Thundering Buffalo vs Thundering Buffalo Jackpot Dash: Which to Play

Two games under one name

Thundering Buffalo came out in 2011, by High 5’s own date. Thundering Buffalo Jackpot Dash followed in 2020, after the 243-ways Golden Stampede in 2017. The name carries over. Almost nothing else does.

The original runs on reels of unequal height, three, four, five, four and three symbols, for 720 ways, and BetMGM’s description says ways pay in both directions. Jackpot Dash goes back to a flat 5x3 grid with 243 ways. Copy that gives Jackpot Dash 720 ways is repeating the original’s figure; High 5 lists 243.

What each game is built around

Thundering Buffalo is a free spins game. Its base game rests on stacked wilds that can cover a whole reel, and its feature asks for the free-spins symbol on all five reels. The reward for that strict trigger is 8 free spins to start and a retrigger chain that can reach 240 spins in total. No source describes a multiplier in the round.

Jackpot Dash is a collection game. Five meters sit above the reels, one each for the Trophy, Crown, Gold Star, Gold Medal and Eagle. Ten of one symbol fills its meter and pays a fixed jackpot, from 15x for the Trophy to 1,500x for the Eagle. Its free games come from three Gold Buffalo Coins on reels two, three and four, which award 10 spins, an easier trigger than the original’s.

So the original saves its big moments for a feature that is hard to reach and can run very long. Jackpot Dash spreads small goals across every spin.

Who should pick which

A player who wants the long-feature chase, and who likes two-way pays and full columns of wilds, should play the original. It suits patience: base-game stretches between features are normal for a trigger that needs all five reels.

A player who likes a visible target should play Jackpot Dash. Every Crown or Medal moves something, and the meter shows how close the next payout is. Reviewers rate Jackpot Dash high volatility, and BetMGM gives the original the same label.

Stakes do not separate them cleanly. BetMGM’s review gives the original a maximum of 200 per spin, while slotcatalog lists $0.50 to $50. For Jackpot Dash the two review sites disagree badly, $0.15 to $15 at slotcatalog against $0.30 to $450 at VegasSlotsOnline, and High 5 gives no range for either game.

Numbers that need care

The original’s RTP is 94.9% at BetMGM; Jackpot Dash is listed at 96% by review sites. High 5 publishes neither.

Maximum wins are messy on both sides. For the original, BetMGM’s text says 1,000x and its quick-facts box 1,500x, with slotcatalog quoting 1,904x; this site shows 1,000x. For Jackpot Dash, reviewers quote 1,830x, but High 5 names only the 1,500x Eagle jackpot, so the maximum is left blank.

One BetMGM blog entry lists Thundering Buffalo with 243 ways, a 96.13% RTP and a 5,643x top win. Those figures do not match the 720-ways original and may describe one of the later games.

Where to play

Here the original wins outright. Thundering Buffalo is at BetMGM in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia, one of the few buffalo slots confirmed in all four online casino states. The real-money section and its state pages, such as West Virginia, list the licensed brands for players 21 and over.

Jackpot Dash has no confirmed listing at a regulated US online casino. FanDuel carries neither game; its lobby has Golden Stampede, the 2017 instalment, which has no page of its own here. The High 5 Games provider page lists the studio’s buffalo games together.