Buffalo Link

Introduction

Buffalo Link stands out among Aristocrat's buffalo-themed games. One of its unique features is the guarantee of winning a free bonus before the buffalo head counter hits 1,800. Even as the meter gets close to 1,800, players can see their chances of winning improve.

Here are the key rules regarding Buffalo Link, expressed in my own words.

1. A credit can be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 cents.
2. Players can choose to wager 100, 200, 300, 500, or 1000 credits with each spin, setting the betting range from $1 to $50.
3. This game utilizes a 'ways to win' format instead of relying on traditional paylines.
4. All wins pay left to right.
5. The symbols are as follows:
   • Line wins can be achieved with symbols such as buffalo heads, eager mountain lions, wolves, reindeer, and cards A, K, Q, J, 10, 9.
   • Sunset — Wild
   • Gold coin — Scatter
   • Buffalo (body) — Scatter
6. There are four distinct bonuses and jackpots available in the game, detailed below:
   • The Grand prize is progressive and can go up to a maximum of $20,000.
   • Major — Progressive with maximum of $1,000.
   • Minor — Always 10,000 credits
   • Mini — Always 2,000 credits
7. Players can earn 2x, 10x, or even 100x their total wager when landing 3, 4, or 5 gold coin symbols, respectively.
8. The buffalo body symbol guarantees a win, with potential returns of 1, 2, 3, up to 250 times the total wager.
9. If you land eight or more buffalo body symbols, you'll receive the total wins linked to those symbols.
10. Additionally, accumulating 8 to 19 buffalo body symbols grants access to the Hold & Spin feature without resetting the free feature counter.
11. In the Hold & Spin feature, any positions not showing a buffalo body will respin. If more buffalo bodies land, they remain in place.
12. Starting the Hold & Spin feature gives players three free spins.
13. If you acquire additional buffalo body symbols during the spins, the count of free spins resets to three.
14. The major jackpot can be won if either:
    • If you collect 20 buffalo body symbols, the 'major jackpot' symbol will appear on one of them after a spin, whether paid or free.
    • During the Hold & Spin feature, landing the 'major jackpot' symbol on a buffalo body allows for a major win.
15. The Free Games feature offers players a chance at 8, 15, or even 20 free games.
16. Free spins in this feature utilize separate reel setups, and some wilds may come with multipliers.
17. A counter tracking the buffalo heads starts at 100, increasing by one for each buffalo head that appears on an initial spin.
18. Every time a buffalo head appears in any spin (including bonus spins), you could trigger the chance to win a free feature.
19. It's crucial to win a free feature before your head counter hits 1,800.
20. For every credit value bet, a unique buffalo head counter is kept, totaling 25 different counters.
21. Players may experience two types of free features: The Free Games Feature and the Hold & Spin Feature, randomly selected.
22. Though rare, it is possible to trigger a bonus randomly during the same spin, resulting in two consecutive bonuses.

If my clarification of the rules wasn't hitting the mark, I have included screenshots from the game for reference:

• General Rules 1
• General Rules 2
• General Rules 3
• Buffalo Collected Meter
• Stand Alone Progressive
• Buffalo Free Feature
• Hold and Spin Feature
• Linked Progressive
• Lucky Chance Spin
• Progressive Ceilings
• Scattered Buffalo

Play Points

As highlighted in the game's rules, each buffalo head collected contributes to a 'Free Feature' bank that resets to 100, necessitating a must-hit-by threshold of 1,800. If gameplay approaches 1,800 buffalo heads, the advantages turn in favor of the player.

I have data suggesting that the game’s Return to Player (RTP) increases with higher bets. While I cannot disclose the source, it seems logical that a higher RTP allows players to be less selective about the number of buffalo needed for a favorable outcome.

I recommend participating only when the buffalo head meter reads between 1,300 and 1,450. The higher the bet, the fewer buffalo heads are required. If forced to choose a single target number, I'd suggest 1,375.

Acknowledgements

A special thanks goes to 'Howard Ratner' for his insights regarding this game.

External Links

Join the conversation about Buffalo Link on my forum at Wizard of Vegas .

Written by: Michael Shackleford