Intricate hold and win bonus round with many twists and turns
Cons
Beware of lower-paying RTP versions
Fire in the Hole xBomb is one of the slots that transformed game studio Nolimit City into the successful company it is today.
3 years have passed since its release, so it was about time that NLC released its sequel, Fire in the Hole 2.
In Fire in the Hole 2, you play the base game with familiar features like xBomb Wilds and Multipliers and with new additions like xSplits. However, the most exciting new functions can be found in the bonus game, where things can go absolutely haywire.
Fans of the original slot will enjoy this sequel as Nolimit City has kept what made the first edition popular while giving this release updated graphics in line with how slots look in 2024.
Best UK Casinos to play Fire in the Hole 2
If you want to play Fire in the Hole 2for real money, we have selected some excellent UK online casinos for you.
New players who make a first deposit are eligible for a welcome bonus.
Welcome Offer: 200 Cash Spins on Fishin’ BIGGER Pots of Gold
Fun and pleasant atmosphere
Over 4,200 slots with the highest RTPs
Slots, bingo, and live casino games
New customers only. Up to 200 spins over 4 day period from first deposit & spend of £10. Max 50 spins each day on Fishin’ BIGGER Pots of Gold at 10p per spin for 4 consecutive days. Deposit & spend £10 each day for 50 spins. Spins credited upon spend of £10 each day. 18+ Full T&Cs apply.
Ad. 18+. Gamble Responsibly. Gambleaware.org. New players. Opt in & deposit £10 in 7 days & wager 1x in 7 days on any casino game (excluding live casino and table games) for 100 Free Spins. Wagering contributions vary. Free Spins worth 10p each on Big Bass Splash. 3 day expiry. 18+. Full bonus terms and conditions apply.
Welcome Bonus: 50 Cash Spins on Big Bass Splash + 50% Match Bonus up to £50
Impressive games selection
Over 2,000 slots from 100+ providers
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18+. New players only. Min. deposit £20. Max. bonus bet is £5. Welcome Offer is 50 free spins on Big Bass Splash on your first deposit and 50% match up to £50 on your 2nd deposit. To claim the free spins you also need to wager a minimum of £10 of your first deposit on slots. Free spins must be used within 72 hours. Winnings from free spins credited as cash funds and capped at £100. These cash funds are immediately withdrawable. Bonus funds expire in 30 days, unused bonus funds will be removed. Bonus funds are separate to Cash funds, and are subject to 10x wagering the total bonus. Only bonus funds count towards wagering contribution. Affordability checks apply. Terms apply. Please gamble responsibly. BeGambleAware.org
Nolimit City slots are always released with various theoretical payout versions.
Fire in the Hole 2 is available in four versions, averaging a 87.05%, 92.07%, 94.08%, or 96.07% RTP.
Online casinos can freely choose whichever RTP version they please to their players.
Advantages of playing Fire in the Hole 2 with a high RTP
The difference in payout percentage between the lowest and highest RTP version is over 9%, but what does this mean?
Let’s have a look at an example.
The following table shows how many spins you will theoretically get to play before your money runs out, based on a starting balance of £100 and a stake of £1 per spin.
Fire in the Hole 2 RTP
Number of spins
96.07%
2,519 spins
94.08%
1,672 spins
92.07%
1,248 spins
87.05%
764 spins
Of course, you should aim to play Fire in the Hole 2 on the best-paying slot version to increase your chances of winning.
More spins equal more possibilities to hit a big win.
Follow these steps to find a slot RTP and see which version your preferred casino offers its players.
RTP comparison for Fire in the Hole 2
On this page, the CasinoWizard will exclusively guide you toward High-RTP casinos that offer players the 96.07% RTP version of Fire in the Hole 2.
All these casinos have scored highly during our extensive tests and are considered some of the best on the market.
Why RTP is important when playing slots
Whether we like it or not, the Return to Player, or RTP, of a slot significantly impacts a lot of crucial elements that come with playing slots.
The RTP is another term for the average percentage that a slot pays back for each stake. So, when a slot has a 96% RTP, it will pay back, on average, 96p for each pound staked. As you can imagine, the higher the RTP, the better it is for you, the player, as this will result in:
More spins before your money runs out
More spins = more chances to win
Increased playing time for the player
More value for money for the player
A lower profit margin for the casino
History of RTP and online slots
In the “old days”, all online slots had a default RTP, meaning the Return to Player was the same for each slot, no matter which online casino you played it in. However, since around 2020, due to regulations, increased Gambling Taxes and rising costs, online casinos started pressuring slot providers to release slots with different RTP configurations.
In effect, the online casino now had a choice: it was now able to offer its players a lower-paying RTP version. You could be playing a specific slot with a 96% RTP at casino A, and play the same slot with a 94% RTP at casino B, without even knowing it. The slot may look and feel the same, but the maths model underneath, which is the heart and soul of a slot, may be different, with all the negative consequences that come with it.
An example in real numbers
To illustrate the difference between playing a high-RTP slot versus playing the same slot but with a lower RTP, we have done some calculations.
Let’s take, as an example, one of the most popular online slots ever made: Book of Dead by Play’n GO. It has five possible RTP configurations: 84.18%, 87.25%, 91.25%, 94.25%, and 96.21%. Of course, other slots have different payout percentages, so results will vary.
We have calculated for Book of Dead, per RTP configuration, how many spins it takes to run out of money, based on theoretical losses (house edge) per spin, a starting balance of £100 and a stake of £1 per spin.
Book of Dead RTP
Theoretical Playtime
House Edge
96.21%
2,612 spins
3.79%
94.25%
1,721 spins
5.75%
91.25%
1,131 spins
8,75%
87.25%
776 spins
12.75%
84.18%
625 spins
15.82%
As you can see in our calculations, there are huge differences in the number of spins when you compare the different RTP configurations. The difference between the 96.21% RTP and the 94.25% RTP version is over 900 spins!
Conclusion
Playing with a higher Return to Player increases your chances of winning and playing time. So, when you want to play an online slot, always try to find a casino that offers it at the highest payout setting.
Why RTP is important when playing slots
Playing with a higher Return to Player increases your chances of winning and playing time.
How to play
Fire in the Hole 2 is a highly volatile win all ways slot played on a 6-reel and 6-row game panel with up to 46,656 ways to win.
Bets start at 20p and go up to £2 (aged 18-24) and £5 (aged 25+) per spin.
The base game starts on a 3×6 grid that can expand to 6×6 as more rows and positions become available through wins and explosions.
The game’s paytable is not that interesting, as you can get huge wins with the low-paying symbols, as long as you get enough split symbols combined with wilds and a high multiplier.
And to reach max win heights, you must trigger the free spins bonus.
Features and free spins bonus explained
You will find many familiar features in this release, combined with some new things.
Available features:
xBomb Multipliers = When xBomb symbols appear on the grid, they explode before the next collapse, removing symbols around them and increasing the global multiplier.
Wild Mining = Landing 3-6, the same type of symbols in horizontal or vertical lines, while not creating a win, will add wilds into the grid.
xSplit = XSplit symbols split symbols visible on the same row into two.
Buried Features = Wilds, xSplit, or Scatter symbols can be found in the dirt symbols.
Free Spins = 3, 4, or 5 scatters on the reel trigger free spins with 2, 3, or 4 rows open. The bonus game starts with 3 spins, which reset each time a new coin lands. Above each reel, you find changing enhancers that fall into the empty coins in its reel.
Free Spin Enhancers = On top of the normal multiplier values, you can land dynamites, beer, and dwarf symbols with various extra strengths. An additional 7th reel is available where crystal symbols can upgrade new symbols shown in their row. Finally, you find collectable chests on the bottom row that can be activated by landing dynamites on them.
Fire in the Hole 2 Bonus Buy
Bonus buys are always available on Nolimit slots. However, these are restricted in some markets, such as the UK.
When available, you can choose between the following options:
2 active rows: 70x the bet
2 active rows: 200x the bet
2 active rows: 600x the bet
Super bonus: 3,600x the bet
Lucky draw: 175x the bet
There is also an xBet option available in the base game. It increases the bet cost per spin by 150% but makes it 4 times more likely to trigger a bonus game.
Free Spins trigger, on average, 1 in 211 or 1 in 49 spins when activating the xBet option.
What is the maximum win on Fire in the Hole 2?
Fire in the Hole 2 can pay up to 65,000x the bet, which is 5,000x higher than the original release.
Is Fire in the Hole 2 too risky?
It is no secret that Nolimit City slots are highly volatile, but Fire in the Hole 2 is yet another level, as it’s rated 10/10 on NLC’s own volatility scale.
In other words, slots don’t get any riskier than this.
However, the upside is that you might occasionally win really big. The downside is that your money can run out quickly when playing a slot like Fire in the Hole 2.
CasinoWizard’s verdict: 8.5 out of 10
Creating sequels is tricky, as you want to keep the original elements that made the previous release successful while adding enough new features to make the latest edition stand out and relevant.
Initially, it feels like Fire in the Hole 2 is the same slot as the original version but with some minor tweaks. However, once the bonus game is triggered, you discover the proper new features added to this release.
The CasinoWizard can’t help but think that NLC could have been a bit braver. He leaves it up to you to decide if it’s good or bad, that most things look and feel the same.
One thing is for sure: mining-themed slots are popular, and Fire in the Hole 2 will surely be the game to play for a while after its launch.
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