Created by Aristocrat, Buffalo Slot Machines are one of the most popular games found on the floors of any casino. Amongst the D's Dancing Dealers and reliable wait staff, you'll see several large, curved screens lit up with captivating American frontier animal graphics. Buffalo Grand is larger than life in Aristocrat's Arc Double™ cabinet, named to Casino Journal's Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products list and to Casino Enterprise Management's 2015 Top 10 Slot Floor Technology Awards. Buffalo Grand takes full advantage of Arc Double's dual 42-inch curved high-def LCD touch screens, upgraded graphic capabilities and iChair™, for an engrossing, fully submersing gaming experience unlike any other.
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The sights and sounds of Buffalo Grand slot machine will be instantly familiar to anyone that enjoyed the original Buffalo slots. What is different in this version is the size of the screen. This towers above you. It has plenty of room for the unusual 4-5-5-5-4 reel setup, two bonus wheels and the big jackpot prizes displayed at the top.
Many of the elements of this game match with the classic version. This includes easy retriggers in the free spins bonus, sunset wilds which come with multipliers, and the high paying buffalo symbols – which appear to charge at you from the reels. This is a popular live slot, which has yet to make it to online casinos.
Basics: How Does the Buffalo Grand Base Game Work?
All the variations of Buffalo slots use an all-ways winning system. This means that win-lines are not needed, with symbols on consecutive reels from the left (with no gaps) triggering wins. Most symbols require a minimum of 3 in a row, though the higher paying Buffalo and Elk symbols only need 2.
Here are the winning symbols used for Buffalo Grand slots:
- Buffalo
- Elks
- Eagles
- Coyotes
- Wolves
- Playing Cards Aces to Nines
There are two other symbols on the reels. These are the sunset wilds, which show an orange and purple sky over rocks. These only appear on the middle 3 reels and will substitute for any of the regular symbols above. They can get multipliers of 2x or 3x at random during the base game.
The final symbol shows a wheel, this is the bonus symbol – which does come with a scatter prize. You need 3+ anywhere on the reels to trigger the wheel bonus game.
The penny version of Buffalo Grand has bets ranging from 75c to $3.75c. You need to bet $3+ to have a shot at the biggest of the progressive jackpots, the grand.
Buffalo Grand Bonus Wheel Feature
When you hit 3+ of the bonus wheel symbols, you'll see an animated sequence showing an Eagle and hear the distinctive bonus soundtrack song, which is shared with all the Buffalo slots.
Buffalo Grand Slot Aristocrat
There are two wheels, with the biggest taking up most of the screen. This has different colored segments for the jackpots, interspersed with free spins with different numbers of spins on each.
You click to spin and keep on spinning until you hit a ‘free spins' segment. If you win a jackpot, it will sometimes have the additional ‘bonus wheel' sign on it. Here you get to spin a second smaller wheel that will give you a multiplier of up to 10x. There are 4 jackpots, mini, minor, major and grand. If you are betting less than $3 a spin, the Grand segment on the big wheel will have ropes over it – and can't be won.
Free Spins Bonus Games
You can win between 8 and 20 free spins via the bonus wheel. These take place on the regular reels, though there are two big differences compared to the base game.
First, the sunset wilds will always get multipliers of 2x or 3x. During the base game these multipliers are random. They work together – so 3 of the 3x multipliers give you 27x on your win.
Second, the bonus wheel symbols are replaced with coins. You need 2 to get 5 more free games, with 8, 15 and 20 coming with 3, 4 or 5. You can't win another wheel spin during your free games, though you can extend the spins multiple times.
Where Can I Play Buffalo Grand in the US?
As of the time of writing, you can't find Buffalo Grand on mobile casinos in any of the regulated states. You will find plenty of slots with free spins bonuses and jackpot wheels – and sometimes the original Buffalo slot game.
To enjoy Buffalo Grand, you'll need to pay a visit to your local land-based, riverboat or tribal casino. The size of the screen, distinctive Buffalo design and familiar music mean that you'll have no problem locating this game. Some casinos have wide-area progressive jackpots for the grand, while other machines have stand-alone jackpots.
Buffalo Grand Slot Machine
If you enjoy slots featuring native wildlife, other iconic games include Wolf Run from IGT and the gold-head collection bonus games of Buffalo Gold.
Iconic Buffalo Slots Design
There are some entertaining details in the design of Buffalo Grand. Examples include the nail and wagon wheel used for the bonus wheel, along with the howling wolf symbol animation. Most of the designs will be familiar if you enjoyed the older Buffalo games. Aristocrat have given them a refresh, making the graphics as fresh and modern as the latest themed slots.
Wrapping Up: Play Buffalo Grand Slots
Buffalo Grand Slot
Buffalo Grand was the first in this series of Aristocrat slots to include a bonus wheel feature. This gives you a shot at winning more than one jackpot. You can also get a multiplier of up to 10x on the amount shown if you get the added ‘bonus wheel' sign.
What Aristocrat did well with this game is to keep the appeal of the popular original, while adding extras to make it more entertaining. There may be an unusual reel setup, though the all-ways wins, higher paying Buffalo symbols and those sunset wilds are all in place.
Aristocrat Buffalo Grand Slot Game
If you are in a regulated casino state, you'll be able to find plenty of entertaining mobile slot games. If not, then why not head to your local casino and enjoy a session on the iconic Buffalo Grand.
