Non Progressive Slot Machines

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.

Enchanted Kingdom. 5-reel 30-payline Fantasy slot with cartoon graphics, designed around Mega Progressive Jackpots up to $200,000 Heidi and Hannahs Bier Haus. This 6-reel, 50 Payline slot has a Bavarian tavern aesthetic and ways to get up to 100 Free Spins with lucky Scatter lands. 5 Dragon Slot – a 5-reel and 25-payline non-progressive video slot by Aristocrat with free spins, disperse and wild symbols. With 243 ways to win, players can bet 25 credits to activate all ways to hit big. What is more, the game supports different coin denominations that range from $0,01 up to $4. The maximum bet on the game is $100 per spin. Some of the best free slot machine games without downloading or registration to play for fun include More Chili, Wheel Of Fortune, Centurion, Fireball, Wizard of Oz, Monopoly. Free slots are a broad category of online games that are available to gamers at no real cash cost.

Most Popular Online Slot Games

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).

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.

Free Progressive Slots Online

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.

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.

Non Progressive Slot Machines Jackpots

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.

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.

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.

If you want to play progressive slots, this post will explain how. In fact, it probably won’t be the longest post in the world, because playing progressive slots is no harder than playing any other kind of slot machine. You put your money in, you press the spin button, and you hope for the best.

But what I’ve tried to do with this post is give you enough information about how progressive slot machines work that you can be an educated player.

And you can check our complete progressive jackpots guide to find out even more.

Not all these tips will apply to you, but I suspect most of them will, no matter your level of expertise.

Let’s go ahead!

What Is a Progressive Slot Machine and How Does It Work?

Most people know what a slot machine is, but if you’re completely new to the subject, here’s a quick description of slots games in general.

A slot machine game is a gambling machine with spinning reels. Each reel has symbols on it, and the point at which each reel stops is determined randomly. Specific combinations of symbols across a payline result in payouts.

The simplest version of a slot machine has three reels and a single payline horizontally across the middle of the machine.

Modern slot machines are often more complicated than this. They might have five reels, and the paylines come in a bewildering array of patterns. You have to place a separate bet on each payline, too.

The easiest way to describe paylines is to compare them with variations of bingo. They always run from left to right, but they sometimes come in a zig-zag pattern. You also have symbols that land on the rows above and below the center payline.

Originally, slot machines were powered by metal reels, springs, and gears. Now, the reels are just for show. A computer program called a random number generator (RNG) determines the results, and the probabilities are programmed into the RNG.

This enables the slot machine manufacturers to make bigger machines with more possible symbols and different probabilities for each symbol. This process is called “weighting.”

On an old-school, mechanical slot machine with 10 symbols on each reel, you had a 1/10 probability for any given symbol to show up.

But with weighting in place, some symbols might be programmed to come up more often and others programmed to come up less often. You might have some symbols which come up as often as 1/5 of the time and others which only come up as seldom as 1/20 or 1/50 of the time.

And, of course, the probability of getting multiple winning symbols to line up is calculated by multiplying the probability of getting that symbol on each reel.

Understanding this part is important because it makes it clear how the casino is able to offer such large jackpots without losing money. For the casino to make money from slot machines, they need a statistical advantage. They get that advantage by paying out at odds lower than the odds of winning. The difference is their long-term profit.

Progressive Slot Machines In Vegas

To offer a 6-figure or 7-figure jackpot, they need to be able to get odds that are 6 figures or 7 figures to 1. You can only do that if you weight the symbols so that they come up less often than they would on a mechanical reel.

I’ll have more to say about probability and odds in a bit.

A progressive slot machine, though, is a game where the jackpot gets bigger over time — as it gets played. A small percentage of each bet goes into the jackpot.

You’ll find three different kinds of progressive slot machines.

• The first is a standalone progressive. This is a game where the jackpot is exclusive to that game. Every bet fuels the jackpot just for that machine. The ticker doesn’t move unless someone is playing on that machine.
• The second is a local area network progressive. This is a game where multiple slot machines in the same casino share the same jackpot. If anyone is playing any of the machines in that network of games, the jackpot is growing for all those machines.
• The third is the wide area progressive jackpot. This is a game that’s networked with multiple slot machines in multiple locations. These jackpots grow huge because so many people are playing them.

Once someone wins one of these progressive jackpots, it resets to whatever its starting value was, and it starts growing again.

Non Progressive Slot Machines For Sale

Where Do You Find Progressive Slot Machines?

You can find progressive slot machines at almost every casino in the world, although slot machines are more popular in the United States than in Europe. You can also find progressive slot machines at online casinos. The games available online vary based on what kind of software the casino is using.

You can find these games by looking for the games with a progressive jackpot ticker at the top of the machine. This is a digital display of the size of the jackpot. With wide area progressives, this number changes (grows) almost constantly, which adds to the excitement for prospective players.

Non Progressive Slot Machines Machine

If you’re having trouble finding a progressive slot machine in a particular land-based casino, just ask one of the employees there for help finding them. They’ll know where they are. Don’t forget to give the staff member who helped you at least a $1 tip for helping you.
You’ll get better service in general if you become known as a generous tipper. And casino employees talk.

Odds, Probability, the House Edge, and Payback Percentages

The method most gamblers and casinos use to measure the odds in a slot machine game is the payback percentage. This is the statistical average of payouts on that machine expressed as a percentage of each bet that should be paid back to the player in the long run.

Since the payback percentage is almost always less than 100%, it’s clear to see how the casino makes its profit.

The lower the payback percentage is, the faster you’ll lose your money when playing the machine. The payback percentage is just a function of how much you’ll win for each combination multiplied by the probability of hitting that combination.

The machines aren’t programmed to run in cycles or to start losing after a certain point to guarantee a certain payback percentage. The payback percentage is strictly a function of the probabilities and payouts.

You might have a slot machine that pays out some kind of prize 45% of the time. The size of those prizes multiplied by the size of those prizes is what determines the payback percentage.

One way to think about it is as if you were playing a simple gambling game where you’re flipping a coin and guessing which side it will land on.

If you win, you get 50 cents. If you lose, you lose 55 cents.
Half the time, you’ll win, but the other half of the time, you’ll lose a larger amount. Over time, you’ll lose all your money.

That’s how the math and probability behind all casino games works.

Most slot machines have a payback percentage of between 75% and 95%. Lots of factors determine the payback percentage for a specific machine. At more competitive casinos, you’ll generally see a higher payback percentage. At airports and bars, you’ll see payback percentages on the lower end of that scale. At casinos on the Strip in Las Vegas, you’ll see payback percentages at the higher end of that spectrum.

At casinos in less competitive locales, like Oklahoma, the payback percentages are generally lower.

Also, the denomination of the slot machine is a factor. Casinos make more money from a player betting $3 per spin than they do from someone betting 75 cents per spin, even if the payback percentage is better on the $3 per spin player.

Look at the math.

• 600 spins per hour at $3 per spin is $1,800. With a payback percentage of 95%, the game pays back an average of $1,710. The player loses $90 in an hour, on average.
• 600 spins per hour at 75 cents per spin is $450 per hour. With a payback percentage of 90%, the game pays back an average of $405. The player loses $45 per hour.

Even though the house edge is twice as high on the lower-stakes game, the casino makes less money per hour on average.

You’ll also want to keep two things in mind about the odds and probability as they relate to progressive slot machines.

The first is that the tiny percentage of each bet that fuels the jackpot comes directly off your payback percentage. It has to.

So a game that would otherwise have a 95% payback percentage would only have a 94% payback percentage once you account for the contribution toward the jackpot.

The second is that the payback percentage assumes that you’ll sometimes win the progressive jackpot. But in reality, you probably won’t ever hit that jackpot. The bigger the progressive jackpot, the less likely you are to win it.

This means that a 94% payback percentage might only be 90% after you account for never hitting the progressive jackpot.

For this reason, the odds and the payback percentage for a progressive slot machine are always worse than it is for just a regular old slot machine game.

You should also take advantage of any kinds of comps and freebies the casino is willing to offer. Those only amount to between 0.1% and 0.5% of your action, but you should get as much action as you can for your money. This includes taking advantage of the free drinks at the casino.

Of course, none of that applies at online casinos. Keep in mind, too, with online casinos, that many of them limit their payouts to their players to a specific maximum dollar amount per week. Winning $100,000 is a lot less fun if it takes you 100 weeks to collect.

Playing Tips and Tricks

I don’t have many tips and tricks to offer a progressive slots player other than this.

Make sure you’re betting enough to be eligible for the progressive jackpot. Some games don’t require you to bet the max to qualify, but some do. It’s up to you to read the pay table to tell the difference.

If you’re not going to bet enough to win the progressive jackpot, find another machine to play.

Other than that, try to spin the reels more slowly. The more spins you pay for, the more money you’ll lose over time, on average. If you make 300 spins per hour instead of 600 spins per hour, you’ll probably lose half as much money on the slot machines over time.

Also, you should never play with money you need for something else. If you think you’re going to get lucky and solve all your problems with a progressive slot machine jackpot, you’re delusional.

An Easier Way to Win a Life-Changing Jackpot

Michael Bluejay wrote a great page about how you’re far more likely to win a million dollars by parlaying your winners on a table game.

In other words, you might bet $10 on a single number at roulette, and you’d win $350. Then bet the entire $360 on a single number again. This time, you’ll win $12,600.

Bet the entire $12,960 on a single number again, and you’ve won $453,000+.

The odds of winning these three bets in a row?

Those sound like terrible odds, and they are.

But they’re still far better than the odds of winning that progressive slot machine’s jackpot.

Conclusion

That’s it, really. Playing progressive slots, like I mentioned at the beginning, just isn’t hard to do. You put your money in and hope to win enough money to retire for the rest of your life.

I don’t generally play progressive slot machines, myself. I don’t like the odds.

But I’ll play some of the time just for grins, and I think that’s the best approach. People win progressive slot machine jackpots every day, and you have just as good a chance of winning as anyone else.

What Are Progressive Slot Machines

The only strategy you really need to remember is to make sure you’re betting enough to win the progressive jackpot. Some games don’t allow you to win the big jackpot unless you’ve bet the max number of coins.

Other than that, these are games of luck. Treat them as such.