Buffalo King slot

Buffalo King slot machine overview

Buffalo King comes from Pragmatic Play, the Gibraltar-based studio behind Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza. It takes the North American plains as its theme: wild animals of the prairie as the premium symbols, card ranks as the low ones, and a sunset backdrop. It belongs to the family of animal slot machines, many of which use the same six-reel, 4,096-ways design.

The game is simple to read on the surface. There are no lines to set, no side features in the base game worth tracking, and one bonus: free spins. The complexity is in the maths of that bonus, where several multiplied wilds can land on the same winning ways. That is how a game with a 96.06% RTP can reach a ceiling of 93,750 times the stake.

How 4,096 ways work on the Buffalo King slot

A ways game pays any run of matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, whatever row each symbol sits in. With four rows on each of six reels, the number of possible paths is 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 = 4,096. That's why games of this design are often grouped with 1024-ways slots and other ways-to-win slot machines.

Ways stack up when a symbol appears more than once on a reel. Here is an example with buffalo symbols (counts are illustrative):

The game multiplies the 4-of-a-kind buffalo pay by six. Wilds count as buffalo on the reels where they appear, which can multiply the count further. The guide to paylines, ways and clusters compares this with fixed lines.

Playing a Buffalo King spin step by step

1. Choose your stake. The UK cap is £5 a spin, or £2 if you are aged 18 to 24.
2. Press spin. The RNG has already chosen the stop on all six reel strips.
3. The game checks each paying symbol for runs from reel 1 and counts ways.
4. Wilds substitute for paying symbols on the reels where they can land; the help screen shows which reels these are.
5. Enough gold coin scatters in view start the free spins; the paytable lists how many are needed and the spins awarded.
6. Wins and your net position for the session appear on screen.

Because there are no lines to adjust, the only choice you make is the stake. A bigger stake raises the cost and the size of every prize in proportion; it doesn't change the chance of the free spins. See should you bet max for why.

Buffalo King free spins and multiplier wilds

The Buffalo King bonus is a round of free spins started by gold coin scatter symbols. During the round, wilds can carry wild multipliers. When more than one multiplied wild sits in the same winning way, the multipliers are multiplied together rather than added, which is what gives the feature its very wide range of outcomes. The exact multiplier values, scatter counts and retrigger rules are listed in the game's help screen.

The table shows why multiplying, rather than adding, matters. The values are illustrative, not taken from the game:

Now spread that across 4,096 ways: one multiplied wild can sit in dozens of winning ways at once. Most rounds produce nothing like this, which is the trade-off. A great deal of the game's 96.06% is held back for the rare round where several multiplied wilds line up with premium symbols.

Buffalo King RTP: 96.06% in pounds

The Buffalo King RTP of 96.06% is the default setting. Over a very long run the game keeps £3.94 of every £100 staked. Casinos can choose from several RTP settings offered by a studio, so the help screen in your version is the figure that counts.

The last column matters more than the average on a high-volatility game. With £50 at 10p you get 500 spins and a reasonable chance of seeing the feature; at £2 you get 25 spins, and the money may be gone before any scatters arrive. Our bankroll guide works through the same choice for other budgets.

Buffalo King max win at UK stakes

The Buffalo King max win is 93,750 times your stake. It is reachable only through the free spins, where stacked multipliers and premium symbols combine across the ways. Pragmatic Play doesn't publish how often it happens, so any odds you read elsewhere should be treated with caution.

Buffalo King volatility: what high means here

Buffalo King is rated high volatility. In a session that usually looks like many spins returning nothing or a fraction of the stake, broken by occasional four-, five- and six-of-a-kind wins, with the free spins carrying the bulk of the return. It sits with other high-volatility slot machines and is a very different experience from Pragmatic's medium-volatility Wolf Gold, as our Wolf Gold vs Buffalo King comparison sets out.

Buffalo King myths

• Three scatters on the early reels mean the next spin will complete it. Each spin is new; the RNG doesn't finish what a previous spin started.
• The game pays more at night. RNG results don't depend on time; see best time to play slot machines.
• Bigger stakes make multipliers bigger. The multiplier values are the same at every stake; only the pound amounts scale.
• A long run without a bonus means the game is 'tight' today. Online slots don't loosen or tighten during the day. See loose and tight slot machines.

UK rules, the Buffalo King demo and how to check the RTP

In Great Britain, Buffalo King plays under the online slot design rules: no autoplay, no turbo, at least 2.5 seconds per spin and a visible net position. Bonus-buy options seen on some non-UK versions of Pragmatic Play games aren't part of the versions supplied here. Stakes are limited by the online slot stake limits. Outcomes come from a random number generator that must meet the Commission's RNG standard (opens in a new tab).

A Buffalo King demo is offered as free demo play, after age verification, at many UK casinos. To check the RTP in the real-money version:

1. Open the game and select the menu icon.
2. Go to the game rules or information page.
3. Find the theoretical RTP line, usually near the bottom.
4. If it is below 96.06%, the casino is running a lower setting; you can choose another casino or another game.

Pragmatic Play's own site, pragmaticplay.com (opens in a new tab), lists the studio's catalogue; the in-game rules are still the authority for your version.

Buffalo King Megaways and similar slots

Buffalo King Megaways is a separate follow-up that swaps the fixed 4,096 ways for a Megaways reel set of up to 200,704 ways. Other 4,096-ways animal games include Raging Rhino, and for another buffalo theme with a different design try Buffalo Blitz or Buffalo Rising Megaways.

Is Buffalo King on UK fruit machines?

Buffalo King is an online slot from an online studio, so it isn't a pub fruit machine game. Pub machines are Category C, limited to a £1 stake and a £100 prize, while video slots in UK casinos, arcades and betting shops run under Category B rules with their own stake and prize limits. The online vs land-based slot machines page sets out the differences.

Where to play the Buffalo King slot in the UK

Pragmatic Play games are carried widely in the UK, but we can't promise that any partner below lists Buffalo King: search the lobby, because the range changes. Coral gives new players 100 free spins once they deposit and bet £10 on slots, valued at 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours, valid 7 days and with no wagering on winnings. Ladbrokes gives new customers 50 free spins a day for 10 days (500 at most) after a £10 slots spend; each spin is 10p on selected games, must be claimed by 23:59 each day, lasts 7 days and has no wagering.

PlayOJO offers 80 free spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza, another Pragmatic-distributed game, when new UK customers outside Northern Ireland make a first deposit of £10 or more, with winnings paid in cash. All three are 18+ and terms apply, including payment methods that don't qualify. Coral and Ladbrokes share an operator, so check whether you can hold both accounts. If you want a break from all online gambling, GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) is free.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.