Here is the honest version of every Buffalo slot machine tip: on a regular Buffalo spin, nothing you do changes the odds. There’s no timing trick, no “hot” machine and no button pattern. What you can control is which Buffalo you sit at, how you bet, and, on the newer versions, whether the machine is in a state worth playing.
Aristocrat’s Buffalo family has grown from one game into a whole family of very different machines. Some play like the original. Others, like Buffalo Link, Buffalo Ascension and Buffalo Stampede, save progress on the screen from one player to the next, and that changes everything about how to approach them.
How the original Buffalo slot works
The classic Buffalo is a 5-reel game with four rows and up to 1,024 ways to win. Symbols pay left to right on adjacent reels, anywhere in the column.
- Free games: 3, 4 or 5 gold coin scatters award 8, 15 or 20 free games. Landing more coins during the feature adds more.
- Wild multipliers: during free games, sunset wilds on the middle reels carry 2x or 3x multipliers, and they multiply each other when more than one is part of a win. That’s where Buffalo’s big hits come from.
- Reels in play: on the original game you choose how many reels to play. Fewer reels means far fewer ways to win, so the price per spin drops but so does what each spin can do.
Buffalo is known for being swingy. Long dry stretches followed by a big free-games round are normal, not a sign that a machine is “due”.
Buffalo slot machine tips that apply to every version
- Pick a bet your bankroll can sustain for a long session. Buffalo’s value is concentrated in the free games, so you need enough spins to reach them. A smaller bet you can afford for 200+ spins beats a big bet you can afford for 30.
- Play all the reels on the original game. Cutting reels to lower the cost also cuts the ways to win and the value of the feature.
- Card in. Free play and comps are the only guaranteed return on a regular Buffalo.
- Set a stop-loss and a win goal before you start. Walking away after a good free-games round is a strategy; chasing the next one isn’t.
- Ignore “hot” and “cold” machines. On games with nothing saved on screen, the last player’s results tell you nothing.
- Know which Buffalo you’re playing. The versions below look alike but work very differently.
Which Buffalo games remember the last player?
Buffalo Link and Lightning Buffalo Link
Buffalo Link combines the classic Buffalo game with a Hold & Spin feature. According to Aristocrat, buffalo symbols are collected during the base game, free games and Hold & Spin, and one free feature is awarded before the buffalo collection meter reaches 1,800. That’s a must-hit-by feature: the meter climbs, and the closer it is to the cap, the sooner the feature has to land.
Buffalo Ascension
The middle reels grow taller whenever arrow symbols land, and there’s a prize above each growing reel: free games, a Stampede or a Super Stampede. When a reel that is already at its full height gets another arrow, its prize is triggered. Reel heights stay between spins, so a machine with tall reels is in a different state from one that just reset.
Buffalo Stampede
Buffalo Stampede also grows its reels, with prizes above them. The same logic applies: taller reels and better prizes above them mean the machine has been left in a stronger position.
Buffalo Power Pay
Power Pay has progressive free-games meters that grow as people play. On many machines you can buy the feature directly instead of waiting for it to trigger.
Buffalo Instant Hit
Instant Hit has a grid of prizes above the reels. Landing instant-hit symbols on the first two reels or more awards the prizes in those columns, and bonus symbols in the grid can award jackpot wheel spins. What’s showing in the grid carries over.
Buffalo Stampede tips
- Look at the reels before you sit down. Reel heights and the prizes above them are the whole story on Stampede and Ascension.
- Compare it with the machine next to it. Two identical-looking Stampede machines can be in completely different states.
- Don’t play a freshly reset machine expecting a quick feature. A machine that just paid is back at the start.
- Budget for the swings. Even when the reels are tall, the prize can take a while to trigger.
How to win on a Buffalo slot machine
You can’t make a regular Buffalo spin more likely to win. What you can do:
- On classic Buffalo: play within your bankroll, play all the reels, card in and stop when you hit your limits.
- On Buffalo Link, Ascension, Stampede, Power Pay and Instant Hit: the state left on screen matters. Most of the time these machines are no better than the original. Occasionally, the progress a previous player left behind makes the next spins worth more than they cost.
Telling those two situations apart is exactly what Slot Hustlers does: send a photo of the screen and the bot reads the meters and gives you a play or no-play call. For the bigger picture, see our list of advantage play slot machines.
FAQ
Is there a trick to winning on Buffalo slot machines?
No. On the original Buffalo, every spin is independent and no timing, betting pattern or machine choice changes the odds. Tips that help are about managing your bankroll, playing all reels and using players club rewards.
How many free spins do you get on Buffalo?
On the original Buffalo, 3, 4 or 5 gold coin scatters award 8, 15 or 20 free games, and more coins during the feature add more free games.
Does Buffalo Link have to hit?
Buffalo Link’s collection meter has to award a free feature before it reaches 1,800 buffalo, according to Aristocrat. The jackpots themselves are not guaranteed.
Which Buffalo slot is best to play?
For a regular session, pick the version and bet that fit your bankroll. From an advantage play point of view, versions that save progress on screen, such as Buffalo Link, Buffalo Ascension and Buffalo Stampede, can occasionally be worth playing when a previous player has left them in a strong state.
Why do Buffalo slots have long losing streaks?
Much of Buffalo’s return is concentrated in the free games and multiplied wilds, so there are long stretches of small or no wins between bigger hits. That’s what high volatility looks like.
For players 21+. Slots are entertainment, and any session can lose. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.