The Buffalo Club
The Buffalo Club is an internationally recognized drinking discipline; however, it is a membership of honor while requires members to fully satisfy their commitment to the Buffalo Club if a rule is violated. Once a person becomes a Buffalo Member, they are members for life.
Generally, outsiders will not understand what is happening around them. They will notice that there is an unexplainable sense of “something” in the air. Inevitably, they will begin to inquire. At this point, you as a member can decide whether the inquiring person appears honorable and loyal enough to be offered membership into the BUFFALO CLUB.
Although it might sound fun to join the BUFFALO CLUB “for a night” during parties and outings, please remember that ONCE A BUFFALO, ALWAYS A BUFFALO!
Before you extend an invitation for membership, please make sure that you explain the rules thoroughly. Each potentials Buffalo Member HAS to understand that BUFFALO is a life-long membership drinking club that requires HONOR, INTEGRITY, DISCIPLINE and NEVER EXPIRES!!!! Please make sure that people who join understand this.
Membership in the Buffalo Club is not gender restricted.
BUFFALO CLUB MEMBERS are very serious about their rules. There have been numerous cases where good friends are no longer friends because of “misunderstandings”.
Buffalo Club History
It is speculated that the origin of the BUFFALO DRINKING GAME stems from the wild, wild west. During this violent gun-slinging era, both good-guys and bad-guys had to be ready for cation/violence at any time. The right hand was needed to be unoccupied for the likely hood of having to reach for their weapons instantly. For this reason, armed men in general, would be considered careless or unprepared if they were caught drinking or gambling with their right hand. It was in these violent years that warriors were able to identify each other simply by taking note of each other’s drinking and gambling habits. None of the WARRIORS drank out of their right hand.
It is also rumored that the BUFFALO “lifestyle of preparedness” was very strong in the life of a cowboy/showman named William Frederick Cody, who was later known as the famous “Buffalo Bill”. Due to his fame and notoriety, it is Buffalo Bill that the Buffalo Club was named after.
The Game was then perfected during the Gold Rush by the famous pioneer “Chris Jones”, a man amongst legends. Jones would use the drinking game as a strategy to intoxicate rival pioneers and then proceed to steal their gold.
Buffalo Rule #1
You are no longer allowed to drink any alcoholic beverage from your right hand…….. period.
You may hold your alcoholic beverage in any hand that you wish, but you cannot DRINK with your right hand. In other words, simply walking around with your drink in your right hand is OK. The moment you pour that alcoholic beverage (drink with straw, suck out of a cup, etc..) into your mouth with your right hand, you are in violation of the BUFFALO!
Also, there are groups who oppose these rules for left-handed people, however this unauthorized modification causes confusion among long-time members; therefore, there is no right-handed drinking REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU ARE RIGHT or LEFT-HANDED. Let’s face it, if you are left-handed, the blanket policy actually benefits you.
Buffalo Rules #2
If you get caught drinking an alcoholic beverage with your right hand by another buffalo member, you must prove your honor to the other Buffalo Club members by finishing off whatever is left in your glass/container. On completion, you will up end the empty glass/container on top of your head and state the words, “THAT WAS MOST REASONABLE, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER”
Getting caught happens to the best of us. It will however occur less and less often as you get more disciplined. If and when you get caught drinking with your right hand, we recommend you refrain from explanations that will make you look and sound the fool; simply smile, salute, and drink up!!
This is actually the best tactic, as it takes the attention away from your slip-up by not creating an argument where all other members in the vicinity will gang up on you. It also shows a high degree of honor which is what all of us are really about anyway.
A Buffalo Member ALWAYS makes good with his debts.
BUFFALO CLUB is not just a “drinking game”. It is a membership that demands discipline, loyalty and honor, therefore if you join just because you think it might be a fund idea during a party, you are very likely to make enemies out of your friends eventually.
It should be noted that the mere act of alcohol touching lips is enough to be considered a violation of the buffalo drinking rules.
Buffalo Rule #3
If the player calls Buffalo on somebody when they are actually drinking the proper hand (or have an empty drink or are not drinking an alcoholic drink), they may return with the call of “False Buffalo” and the payer is obligated to finish their own drink. If the buffalo-er does not currently possess a drink, the False caller must drink the nearest alcoholic drink available in their immediate vicinity.
About the Round Table Buffalo Club
Buffalo Rules:
- You may only drink with your left hand.
- You may be Buffalo’ed without a badge, but you must be wearing one to Buffalo someone.
- You may not deliberately Buffalo yourself.
- Your membership is for life.
- Use the Buffalo Greeting when greeting fellow Buffaloes.
- The wording after being Buffalo’ed is:
“That was most reasonable, thank you may I have another?”
Buffalo Zone
A Buffalo Zone can only be declared by a Member of the Buffalo Club and can only be declared under the following circumstances;
- On Majority vote of the Buffalo Club Members present.
- By the Chairman, provided he is a member of the Buffalo Club.
- By the host of the function being attended. Also provided that he or she is a member of the Buffalo Club
For a Buffalo Zone to be in place, a Buffalo emblem has to be present at the venue or site. The emblem being present replaced the required Buffalo Pin.
At a Buffalo Zone, all persons present are to abide by the Buffalo rules. Those present who do not know the rules had better become acquainted with them first.
Realistic Expectations in the Buffalo Club
Members should always maintain “realistic” expectations from other members. If a member is caught “buffaloing” (or drinking out of his right hand) from the tap of a beer keg; it is not very “realistic” for him/her to quickly finish off the entire keg. The same would apply to a member who is caught in a violation drinking out of a Magnum-sized bottle of liquor, or a full frozen daiquiri machine, etc.…..
Remember that Buffalo is a drinking discipline of honor. To maintain the integrity of the honor system on violations that are viewed as “unrealistic”, the violator may request a “MAJORITY REVIEW”. On these very rare occasions and under such a review, the amount of alcohol that needs to be consumed in order to satisfy the violation will be decided by the majority of Buffalo members that are present on the scene. Just remember, let’s keep it real….
For those of questionable integrity, in case you are thinking about it, a TALL GLASS or BEER MUG does not constitute an “unrealistic expectation”.
There’s even a Wiki, but they call it the Buffalo Drinking Game.