Buffalo is a drinking game where players must drink with a specific hand, usually their non-dominant hand. If someone catches you drinking with the wrong hand, they call “Buffalo,” and you take the agreed penalty.
The funny part is that Buffalo does not need a table, cards, cups, dice, or even everyone actively paying attention. It just lurks in the background of a party waiting for someone to grab a beer with their normal hand like an idiot.
BUFFALO RULES — QUICK VERSION
- Before the night starts, agree which hand is legal for drinking.
- Most groups use non-dominant hand only.
- If a player drinks with the wrong hand, another player yells “Buffalo.”
- The caught player takes the agreed penalty.
- The game continues all night or until everyone forgets.
To play Buffalo: everyone agrees to drink only with the correct hand, and anyone caught using the wrong hand gets called out. The penalty is often finishing the drink in harsher versions, but CollegeWares recommends a small fixed penalty because “finish your drink” gets old and messy fast.
What You Need to Play Buffalo
- Drinks
- 2 or more players
- A clear hand rule
- People willing to call each other out
How to Play Buffalo
DRINK WITH CORRECT HAND → GET CAUGHT WRONG → “BUFFALO” → PENALTY
1. Choose the Legal Drinking Hand
The common version says everyone must drink with their non-dominant hand. Right-handed players drink lefty. Left-handed players drink righty.
2. Watch for Wrong-Hand Drinking
Holding a drink is usually fine. The violation happens when the drink touches your mouth while held in the wrong hand.
3. Call Buffalo
If you see the violation, call “Buffalo.” Some groups require the call immediately. Others allow a short window before the drink is set down.
4. Apply the Penalty
The old-school penalty is finishing your drink. The better party penalty is 3 to 5 sips. Same joke. Fewer destroyed nights.
Buffalo House Rules & Variations
Non-Dominant Hand Buffalo
This is the cleanest version: drink with your non-dominant hand all night.
Left-Hand Buffalo
Some groups say everyone must drink with the left hand, regardless of dominance. Simple, but harsher on righties and weirdly easy for lefties.
Time-of-Day Buffalo
A stricter variation changes the legal hand by time of day, such as one hand before noon and the other after noon. This is memorable in theory and annoying in practice.
False Buffalo
If someone calls Buffalo incorrectly, they drink instead. Use this rule. It keeps the loudest person in the room from becoming a defective referee.
Our Recommended Buffalo Rules
COLLEGEWARES BUFFALO RULES
- Drink with your non-dominant hand.
- Wrong-hand sip equals 3 sips as penalty.
- False Buffalo equals 3 sips for the caller.
- Two-handed drinking counts as wrong-hand drinking.
- Straws count based on the hand holding the cup.
- No “finish your drink” unless everyone explicitly wants that version.
Is Buffalo a Full Drinking Game?
Buffalo is more of an ongoing party rule than a sit-down game. It pairs well with group drinking games, pregames, and bar crawls because it can run in the background while other games happen.
FAQ
What is the Buffalo drinking game?
Buffalo is a wrong-hand drinking game. Players must drink with the agreed hand, and anyone caught using the wrong hand takes a penalty.
Which hand do you drink with in Buffalo?
Most groups use the non-dominant hand. Some use left hand only, and some use time-of-day hand rules.
What happens when someone calls Buffalo?
The caught player takes the penalty. Traditional groups may require finishing the drink, but a fixed sip penalty is cleaner.
Can you hold your drink with the wrong hand?
Usually yes, as long as you do not drink from it. The violation happens when you actually sip with the wrong hand.
Does Buffalo ever end?
Some people treat Buffalo as a lifelong rule, but at a party it ends whenever the group stops playing. Thank God.
Buffalo in One Sentence
Buffalo is the drinking game that turns your normal drinking hand into a trap.
