What is a Must-Hit-By progressive slot?

A Must-Hit-By (MHB) progressive is a type of slot machine jackpot that is guaranteed to pay out before reaching a specific maximum value. The jackpot counter increases as players wager, and once it nears the ceiling, the probability of it triggering increases significantly. This mechanic gives advantage players an opportunity to identify when the expected value becomes favorable.

How do you find advantage plays on Buffalo Link?

Buffalo Link uses a progressive jackpot by Aristocrat. You'll run into Buffalo Link in nearly every casino — it's one of the most widely placed slots around. The cabinet is volatile, mixing classic all-ways-pays play with a Hold & Spin bonus, and the advantage-play angle comes down to its must-hit-by progressive. Look for the counter display on the machine to assess the current state.

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Must-Hit-By · Aristocrat

Buffalo Link.

In almost every casino — and the one Aristocrat game the AP world argues about most. The play is a free feature that must pay before its counter reaches 1,800.

Counter above the 5th reelPlay at 1,600+Free guide

Buffalo Link top glass — Grand, Major, Minor and Mini jackpots — Four jackpots up top. The buffalo head triggers the feature.

01 · Spot it

What you're looking at

Four jackpots stack up top — Grand, Major, Minor, Mini — and the buffalo head is the feature symbol. You'll see this cabinet on nearly every floor; the advantage angle is its must-hit-by counter, not the base game.

Buffalo Link green collection counter reading 1,708 — above the play line, must be won before 1,800

Common questions

Sit at Buffalo Link when the counter shows Jump in once the counter reaches 1,600+ or higher. Below that threshold the math is unfavorable and the play loses its edge.

Buffalo Link's MHB mechanic flags as profitable at Jump in once the counter reaches 1,600+. The full guide explains the math behind that number and how the counter accrues.

It is recommended to simply avoid checking this game due to the large swings of non-profitable payouts, unless you have a rare find with the #'s in 1600+.

Buffalo Link is found at multiple casinos in our casino map at https://runtheslots.com/casino-map. Filter by your area to find the nearest cabinet.

Finding nearby venues…

Play Buffalo Link at

Buffalo Link is found at 30 casinos. Each link opens a play page tuned to that casino's floor — trigger value, walk-away rule, and the other AP machines on the same loop.

Read the green counter above the fifth reel — here it's at 1,708, well into the 1,600+ zone. “Free feature must be won before 1,800 collected.”

02 · The number

Read the green counter

Above the fifth reel, in green text, a counter climbs from 100 and must trigger the free feature before it hits 1,800 — buffalo heads pile on at roughly 1.7 per spin. Where that number sits is the entire decision. The AP world argues the exact line (estimates run 1,350 to 1,700); our data says the math turns in your favor at 1,600.

Sit at 1,600

100reset1,800must pay by

Below 1,600 → Walk

Below 1,600 — too far from the forced payout. Keep walking.

1,600+ → Sit

1,600+ — close enough to the ceiling that the edge flips to you. Sit.

03 · The trick

Check every bet level — free

The counter reads differently at every bet level, and you never have to pay to see them all. It works on every denomination — 1¢, 25¢, and $1.

1Insert a small ticket or a $1 bill — the screen defaults to the lowest bet for that denomination.
2Tap the 200-credits button on the bet panel to show that level's buffalo counter.
3Hit Return to Game and repeat for every bet level.

Hear a clink and it won't let you check? The last player took a “lucky chance” spin and lost — pay one spin at the lowest bet, then keep checking as normal.

04 · What you win

Hold & Spin or 8 Free Games

When the counter triggers you get one of two features. Hold & Spin pays more consistently (still volatile). 8 Free Games is feast or famine — usually little, unless it retriggers; run it to 100+ free games and stack Hold & Spins inside and it can dwarf a single feature. In the Hold & Spin you need 20 buffalos to fill the board for the Grand — it loves to tease you at 19, so don't let the Grand factor into your decision.

05 · When to walk

Respect the swings

This is the most notorious game on the floor for variance. You can find the counter at 1,743 and still lose money. Even a clean 1,600+ find carries real bankroll swings — play it only on a rare in-the-money find, and only with a bankroll that can absorb the hits. Otherwise you're usually better off not even checking it.