Buffalo: the Aristocrat stampede, free to play

From casino floors to your browser

Buffalo started life on Aristocrat cabinets in casinos across the US and Australia, and it became one of those machines players queue for. The online Buffalo slot sticks closely to that original: five reels, four rows, and Aristocrat's Xtra Reel Power system, which means there are no paylines to pick. Matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right pay in any position, giving 1,024 ways to win on every spin.

The buffalo is the top symbol, joined by an eagle, a cougar, a wolf, an elk and card ranks. A screen covered in buffalo heads is the sight everyone hopes for, because with so many ways a stack of them can pay several times over.

Sunset wilds in the free games

The gold coin is the scatter. Three or more trigger the free games, with more coins giving more spins. Here the wild, a desert sunset on the middle reels, takes on a multiplier: each sunset that helps a win multiplies it by two or three, and when more than one sunset is involved the multipliers combine. That is where Buffalo produces its standout moments. Further coins during the round add more free games.

Getting the most from the Buffalo demo

You play Buffalo free with 1,000 virtual credits, no download and no account. The base game pays small amounts often thanks to the 1,024 ways, while the free games carry the real swings. Try this:

• Play 250 spins at a stake equivalent to £0.40 and count how many times you reach the free games.
• In each bonus, watch how many sunsets land on reels two to four and how often they combine.
• Notice how much a full buffalo stack pays in the base game compared with the bonus.

Why it lasts

Buffalo has spawned many sequels, but the original's simplicity is the draw: no menus, no side games, just ways, stacks and multiplying sunsets. The same game runs for real money at the casinos below.