of each spin — it does not carry over between free spins.

Free Spins can be retriggered: landing three or more Scatters during the round adds further spins to the tally, keeping the session going without returning to the base game. The Buffalo Extra Bonus Feature can also activate during Free Spins — a Bonus symbol appearing on the reels during this mode adds Mystery, Power or Bonus symbols to the board, giving a chance to enter the Hold and Win round from within the free spins session.

Hold and Win bonus game

This is the primary feature of the slot and where the x10,468 maximum win lives. It triggers when 6 or more Bonus symbols and/or Power symbols land on the grid in a single spin. Once triggered, all regular symbols are cleared and only special symbols remain locked in place.

The mechanics follow the standard Hold and Win formula:

1. Players receive 3 respins at the start of the bonus round.
2. Each time a new Bonus or Power symbol lands during a respin, it locks in place and the respin counter resets to 3.
3. If no new symbol lands on a respin, the counter ticks down by one.
4. The round ends when either the counter reaches zero or all 15 grid positions are filled.
5. All locked Bonus symbol values and any applicable jackpot prizes are then paid out.

Bonus symbols display instant cash values directly on the symbol face. Power symbols do not carry cash values — they instead count toward the jackpot collection system. Mystery symbols landing during the bonus round transform into either Bonus or Power symbols, extending the potential of the feature.

Jackpot tiers

Collecting Power symbols during the Hold and Win round unlocks fixed jackpots across five tiers. The jackpot awarded corresponds to how many Power symbols are collected during a single Hold and Win session:

The Grand jackpot reaches up to x5,000 the stake as a standalone prize. Combined with Bonus symbol cash values collected during the same Hold and Win session, the combined total can reach the x10,468 maximum win. Jackpot values are fixed — they do not grow progressively over time.

Buffalo Extra Bonus Feature

This is a randomly triggered support mechanic. When a Bonus symbol lands on the reels during either the base game or Free Spins, the Buffalo Extra Bonus Feature can activate. It adds Mystery, Power or additional Bonus symbols to the reels, increasing the number of special symbols on the grid and raising the chance of reaching the 6-symbol threshold needed to trigger the Hold and Win round. It does not require any player action — it activates automatically when conditions are met.

Gamble Feature

Available after any base game win. Players can choose to enter a coin-flip style gamble where a correct call doubles the win. An incorrect call loses the win entirely. The feature is optional each time it appears and does not affect RTP when declined.

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win on mobile

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win is built in HTML5 and runs in full on iOS and Android via any modern browser — Safari on iPhone, Chrome on Android — without a separate download. The 5×3 grid adapts cleanly to both portrait and landscape orientations. During our review session on a Samsung S23 and an iPhone 14 running on standard Australian 4G, the game loaded in under three seconds and ran without frame drops through multiple Hold and Win respin sequences.

• Portrait mode: the grid scales to fill most of the vertical screen with controls stacked below. All buttons — Spin, Bet, Autoplay, Turbo — remain accessible without scrolling.
• Landscape mode: the full visual layout appears including the prairie background and symbol animations. Stacked Buffalo Wilds remain clear and readable at mobile screen sizes.
• Hold and Win on mobile: the respin counter and locked symbol positions are easy to track throughout the feature. The animation when a new symbol locks is clear without being slow.
• Free Spins on mobile: the multiplier counter updates visibly with each Buffalo Wild appearance — easy to follow on a 6-inch screen.

No functionality is reduced on mobile. Autoplay, Turbo Spin, Gamble Feature and both bonus modes all operate identically to the desktop version.

Our take on Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win does exactly what it's designed to do: deliver a structured Hold and Win experience with a five-tier jackpot ladder and a separate Free Spins mode that runs independently. The two features don't overlap — they operate as distinct reward paths, which keeps the session dynamic without overcomplicating the mechanic. The Stacked Buffalo Wild multiplier in Free Spins is the cleaner of the two features: visible, intuitive and capable of meaningful multipliers when wilds stack well. The Hold and Win round is the more volatile path — sessions without a 6-symbol trigger can feel quiet given the 95.44% RTP, which sits below the 96% range most players accept as standard.

The RTP of 95.44% is the main number to note before playing. It's not unplayable, but it is the lowest confirmed figure in the Buffalo Power series and worth factoring into session bankroll planning. At high volatility with a below-average RTP, the maths model concentrates value into infrequent bonus activations rather than distributing it across base game hits. Players who land in the Hold and Win round with multiple Power symbols — especially five or six — access the upper end of the jackpot ladder where the serious wins live. Players who don't trigger it frequently will feel the variance.

For players who like Hold and Win mechanics and are comfortable with high variance, Buffalo Power 2 is a competent and visually well-executed entry in the format. For players looking for consistent hit frequency or an RTP above 96%, other titles serve better.

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win FAQ

Who makes Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win?

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win is developed by Playson, a Malta-based software provider. It is the fourth slot in Playson's Buffalo Power series, following the original Buffalo Power: Hold and Win, a Megaways version and a Christmas edition.

What is the RTP of Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win?

The published RTP is 95.44% — below the 96% range considered standard for online slots. Some casinos may run the game at a reduced RTP setting. Always check the paytable or casino terms page before playing to confirm the RTP available at your specific operator.

How do you trigger the Hold and Win feature?

The Hold and Win round triggers when 6 or more Bonus symbols and/or Power symbols land on the 5×3 grid in a single spin. Once triggered, 3 respins begin with all special symbols locked in place. Each new symbol landing during a respin resets the counter to 3. The round ends when the counter reaches zero or all 15 grid positions are filled.

How do the jackpots work?

Five fixed jackpot tiers are available: Mini, Minor, Major, Mega and Grand. The tier unlocked corresponds to the number of Power symbols collected during a single Hold and Win session — from 1 Power symbol for Mini up to 5–6 for Grand. The Grand jackpot reaches up to x5,000 the stake. Combined with Bonus symbol cash values, the maximum total win is x10,468.

How do you trigger Free Spins?

Three Scatter symbols landing on reels 2, 3 and 4 simultaneously trigger 8 Free Spins. During the round, each partially visible Buffalo Wild adds +1x to the total win multiplier for that spin; each fully visible Buffalo Wild adds +2x. Free Spins can be retriggered by landing three or more Scatters during the feature.

Is there a bonus buy option?

No. Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win does not include a bonus buy or feature purchase option. Both the Hold and Win round and Free Spins can only be triggered organically during normal play.

Where can Australian players find Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win?

Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win is available at multiple AUD-friendly online casinos. Platforms where Playson content is confirmed in the catalogue include SlotsGem, VegasNova and RollXO — all of which support AUD accounts and have been reviewed for Australian players.

Player reviews of Buffalo Power 2: Hold and Win

• James, Sydney (2026): "Triggered the Hold and Win round with 7 symbols — ended up with 4 Power symbols and hit the Mega jackpot. The whole feature lasted about 8 respins. Well worth the wait between base game spins."
• Sarah, Melbourne (2026): "High volatility is an understatement. Went 60 spins without a bonus trigger, then hit Free Spins with two fully visible Buffalo Wilds — multiplier hit x5 on one spin. Not a huge win overall but the mechanic is satisfying when it clicks."
• Tom, Brisbane (2026): "RTP of 95.44% is something I noticed after a couple of sessions — the base game is genuinely dry between features. Once the Hold and Win fires though, it pays properly. Not a daily grind slot — more of a session slot for when you want variance."
• Emma, Perth (2026): "Playing on mobile, portrait mode. The respin counter during Hold and Win is easy to read and the locked symbols are visually clear. No issues with the interface on an iPhone 14. The stacked Wilds in Free Spins look great on a small screen too."
• Nick, Adelaide (2026): "Buffalo Extra Bonus added three symbols mid-base game and pushed me over the 6-symbol threshold for Hold and Win — that's a nice touch. Without that mechanic the trigger would feel much rarer. Ended up with Minor jackpot on that round."
• Liam, Gold Coast (2026): "Six Power symbols in one Hold and Win session — Grand jackpot. First time I've hit it across maybe 15 sessions. When it goes, it goes. But the RTP reality is that most sessions won't get there. Go in knowing the variance and it's a good time."