Thundering Buffalo Jackpot Dash Slot Review: Meters and Jackpots

Verdict: The five meters give Thundering Buffalo JD's base game a visible goal on every spin, something the original lacks. The 96% RTP is a reviewer figure, and the game is not confirmed at US online casinos.

Ten of a kind, five times over

Jackpot Dash gives every spin a scoreboard. Above the reels sit five meters, one for each of the Trophy, Crown, Gold Star, Gold Medal and Eagle symbols. When one of those symbols lands, its meter moves. Ten of the same symbol fills the meter and pays a fixed jackpot.

That is the whole idea, and it changes the feel of the base game more than any single feature in the original Thundering Buffalo. A dead spin in most slots is simply a dead spin. Here a lone Crown on reel two still counts toward something, and a player can see how close each meter is to paying out.

The awards are fixed multiples of the stake. High 5 Games puts the Eagle at the top with 1,500x, and VegasSlotsOnline lists the Trophy at the bottom with 15x. The three meters in between are not given individual figures in High 5’s material, so this page does not quote them. None of the five is a progressive pool shared across players; each pays a set multiple of the current bet.

One thing High 5 does not spell out is what happens to partly filled meters when a session ends or the stake changes. Some collection games keep progress per bet level, others reset it. Players who care about that detail should check the game’s help screen before raising or lowering the bet midway through a meter.

A plain grid after a diamond

The original game was built on an unusual 3-4-5-4-3 shape with 720 ways. Jackpot Dash, released in 2020, goes back to five reels of three rows and 243 ways, the standard layout most 243-ways slots share. High 5’s launch press in January 2020 described it as powered by the studio’s Oracle engine.

Some copy online still repeats the 720-ways figure for this game. It is wrong. High 5 lists 243 ways, and that is the number this page shows.

The smaller grid has a practical effect. With three rows on every reel there is far less room for the tall wild stacks that defined the 2011 game, and no source describes stacked wilds for Jackpot Dash. High 5 names split symbols among its features instead, a device in which one reel position can carry more than a single symbol. The provider does not set out the exact rules for this game, so the base game here reads as a lighter, meter-driven experience and the original stays the one for whole columns of wilds.

The Gold Buffalo Coin free games

Three Gold Buffalo Coins landing on reels two, three and four award 10 free games, according to High 5’s press release. That is an easier trigger than the original’s, which needs its free-spins symbol on all five reels, and the opening award is slightly larger (10 against 8).

What the round adds beyond extra spins is not well documented. High 5’s material does not describe multipliers, retriggers or a change of reel set during the free games, and no review site gives a reliable account either. A fair way to read the feature is as a run of 10 spins in which the meters keep filling, which is where most of its value is likely to sit. This page does not claim more than that.

Numbers, with their sources

The 96% RTP comes from slotcatalog and VegasSlotsOnline. High 5 Games does not print one. The figure is higher than the 94.9% BetMGM lists for the original, but the two numbers come from different kinds of source: an operator’s game panel for one, review sites for the other.

Volatility is listed as high by reviewers. BetMGM gives the original game the same label, so the two sit at the same end of the scale despite their different designs. Again, the provider publishes nothing, so treat it as an outside rating.

Bet limits are confused. Slotcatalog lists $0.15 to $15, VegasSlotsOnline $0.30 to $450, and High 5 gives no range. The difference is too large to be rounding, and it most likely reflects different casino configurations. The game’s own bet panel is the only reliable guide.

The maximum win question

Review sites quote a top win of 1,830x. High 5’s press releases never mention that number; they name only the 1,500x Eagle jackpot. Because 1,830x rests on reviewers alone, this page leaves the maximum win blank and treats 1,500x as the largest confirmed single award.

Who should play which Thundering Buffalo

The two games share a name and a buffalo, and not much else. The 2011 original is a ways game with two-way pays, stacked wilds and a free-spin chain that can reach 240 games. Jackpot Dash is a collection game where the meters do the work and the grid is ordinary. Players who want a long feature should start with the original; players who want each spin to count toward a target will get more from Jackpot Dash. The Thundering Buffalo vs Jackpot Dash comparison lays out the specs side by side.

There is a third family member, Thundering Buffalo: Golden Stampede from 2017, which also uses 243 ways. It does not have its own page here. The studio’s other buffalo releases sit on the High 5 Games provider page, and fixed-jackpot games from other studios are collected on the Hold and Win hub.

Availability in the US

Jackpot Dash is not confirmed at any regulated US online casino. FanDuel does not carry it, and no game page was found at BetMGM, DraftKings or Caesars. Players in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan or West Virginia who want a High 5 buffalo game for real money will find the original Thundering Buffalo at BetMGM; the real-money section lists the licensed operators in each of those states.