Buffalo Power: Hold and Win

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

The reference version runs at 95.04%, a low figure even within Playson’s own catalogue. Do not confuse it with the 95.44% of the second instalment: the two values regularly swap places across databases, so close are the two titles in name, grid and artwork.

6.9/10

Release July 2020· Updated August 2026

Released in July 2020, the founding title of one of Playson’s most copied lines: a 5x3 grid with twenty fixed paylines, four fixed jackpots up to 500x, and a deliberately low ceiling at 1,187x the stake.

RTP

95.04%

Volatility

Medium

Max Win

1 187x

Grid

5x3 grid

Bonus Buy

Hold and Win: 6+ Bonus/Power symbols, 3 respins reset4 jackpots fixes : Mini 20x / Minor 50x / Major 150x / Grand 500xFull grid (15 positions): total win doubledFree spins: 8 retriggerable spins (3 scatters, reels 2-3-4)Stacked bison wilds x2 in free spins

6.9

BetsRank Verdict

Our read of the game, based on the data the studio publishes

Buffalo Power: Hold and Win is the game that launched one of Playson's most prolific lines, and it is also the one that best explains how the studio works: an unsurprising 5x3 grid, twenty fixed paylines, and all the attention placed on a single feature. Everything else exists to make that feature land. That feature is Hold and Win. Six Bonus or Power symbols gathered on the grid lock the board and start three respins, reset to three the moment a new symbol lands. Collected Power symbols open four fixed jackpots: Mini at 20x for two coins, Minor at 50x for three, Major at 150x for four and Grand at 500x for five. Filling all fifteen cells doubles the round's total win. The ladder is short, but it reads at a glance, and that is exactly why this template has been copied a dozen times across the catalogue. The problem lies elsewhere: the free spins barely matter. Eight spins awarded by three scatters confined to reels 2, 3 and 4, with stacked buffalo wilds covering two cells that simply double the combinations they complete. No cumulative multiplier, no locked wilds, nothing that builds over time. It is a static x2 modifier, and across twenty lines that is not enough to lift the round above ordinary. They are retriggerable, which remains the only argument in their favour. The direct consequence is a ceiling stuck at 1,187x the stake. For a medium-volatility game with a hit frequency measured at 25.38%, that is not absurd — you play for a long time and cash small amounts often. But anyone after real potential should look elsewhere, starting with the 2023 sequel that pushes the same structure to 10,468x. The 95.04% RTP is low, even by Playson standards, and there is no bonus buy. What remains is an honest game, visually very clean for 2020, that does exactly what it says without ever claiming more. A good way into the series; not its best instalment.

Strengths

+Medium volatility and a 25.38% hit frequency: sessions do not collapse
+Readable jackpot ladder: 20x, 50x, 150x and 500x by Power coins collected
+Filling all fifteen cells doubles the round’s total win
+Retriggerable free spins, something the 2023 sequel does not offer
+A 0.20 floor bet with coin values down to 0.01
+Polished production for a 2020 title, legible on a small screen

To consider

−A 1,187x ceiling only, very low even for medium volatility
−A 95.04% RTP, below market average and low within Playson’s own catalogue
−Free spins with no cumulative multiplier: plain stacked x2 wilds
−Four jackpots only, against five and a 5,000x Grand in the sequel
−No bonus buy although everything depends on Hold and Win
−The template has since been copied into a dozen studio titles, diluting its originality

Buffalo Power: the template behind the whole Hold and Win line

Buffalo Power: Hold and Win launched on 1 July 2020. It is the first title in the Buffalo Power line and, more broadly, one of the games that fixed the Hold and Win formula Playson has been reworking ever since across a dozen machines. The grid runs five reels, three rows and twenty fixed paylines. Bets range from 0.20 to 100 per spin, with coin values reaching down to 0.01. The paytable scrolls through four card ranks, from jack to ace, then four animals: the wolf at 5x the stake for five of a kind, the eagle at 7.50x, the cougar at 10x and the grizzly at 12.50x. The buffalo acts as the wild, substitutes for paying symbols and is also worth 12.50x for five. The scatter takes the shape of a mountain ridge and only appears on reels 2, 3 and 4. Three scatters award eight free spins, retriggerable if new scatters land during the round. The only modifier in those spins is the stacked buffalo wild, covering two cells and applying a x2 multiplier to the combinations it completes. There is no multiplier accumulating from spin to spin, unlike the second instalment released three years later. The heart of the game is the Hold and Win round. It triggers as soon as six Bonus or Power symbols are gathered on the grid. Those symbols lock in place and three respins begin; each new landing resets the counter to three. Power symbols carry coin values, and the coins collected unlock four fixed jackpots: Mini at 20x the stake for two coins, Minor at 50x for three, Major at 150x for four and Grand at 500x for five. If all fifteen cells end up occupied by Bonus or Power symbols, the round's total win is doubled. The reference RTP is 95.04%, volatility is rated medium and the hit frequency is measured at 25.38%. The maximum win is 1,187x the stake, or 118,700 at the 100 ceiling bet. There is no bonus buy. That ceiling is the game's defining marker: it places Buffalo Power among long-session machines rather than among big-multiple chasers. The second instalment, Buffalo Power 2, reuses the same grid and the same artwork but pushes the ceiling to 10,468x.

How Buffalo Power works

▸Hold and Win: six Bonus or Power symbols gathered on the grid lock it and launch three respins, reset to three by every new landing.
▸Four fixed jackpots by Power coins collected: Mini 20x, Minor 50x, Major 150x and Grand 500x the stake.
▸Full grid: if all fifteen cells are occupied when the respins end, the round’s total win is doubled.
▸Free spins: three mountain scatters, found only on reels 2, 3 and 4, award eight retriggerable spins.
▸Stacked x2 wilds: during free spins the buffalo covers two cells and doubles the combinations it completes.
▸Standard wild: the buffalo substitutes for every paying symbol and pays 12.50x the stake for five in a line.

❓Frequently asked questions about Buffalo Power: Hold and Win

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

The reference version runs at 95.

04%, a low figure even within Playson’s own catalogue. Do not confuse it with the 95. 44% of the second instalment: the two values regularly swap places across databases, so close are the two titles in name, grid and artwork.

What is the maximum win on Buffalo Power?▾

1,187x the stake, or 118,700 at the 100 ceiling bet.

That is a very low cap for a feature-driven game, but it fits a medium volatility rating: the game aims at session length rather than at the big hit. Buffalo Power 2 raises that same ceiling to 10,468x.

How many jackpots does the game offer?▾

Four fixed jackpots, unlocked according to the number of Power coins collected during the respins: Mini at 20x the stake for two coins, Minor at 50x for three, Major at 150x for four and Grand at 500x for five.

These are fixed amounts; there is no progressive jackpot fed by player bets.

How is the Hold and Win round triggered?▾

You need six Bonus or Power symbols on the grid within a single spin.

They lock and three respins begin. Every new special symbol that lands resets the counter to three, letting the round stretch on for as long as the grid keeps filling. Occupying all fifteen cells doubles the total win.

Are the free spins retriggerable?▾

Yes.

Three scatters award eight free spins, and new scatters landing during the round retrigger it. This is one point where the first instalment stands apart from its sequel. The only modifier, however, is a buffalo wild stacked across two cells applying a x2 to completed combinations, with no accumulation.

Is there a bonus buy?▾

No, Playson offers no feature purchase on this title.

Hold and Win triggers in play only, from six Bonus or Power symbols, and the free spins require three scatters confined to reels 2, 3 and 4.

What is different from Buffalo Power 2?▾

The 5x3 grid, the twenty fixed paylines and the artwork are identical.

Everything else changes scale: the ceiling goes from 1,187x to 10,468x, volatility from medium to high, four jackpots become five with a Grand at 5,000x instead of 500x, and the free spins gain a cumulative multiplier advertised up to x11.