Table of Contents
Introduction
Buffalo Gold is one of the most recognizable buffalo slot machines in the franchise, brought to you by Aristocrat Gaming. Just as in the original Buffalo slot games, Buffalo Gold requires players to collect three or more scatter coins to unlock free spins. However, Buffalo Gold adds an expanded free games feature with the ability to transform other wild animals into buffalo symbols.
The game uses a North American wilderness theme to attract new players with buffalo, eagles, wolves, and other local animals appearing across the reels. While the basic gameplay is easy to understand, much of the excitement with Buffalo Gold comes from triggering the bonus round with free spins. If you are looking for the answer to how to play Buffalo Gold slot machines, this is the guide for you.
Overview of Buffalo Gold
Buffalo Gold is a video slot featuring five reels of four rows each. Rather than requiring players to select individual paylines, Buffalo Gold has 60 paylines available through the game’s system.
If you need to remember only one thing before jumping into Buffalo Gold slot games, it is to always be on the lookout for buffalo symbols. These symbols offer the largest standard payouts, with other wildlife symbols such as the eagle, mountain lion, wolf, and elk filling out the lower end of the paytable.
What separates Buffalo Gold from other Buffalo games is the free games bonus round. When players collect three, four, or five scatter symbols, the free spins are activated. During the free spins, players will try to collect buffalo to go along with the wild multipliers, while keeping a special eye out for Gold Buffalo symbols. The Gold Buffalo still offers the same payout as regular buffalo, but will help transform the other animals into winning buffalo. Not only that, but you can also collect scatter symbols during the free spins to unlock even more free spins.
What Makes It Popular
Buffalo Gold combines straightforward gameplay with dynamic bonus rounds, making it a very unique slot option. The Gold Buffalo helps tie the free spins together, making the free spins round feel much more connected. The ability to retrigger more free spins is also a major attraction, as even an eight-spin bonus can potentially get much longer. Once you add in familiar themes with distinct buffalo artwork, it is no surprise to see this game as one of the most popular in the country.
Getting Started
How to Access the Game
Buffalo Gold can be found at various free online social casinos that offer Aristocrat Gaming machines. Several different Buffalo Gold titles and variations have been released, so players should always check the exact version before playing.
Once you find Buffalo Gold at a social casino like American Luck, you can review any how-to-play Buffalo Gold guides and the specific paytable before playing.
Game Setup Tips
Before spinning, choose a denomination that works for you. Taking a moment to understand the controls can also make the overall experience more enjoyable. Remember that each payline is counted individually, so a small denomination can quickly be multiplied across dozens of paylines. High-volatility slots like Buffalo Gold can have long spells between bonus rounds, so make sure you set an amount that gives you the best chance of having enough time to trigger the free spins.
How to Play Buffalo Gold Slot Machine
Game Rules Explained
Once the denomination is selected, press the spin button to begin. Look for matching symbols starting at the leftmost reel toward the right. If there are one or more matching symbols across multiple reels, anywhere on the reels, that is a winning combination.
While the matching symbols are important, the top priority is collecting scatter and wild symbols. If you can collect three or more scatter symbols in a single spin, the free spins will be triggered. For the wild symbols, they will multiply the amount awarded from the buffalo for that spin.
Understanding Symbols and Features
The buffalo is the game’s premium regular symbol, but there are still many others to unpack. Other high-value symbols include the eagle and mountain lion, while there are also lower-paying playing-card icons such as A, K, Q, and J.
The gold coin serves as the scatter symbol in Buffalo Gold and can be collected from anywhere on the screen, not just left to right.
Finally, the sunset symbol is the wild symbol. During the free spins, the wilds can carry 2x or 3x multipliers and can stack on one another if multiple are collected in the same spin.
Winning Combinations
The goal of Buffalo Gold is to land multiple matching symbols across the reels from left to right while keeping an eye out for scatter symbols. Each symbol has a slightly different payout, and players can reference the paytable to see exactly how much each animal or symbol is worth. Buffalo symbols are the best regular symbols to collect, while the Gold Buffalo symbols available in the free spins round are even better.
Bonus Features and Strategies
Special Symbols
The gold coin and wild symbol are the two symbols players should understand before starting. The gold coin is used to trigger free spins, with three awarding eight free spins, four awarding 15 free spins, and five gold coins awarding 20 free spins. Additionally, players only need to collect two more gold coins on the same spin during the free spins round to trigger an additional five free spins added to the total.
Bonus Rounds
The free spins round is where Buffalo Gold stands out compared to a regular slot. During the free spins, Gold Buffalo symbols are collected to transform other premium animal symbols into buffalo. In the classic Buffalo Gold game, collecting four Gold Buffalo converts eagles into buffalo for the rest of the free spins round, while you need seven to convert mountain lions, 13 to convert wolves, and 15 to convert elk.
This means that the bonus can become increasingly more valuable with more free spins as several different animals can be converted into the lucrative buffalo symbols. Not only that, but there are also retriggers which add five more free spins to the total if two or more gold coins are collected.
Tips for Maximizing Play
There is no strategy that can change the random outcome of Buffalo Gold, but players can still make strong decisions about how to manage their session.
Start by understanding that the total coin play and individual denomination are not the same thing. Make sure you are always playing with a denomination that is comfortable for you. By setting limits for both amount and time, you can ensure you stay safe and can always come back and play Buffalo Gold again later.
FAQs
What are the special features in Buffalo Gold?
Buffalo Gold includes gold coin scatters, free spins, wild symbols, 2x and 3x wild multipliers during free spins, Gold Buffalo symbol collection, animal-to-buffalo transformations, and free spin retriggers. In the classic Buffalo Gold game, three, four, or five gold coins activate the free spins round, and collecting more gold coins during free spins can add extra spins.
Can you play Buffalo Gold for free?
Yes, Buffalo Gold may be available for free at online social casinos that offer Aristocrat Gaming titles or similar social casino versions. Availability can vary by platform, so always check the exact Buffalo Gold version and its paytable before playing.
What are the best strategies for playing Buffalo Gold?
The best strategies are to choose a comfortable denomination, understand how the 60 paylines work, review the paytable before spinning, and set clear time and amount limits for your session. Buffalo Gold is random, so no strategy can control the results, but smart session management can make the game more enjoyable.
Conclusion: Final Tips for Enjoying the Game
Buffalo Gold is a high-volatility slot that takes the simple Buffalo slot format and adds several exciting features. The gold coin scatters unlock free games where Gold Buffalo can transform other animal symbols into buffalo. The free spin retriggers and wild multipliers add another dimension to the game, turning up the heat on an already exciting bonus round. Once you visit American Luck and check the updated Buffalo Gold paytables, you’ll be ready to dive into a fun session of stampeding buffalo.
