Front Runner Slot Review

Front Runner Bonus Features

This horse race slot has only one bonus feature called “Derby Dash” and the Bonus Buy feature. The former is about as unique as they come, and it would be fair to call it a “progressive bonus mechanic” since it can be improved if certain conditions are met. Let me elaborate in more detail. 

Derby Dash Free Spins

As soon as you load up Front Runner, you’ll see the coveted Horse Racer for the first time. In the base game, this symbol is the scatter; you’ll need at least three on the playing field to trigger 10 free spins, while drawing four or five will net you 12 or 15 free spins, respectively. 

It took me a while to line up enough of these symbols to trigger the Bonus Game, but it was worth it. 

The initial playing field disappeared and was replaced with special reels. I noticed that three horse racers were gearing up to run the course. A red-colored Racer appeared on the middle reel, and it was only then that the first digital horse moved across the track. Moreover, I got an extra free spin for it. 

A few spins later, a golden wreath appeared, and my Blue Racer snatched it. Afterwards, he moved by one position even if he wasn’t drawn on the playing field. I have to admit that no racers managed to finish the course on my first try, but I was stubborn and bought the bonus on multiple occasions to fully test this feature. 

It was on my 4th attempt that the Red Racer claimed victory, bringing an x3 multiplier to my wins and earning me +3 free spins, but the game didn’t end there. The Green Racer followed suit, making the global multiplier x6.

With Lady Luck by my side, even the Blue Racer got to the finish line. Now that all racers have succeeded, I was given 9 extra free spins, and my global multiplier skyrocketed to x12. 

Buy Bonus & Bet

The 3x5 playing field is quite small, and landing three scatters can be tricky. That’s where the Buy Bonus comes into play. You can spend 100x of your current bet to guarantee at least three scatters on your following spin. Additionally, you can continuously keep paying 1.5x of your current wager to improve the chance of scatter draws. 

How to Win at Front Runner Slot

Front Runner has only 10 paylines, and they’re all fixed. You win if at least three symbols (excluding Wilds and Badges, they start paying for 2-of-a-kind combinations) appear adjacent on an active winline. 

Wild symbols substitute for all others, but also double as Badges (the highest-paying symbol). In case you line up 5 Wilds, they will connect all possible combinations and give you the highest-paying line of $200 (on a $1 wager).

Front Runner Slot RTP & Volatility

Quite a few symbols being drawn on a tiny grid where Bonus symbols keep getting in the way is a recipe for a high volatility slot. You might not win too frequently, but when you do, you’ll be bathing in cash. Pragmatic Play’s tests state that this slot boasts an impressive 96.51% RTP score. 

Final Verdict

I’m completely bought by the Derby Dash bonus round in Front Runner and can’t wait for Pragmatic to officially launch the game in May 2024. Even though it’s not as feature-rich as some slots by this developer, I’d describe its gameplay as thoroughly immersive, especially if you’re a sports fan.