That’s right. The first step is admitting you have a problem. We all do, when it comes to the Buffalo slot. Why is that? As much as we may like other slot machines, the Buffalo calls to us, almost like that slot machine in the old Twilight Zone episode that calls out the hapless hero’s name (and at one point, follows him up to his hotel room). Très creepy.

The Buffalo slot machine (in all its manifestations) has none of that creepiness. The sound effects are benign, even friendly. Buffalo seems like such a good-natured machine. And it’s generous, too. So what if the wins tend to be less than huge?

Developed by Aristocrat, Buffalo Grand is the successor of Buffalo, albeit better in many ways. The game is only available in land-based casinos, which means that you cannot play Buffalo Grand slot machine online. To someone who has seen the machine, he would immediately think that this is a big-time game. One of the latest is the Buffalo Gold video slot, a game that can be played for real money at a number of live casinos. Blazin’ Buffalo is a quality slot game with movie-worthy video footage and a stampede’s worth of jackpot wins! This Rival Gaming title is one of the most popular games by the software company, offering players a fun and exciting slot gaming experience.

Buffalo slot by Aristocrat takes you through the American West, where several buffaloes rampage across the reels. These majestic creatures along with other animals form casino slot game bulk of symbols This gambling machine was introduced to online gambling space in 2006 by Aristocrat Limited, a famous internet software game developer. Many of the best online casinos have Buffalo slot games. And I haven’t even mentioned Buffalo Thundering Sevens (Aristocrat’s unapologetic throwback to the three-reeler electromechanical slot days of yesteryear) or Wonder 4/Wonder 4 Tall Fortunes (four games played simultaneously on a single screen, of which Buffalo Gold is one possible.

Ask anyone who’s shoveled a hundred bucks or more into a “cold” slot machine, and they’ll tell you that small-but-frequent wins are easily preferable to huge-but-rare wins. Well, they’re both nice, but in our heart of hearts, we slot players know that the pay tables eventually favor the house.

Somehow, the Buffalo slot manages to convince us we’re ahead of the game (or drawing closer to it), even when we’re clearly not. How does Aristocrat achieve this?

It’s a clever and skillful combination of those frequent small wins with bonuses inside bonuses, free spins, re-triggers, multipliers that multiply other multipliers, and at the heart of it all, Aristocrat’s own invention, Reel Power.

Reel Power (and its own spin-offs, Xtra Reel Power and Super Reel Power) is a departure from the time-tested single-line slot machine that required symbols to line up along a horizontal line etched into the glass face of the machine.

Oh, there were some innovations, such as three-line and five-line machines, but these all required a bet placed on each line to activate it as a winning option.

Other manufacturers built three-line and even five-line machines, all of which required an escalating coin-in to qualify for the full number of win-lines.

Enter Aristocrat. In the 1990s, Aristocrat developed what it called Reel Power, which did away with the “lines” concept and made the entire face (the five mechanical reels were now mere digital images on a video screen by this time) a winning field.

Instead of five pay lines (three horizontal lines for the three rows of symbols, along with the two diagonal lines), Aristocrat made a lineless screen, and five matching symbols appearing in any of the three horizontal rows resulted in a win.

Not to go all mathematical on you, but with five reels, each presenting three symbols, this gave the slot player 243 ways he or she could win.

Naturally, with this arrangement, wins would occur much more frequently, and since slot players aren’t paying for those machines — casinos are — Aristocrat had to downsize the wins.

Along with more frequent wins, Aristocrat tossed in bonus rounds, nested multipliers, and wild cards that double as win-multipliers, and you have a winning combination.

By the way, Xtra Reel Power is the addition of a fourth horizontal row of symbols to the game, which gives the player 1024 ways to win, and Super Reel Power is the addition of a fifth horizontal row of symbols (giving the player over 3000 paths to glory).

Me, I’m waiting for Aristocrat to develop Super-Duper Reel Power, in which I win without leaving the house and they just mail me a check.

But we were talking about Aristocrat, the American success story from Australia.

Casino Slot Games Buffalo

It took some time for the Buffalo to catch on, particularly in “destination” cities like Las Vegas and Reno.

Vegas and Reno (and even Atlantic City) weren’t the only places with casinos, as it happens. Tribal casinos were springing up in the oddest places, and — more often than not — they catered to locals much more than the “destination” casinos did.

Aristocrat put Buffalo slots in these tribal casinos, and — wouldn’t you know it? The locals liked the reality of many small wins to the fantasy of the big jackpot. They adored the cry of “Buffalooooo!” whenever even the smallest win took place. And they were enamored with the idea of “lineless” slots, where even the minimum bet could reap real rewards.

Most Popular Online Slot Games

Since the original release in 2008, the Buffalo slot is one of the most played games across all slot machines. Aristocrat has released numerous versions of the Buffalo slot. The new games share the iconic purple Buffalo symbols. These show the beasts charging head-first from the reels. They also share sound effects and important elements of the game play, while building on it in innovative ways.

Many slot studios have tried to recreate the appeal of Buffalo, including Chumba and Luckyland with Stampede Fury. While there are many excellent games that have come from these efforts – none has come close to matching the original. The simple game play, with free spins and wild multipliers, has hit the sweet spot in terms of enjoyment and big win potential.

Free to Play Aristocrat Slots Online

The original Buffalo slots game is now available at selected online casinos. To play the newer games like Buffalo Gold, Buffalo Grand and Buffalo Stampede – you’ll need to travel to your nearest live casino. You’ll find all the games below in casinos around the country including Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Downtown Detroit.

List of Buffalo Slot Machine Variations

This page covers Aristocrat’s Buffalo slots in depth. Below you’ll find information on the basic setup shared between all the games, then the following different versions.

• Classic Buffalo Slots: The original game still holds its own against the newer competition. This is the only version currently available at online casinos.
• Buffalo Stampede Slots: Aristocrat added jackpots and an expanding reels feature in this version. Triggered by a herd of buffalo running up the screen.
• Buffalo Gold Slots: A hugely popular variant which features a collection element during the free spins bonus. As you collect gold heads, more and more animals turn into buffalo.
• Buffalo Grand Slots: Huge progressive jackpots and a bonus wheel make this tall-screen stand out. There is a second multiplier wheel, plus a non-standard reel setup.
• Buffalo Diamond Slots: Multiplier free spins have totals that keep going up until they are won, adding a strategic element to this version of the game.
• Buffalo Rush Slots: A new game with mechanical reels, you can get extra buffalo symbols in the electronic area above the reels, along with win multipliers

While you can also find Buffalo slot machines in multi-game terminals (Wonder 4 and the like), and a Class II version (Buffalo Xtreme), this list covers the main games.

What do the Buffalo slot machines have in common?

Free Casino Slot Games Buffalo

There are major differences for each variation. Below are the key elements shared by all the games. Aristocrat has been careful to keep the core of the game familiar and entertaining. By not straying too far from the winning formula, they have made each new version of Buffalo as appealing as the original.

Symbols: Buffalo symbols are purple. They show the outline of a buffalo charging towards you from the reels. These are the highest paying symbols in all of the games. They come as both single symbols and as groups on each reel. Your biggest hits come when you get several of them on a reel, and at least one on each of the 5 reels. Other high paying symbols are the same for each game. These show an eagle, wolf, cougar and an elk. All Buffalo slots have playing card filler symbols.

Sunset Wilds: On all the games you’ll find wilds on the middle 3 reels only. These show a sunset over a rocky landscape. They can connect several wins. Multipliers can appear on these wilds, with the rules for these slightly different in each game variation.

All Ways Wins: Instead of win-lines, Buffalo slots machine have wins which trigger with matching symbols on consecutive reels from the left. As long as there are no full-reel gaps, 3 of any symbol (and 2 for the highest paying ones) will trigger a win. All-ways wins make those multiplier wilds even more valuable.

Sound Effects and Animations: Graphics have been upgraded as each new game is released, though they are recognizable as the originals. You’ll soon recognize the sound effects, including the shout of ‘Buffalo!’ when you win with these symbols, eagle screech when wild multipliers are revealed and a high-pitched sound when you wait for extra coin bonus symbols. Once you hear the song used for the bonus feature, it can be hard to shift it from your head!

Game by Game: An Overview of the Buffalo Slots

You’ll find Buffalo slots online in states which have regulated gambling. This list is currently restricted to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia.

It is rare to find a brick and mortar casino without several variations of Buffalo slots. Casinos from Detroit to California, from New England to Florida all have them. Most of the Buffalo slot games are Class III games. Some tribal casinos with Class II slots also feature adapted Buffalo slots.

The Original / Classic Aristocrat Buffalo Slot Machine

Free Buffalo Gold Slot Game

On the surface, the original Buffalo was similar to many slots released around the same time in 2008. This is a simple video slot, with 5 reels, 4 rows of symbols on each reel and all-ways wins.

It is the mix of a solid base game with wilds on the middle reels, plus a free spins bonus which can be easily retriggered which worked well in this game. Gold coins trigger a bonus. You’ll usually get 8 free spins (though up to 25 are possible with 5 coins on the triggering spin).

During the free spins, any wilds that appear will get a 2x of 3x multiplier. These work together, so 3 of the 3x multipliers will give you 27x on any wins they are all involved in.

You only need 2 coins to extend your free spins bonus. This will give you 5 extra spins each time.

Buffalo Stampede Slot Machine

This game features a taller screen. The symbols and free spins bonus feature work the same as in the original. Buffalo stampede also has progressive jackpots. These are random – and tick up on the top left and right corners of the screen.

Game play is made more interesting by the occasional stampede of buffalo. These can run up from the bottom of the screen on one or more reels. They will expand the reels when they do, by either 1 or 2 extra symbols. Buffalo can also run across the top of the reels, adding extra buffalo symbols. Big wins are possible where these combine with the regular on-reel buffalo symbols and / or multiplier wilds.

Buffalo Gold Slot Machine

This variation has been hugely popular. There are no progressive jackpots or major changes to the base game involved. The big change only becomes apparent once you trigger the free spins bonus.

During this bonus some of the buffalo symbols are gold colored. Each time you hit one, it moves to the top part of the tall cabinet. At certain milestones, each of the 4 higher paying animal symbols turn into buffalo. This increases your chances of a big buffalo win as you go. Retriggers are extra valuable in Buffalo Gold. These give you more time to collect the gold heads – you’ll need all 15 to turn all the animals into buffalo symbols.

Buffalo Grand Slot Machine

Adding two bonus wheels made Buffalo Grand the biggest change to the original formula so far when it was released. There are 4 levels of progressive jackpot to be won. You need to bet $3 or more per spin in most casinos to qualify for a shot at the biggest (Grand) jackpot.

Buffalo Grand also has a non-standard reel setup. There are 5 rows of symbols on the middle 3 reels, with 4 symbols on reels 1 and 5. All-ways wins are still used.

Triggering the bonus wheel with 3+ wheel symbols lets you spin for jackpots or different numbers of free spins. Some jackpot wins let you spin a second bonus wheel, which gives you a multiplier of up to 10x.

Buffalo Diamond Slot Machine

This game uses a strategy element which was first introduced via the Harley Davidson slots. There are free spins with multipliers of 2x, 3x and 4x. These increase when diamond symbols of different colors appear on the reels. They are specific to certain stakes. The numbers for each will be different at 75c per spin compared to $3 (or the levels in-between). You can check out all the games in a casino to find the one with the most multiplier free spins at your preferred stake level.

Free spins and jackpots are won via a bonus wheel. This can also award regular (non-multiplied) free spins. The reels are in an unusual diamond shape for this game, which has a curved screen that bulges out towards the top.

Buffalo Gold Revolution Slot Machine

The latest ‘Gold’ variation adds a bonus wheel. The free spins bonus where you collect gold heads is still the key element. On the wheel are two jackpots (worth winning, though not the life-changing ones on Buffalo Grand) and segments with cash wins and gold heads.

Whenever you spin the wheel and don’t hit a ‘free spins’ segment, the prizes get a boost. More gold heads and bigger cash amounts are added for the next spin. If you get the gold heads, these form part of the collection game inside the free spins. Starting your spins with 3+ heads will help add high-paying buffalo symbols to the reels faster.

Buffalo Rush Slot Machine

The newest Buffalo themed game uses 5 mechanical reels. They have the familiar animal symbols on them, though spin on cylinders. There is a bonus wheel which can add extra buffalo for your free spins bonus. This wheel can also award you a progressive jackpot.

Those buffalo you get on the wheel are added to a display above the reels during the free spins. You might find 3 buffalo above one reel or have 4 or 5 spread out across the reels. These are counted as extra buffalo to calculate wins (using the all-ways system as usual). Multiplier wilds can also appear on this display.

Final thoughts on Aristocrat Buffalo slots

This series of slots are hugely popular. You’ll find them in live casinos around the country, with the original (classic) version also available online. When a new Buffalo comes out, it is always busy – often with lines of people waiting to try it out.

Whether you prefer the solid original, big jackpot potential of ‘Grand’ or the collection element of the game play in the ‘Gold’ and ‘Diamond’ versions there is something in the Buffalo slots range for you.