The Buffalo pokie machine from Aristocrat has been a huge hit ever since it landed on the casino floor in 2008. At first, it was only found at real, physical sites on the Las Vegas strip and other casinos. But in 2012 an online version was launched to great acclaim.
Pokies themed around North American wildlife are often popular, but why has the Buffalo pokie machine become one of the most successful games in history, both online and offline? The great design is one thing, with powerful animals across the 5 reels, but it also has some impressive features.
You can enjoy up to 20 free spins no deposit of the reels for risk-free rewards. A valuable wild symbol multiplies your wins throughout the bonus game. If you land several wilds in a combination, the multipliers combine up to a vast 27x! If you feel lucky, you can even gamble after winning spins.
The Buffalo online pokie offers 1,024 different ways to win, making it pretty easy to line up symbols and grab a prize. This Xtra Reel Power format makes it easy to set up the game and gives you a wide range of potential bet sizes, thanks in part to its low minimum bet. It makes the Buffalo pokie machine suitable for casual players as well as high rollers.
The Buffalo pokie is very easy to set up and play, and it’s a great game for novices at online pokies NZ. But the style and features also bring highly experienced gamblers to the reels. Under the Xtra Reel Power system, you can activate all or just part of the game, using some straightforward control buttons.
If you want to land the maximum number of winning combinations, then it’s best to activate all of the games. It gives you many more chances to win by landing 3 or more examples of the same symbol on adjacent reels, starting from the left side.
You can play the Buffalo pokie online for as little as 0.03 credits per spin, but to have all reels active, you need to wager at least 0.40. The maximum bet is 80 credits. It’s very easy to adjust your stakes to suit the budget. If you are playing with a bet strategy, you can change wagers from spin to spin.
Payouts can reach 300x your bet in the base games, but this rises to a huge 8,100x in the free games round.
Playing card symbols and animals such as the puma, stag, eagle and buffalo pay out steady wins. But keep a look out for the sunset symbol. This is a wild icon that can act as any other if it stops in the right place to complete a sequence of matching symbols.
It’s not worth anything on its own and the sunset won’t stand in for the Liberty coin. The coin is a scatter symbol and if it lands in any 3, 4, or 5 places, you earn 8, 15, or 20 free spins of the reels.
The Buffalo online pokie from Aristocrat gives you the option to gamble wins. Click the Gamble button after a winning spin and you see a face down playing card. Select the colour button, or a card suit button and if you made a correct guess, the win is doubled or quadrupled.
This is a medium variance game where you can land lots of winning spins, with average-size payouts compared to other games. Overall, there’s a long-term RTP of 94.85%. Check out our reviews at Gambling.com for information on hundreds of other real money pokies from many developers.
If the base game isn't rewarding enough for you, the free spins bonus round is a great way to land extra wins without risking a cent. The reels spin for 8, 15, or 20 times, depending on how many Liberty coin symbols launched the round. During this feature, any wild symbols that are part of a win will either double or triple the prize.
The best part is that these multipliers can combine, so wild multipliers can boost a win by up to 27x the stake. If you see at least 2 gold coin scatter symbols in a free spin, 5 extra games are added to the round.
Our selected NZ online casinos have special welcome deals waiting for you to collect at registration. It means that you can play free pokie machine games and still collect real cash prizes.
Deals can include no-deposit welcome bonuses, extra credits on top of your first payments into a new online casino account, refer a friend offers, or cash back on any losses. Just be sure to check out any attached terms and conditions, such as maximum withdrawals, or wagering turnover requirements, to be sure that they match your own personal circumstances.
The Buffalo pokie machine started life at land-based casinos but it’s now available to play at some of our favourite casinos via your iOS, Android, or Windows device.
You don’t lose any of the great style, features and bet options that have made the Buffalo online pokie game so popular. Some of the best casinos have their own apps, making it even easier to access.
In most markets, you can practice the Buffalo pokie game in a free-to-play version at online casinos that offer free pokies. It’s an ideal way to see how the bet options work, how symbols line up and what bonus features are available. Once you’re happy with it, you can then spin the reels for cash stakes, and win real money, or try a different online pokie if Buffalo is unavailable.
The Buffalo pokie series has been a success for Aristocrat. Here are some examples:
The Buffalo Gold pokie machine is essentially the same as the original version. It has an identical reel setup and symbols, however, you collect golden buffaloes during the free games round, and these turn other symbols into extra buffalo.
The Buffalo Stampede pokie is also a 5-reel video pokie game. But whilst you have a standard 1,024 ways to win, buffalo symbols can expand the reels, giving you more chances to land a prize-winning combination. There’s a great animation as buffalo charge across reels. The Buffalo Stampede pokie also comes with the same rewarding free spins feature as the original game.
The North American wildlife theme appeals to a wide range of players, but it’s the features, options, free spins and winning potential that has made this range so successful.
Because the Buffalo pokie is a medium volatility game, you tend to see quite frequent winning spins. It strikes a good balance between frequency of wins and prize values.
Check out our trusted online and mobile casinos, where you may be able to play Buffalo pokies in free play mode. Then claim free spins from the site after you sign up and collect real cash prizes with no risk.
The Buffalo pokie machine is guaranteed to play fair at all times thanks to a licensed random number generator and has a high return to player percentage. That means you can win real cash when you play at recommended casinos which feature the game.
We’ve done the groundwork and found the very best sites that feature the Buffalo online pokie. These trusted, reliable, and secure casinos also have vast collections of other games to play.
The Buffalo pokie machine can be played in no-download mode, but some sites offer the option to download it if you wish.
Check out our recommended sites, where you can find iOS, Android, or Windows-compatible mobile apps that give you access to the game in just a couple of clicks.
With the maximum number of wild multipliers across the reels in the free spins round, you can win a huge prize equal to 8,100x your total bet.
There is no progressive jackpot prize, but wins can reach a huge amount in any spin, and with the option to gamble prizes, you could claim an even bigger amount.
You can spin the reels automatically, which lets you sit back and watch the game play out without having to click a button each time.
The Buffalo pokies game uses classic playing card symbols, along with detailed images of North American wildlife. The wild symbol shows the dramatic landscape of the area, and a golden coin triggers the bonus round.
The amount won is linked to your stakes. If you bet more, you can win more, which makes the Buffalo pokie a max bet game, but always play within your limits. Although you can stake less with the Xtra Reel Power mechanism, it’s much easier to win a prize with all reels activated.
Similar games with wildlife themes include Buffalo Rising Megaways, from Blueprint Gaming. This game features 6 reels, and a varying number of ways to win in each spin. You could unlock 117,649 different winning ways in any spin.