- American Original Slot Machine Strategy
- American Original Slot Machine Strategy Games
- American Original Slot Machine Strategy
- American Original Slot Machine Strategy Game
- American Original Slot Machine Strategy Tactics
By John Grochowski
Some tribal casinos with Class II slots also feature adapted Buffalo slots. The Original / Classic Aristocrat Buffalo Slot Machine. 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. The time had come for an exit strategy. Though it may also appear in the original edition from a dozen years earlier. Brought an Aristocrat Mark VI slot machine to a Brooklyn aparment in.
Slot machines are the easiest games to play in casinos, but sometimes players are faced with reel dilemmas.
If you’re an eagle-eyed player who can spot winning combinations in a microsecond, will putting a quick stop to your reel spin improve your chance of winning?
And what about games with no reels at all, such as the skill-based games from GameCo? Should we really call them slot machines?
It seems the reels themselves sometimes prompt questions from players, and emails about both topics popped up recently.
Let’s take the second question first.
To older players who make up a sizable portion of the slot-playing public, some of the new skill-based slots seem more like something you’d have on your PlayStation than casino games.
We asked a few Australians how did the slot machine got a nick name of a poker machine but couldn’t get any meaningful answer. It’s one of these things that just happen 3D Slots – Slot games with top quality 3D graphics and incredible soundtracks. 3D slots usually offer a storyline and tend to have an opening sequence, a shot intro to. Term for a slot machine (“one-armed bandit” in American slang). In a casino, a sequential allocation problem is obtained when the player is facing many slot machines at once (a “multi-armed bandit”), and must repeatedly choose where to insert the next coin. Bandit problems are basic instances of sequential decision making.
One example is GameCo’s Danger Arena, a first-person shooter in which you’re asked to gun down robots as you navigate the aisles and obstacles in a warehouse. Your payback depends on the numberof robots you shoot.
Most skill-based slots at this point leave the skill elements to bonus events, as in Konami’s Frogger or IGT’s Tulley’s Treasure hunt.
But GameCo and other companies breaking into the slot industry are eliminating reel play altogether and making the skill portion the main game.
Is that a slot machine? It is as long as players embrace the games and terminology. After all, the meaning of “slot machine” has evolved over nearly 140 years.
In the original sense, virtually no games are really slot machines anymore. They don’t have coin heads, so there is no slot to drop in coins to activate machines. A few older machines with coinheads remain in play at some locations, but mostly, we buy in with paper currency or tickets.
The term “slot machine” has been around since the 1880s. It originally referred to any coin-operated device. If you dropped coins into a machine and got a chocolate bar, you were buying yourcandy from a slot machine.
That changed in the 1900s, and slot machine came to mean specifically coin-operated gambling devices. The term has persisted through the elimination of coin slots, and it’s almost certain topersist through the changes on modern gambling devices.
And now, let’s go back and answer the first question.
As for the stopping the reels as soon as you see a winner on the screen, that not only does not help you win, it actually can hasten your losses.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy
A reader checked in early in the fall to say she’d just noticed that on many video slot machines, if you hit the spin button again while the reels are in motion, they will stop. The first timeshe tried it, she got a bonus event, and that encouraged her to try it again.
After that, her results were mixed, just as with any other method of play, but it left her wondering if a player who practiced, practiced and practiced could be come adept enough to stop thereels when winning combinations appeared.
Others have had similar thoughts, and a number of years ago I wrote about a player who accidentally double-hit the spin button and saw the reels stop quickly.
Unfortunately for players, stopping the reels early doesn't change your results on 99.99999 percent of slot machines. That’s just shy of 100 percent because International Game Technology usedsomething similar in the early skill-based game Blood Life. It was a three-reel game and the skill was in stopping the reels. Each would spin until you touched the glass in front of the reels,and skilled player could get better outcomes.
That’s not the case on games in casinos today. Stopping the reels early does not change results, but what it can do is lead to faster play with more spins hour. That can be a realbudget-breaker.
When you play video slots, the random number generator has already determined your outcome by the time the reels are spinning, and you’re going to get the same result regardless of whether youstop the reels early or let them halt in their own time.
Randomly generated numbers are mapped to potential results, and that map tells the reels where to stop. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a singlebar, then you’re going to get a single bar — regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a quick stop or just let them take their own sweet time.
By bringing the reels to a quick stop, you're immediately in position to bet again. The amount of time it normally takes the reels to spin is cut out of the equation. If you keep stopping thereels, you spin many more times per hour.
What does that do to your bankroll?
Let's say you bet 40 cents per spin at 500 spins per hour on a penny slot that has a average 90 percent return to players. You can play more than 500 spins per hour without quick stops, but 500is a nice, steady pace that lets you watch your wins and stop to sip your drink.
At that pace, your average hourly risk is $200 with an average loss of $20.
What if you increase that pace to 1,000 spins per hour? Then total wagers increase to $400 and average loss to $40.
And what if you quick stop spin after spin, focusing intently on slot play and increasing your pace to 2,000 spins per hour? Your wrist would get tired, you might get a little headachy withsome eyestrain, but your bet total would rise to $800 with an average loss of $80.
In the wagering world, speed favors whoever has the mathematical edge. In blackjack, faster games are better for advantage players including card counters, but worse for less-skilled players.
On the slots, you can't change the house edge. Quick-stopping the reels doesn't help you, but it does help the house.
So really, there’s no reel dilemma. Unless you’re just in a hurry to win or lose and then move on, let the reels stop in their own sweet time.
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?
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
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).
American Original Slot Machine Strategy Games
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.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy
One example is GameCo’s Danger Arena, a first-person shooter in which you’re asked to gun down robots as you navigate the aisles and obstacles in a warehouse. Your payback depends on the numberof robots you shoot.
Most skill-based slots at this point leave the skill elements to bonus events, as in Konami’s Frogger or IGT’s Tulley’s Treasure hunt.
But GameCo and other companies breaking into the slot industry are eliminating reel play altogether and making the skill portion the main game.
Is that a slot machine? It is as long as players embrace the games and terminology. After all, the meaning of “slot machine” has evolved over nearly 140 years.
In the original sense, virtually no games are really slot machines anymore. They don’t have coin heads, so there is no slot to drop in coins to activate machines. A few older machines with coinheads remain in play at some locations, but mostly, we buy in with paper currency or tickets.
The term “slot machine” has been around since the 1880s. It originally referred to any coin-operated device. If you dropped coins into a machine and got a chocolate bar, you were buying yourcandy from a slot machine.
That changed in the 1900s, and slot machine came to mean specifically coin-operated gambling devices. The term has persisted through the elimination of coin slots, and it’s almost certain topersist through the changes on modern gambling devices.
And now, let’s go back and answer the first question.
As for the stopping the reels as soon as you see a winner on the screen, that not only does not help you win, it actually can hasten your losses.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy
A reader checked in early in the fall to say she’d just noticed that on many video slot machines, if you hit the spin button again while the reels are in motion, they will stop. The first timeshe tried it, she got a bonus event, and that encouraged her to try it again.
After that, her results were mixed, just as with any other method of play, but it left her wondering if a player who practiced, practiced and practiced could be come adept enough to stop thereels when winning combinations appeared.
Others have had similar thoughts, and a number of years ago I wrote about a player who accidentally double-hit the spin button and saw the reels stop quickly.
Unfortunately for players, stopping the reels early doesn't change your results on 99.99999 percent of slot machines. That’s just shy of 100 percent because International Game Technology usedsomething similar in the early skill-based game Blood Life. It was a three-reel game and the skill was in stopping the reels. Each would spin until you touched the glass in front of the reels,and skilled player could get better outcomes.
That’s not the case on games in casinos today. Stopping the reels early does not change results, but what it can do is lead to faster play with more spins hour. That can be a realbudget-breaker.
When you play video slots, the random number generator has already determined your outcome by the time the reels are spinning, and you’re going to get the same result regardless of whether youstop the reels early or let them halt in their own time.
Randomly generated numbers are mapped to potential results, and that map tells the reels where to stop. If the RNG has spit out a random number that tells the first reel to stop on a singlebar, then you’re going to get a single bar — regardless of whether you hit the button a second time for a quick stop or just let them take their own sweet time.
By bringing the reels to a quick stop, you're immediately in position to bet again. The amount of time it normally takes the reels to spin is cut out of the equation. If you keep stopping thereels, you spin many more times per hour.
What does that do to your bankroll?
Let's say you bet 40 cents per spin at 500 spins per hour on a penny slot that has a average 90 percent return to players. You can play more than 500 spins per hour without quick stops, but 500is a nice, steady pace that lets you watch your wins and stop to sip your drink.
At that pace, your average hourly risk is $200 with an average loss of $20.
What if you increase that pace to 1,000 spins per hour? Then total wagers increase to $400 and average loss to $40.
And what if you quick stop spin after spin, focusing intently on slot play and increasing your pace to 2,000 spins per hour? Your wrist would get tired, you might get a little headachy withsome eyestrain, but your bet total would rise to $800 with an average loss of $80.
In the wagering world, speed favors whoever has the mathematical edge. In blackjack, faster games are better for advantage players including card counters, but worse for less-skilled players.
On the slots, you can't change the house edge. Quick-stopping the reels doesn't help you, but it does help the house.
So really, there’s no reel dilemma. Unless you’re just in a hurry to win or lose and then move on, let the reels stop in their own sweet time.
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?
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
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).
American Original Slot Machine Strategy Games
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.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy
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.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy Game
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.
American Original Slot Machine Strategy Tactics
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.
