Buffalo (game)

The history and origin of the Buffalo Club are obscure and many versions are in existence.

A folk origin of the game states that Buffalo Club stems from the gunslinging days of the Wild West where the use of one's right hand (the shooting hand) was at times a matter of life or death.

[1] Thus, recreational activities such as playing cards or drinking were done with the left hand only to avoid severe consequences.

The rules are fairly simple, though widely varying,[3] and involve which hand a player may use to drink.

[4][7][8] The game is often presented as a "lifetime commitment", where agreeing to play it means that others who know this may call a player out for drinking with the wrong hand at any point in the future.