SubscribeSlot machines, traditionally known as one-armed bandits, offer players a game of chance and usually involve matching symbols or patterns posted on the face of the machine.
Once the player achieves a winning combination the machine will pay out cash or in some instances offer more chances to play.
Coins, cash or bar-coded tickets must be inserted to play and the game will be activated by a lever, button or touchscreen. Images of letters, numerals, fruit, animated characters, shapes like diamonds and hearts, and many others, are used as symbols. Depending on the machine, these must now be matched in a variety of winning combinations once the slot machine stops spinning. Players can play one, 100, or more hands at a time, depending on the rules of the specific slot machine.
Slot machines make up more than 70 percent of most casinos income and it is clear that it is most gamblers’ game of choice.
Before the first slot machine was invented, Americans Sittman and Pitt of Brooklyn, New York, developed a gambling machine based on poker which contained five drums holding a total of 50 card faces. It proved very popular in the city’s bars and players were rewarded with beer, cigars or whatever the bar had on offer!
The American Charles Fey of San Francisco, California invented the first one-armed bandit in 1887. The name derives from the fact that early slot machines were operated by a lever on the side, rather than a button on the front panel like most of today’s machines, and of course for its ability to leave gamers broke.
Fey’s machine, called Liberty Bell, had three spinning reels with a total of five symbols on it: spades, hearts, horseshoes, diamonds and a Liberty Bell. It was a great success and led to a booming mechanical gaming device industry.
One of the machines to follow Liberty Bell paid out in the form of fruity chewing gum. The symbols in the reels were made up of pictures of the different flavours and inspired the popular cherry and melon symbols we know today. By the same token the BAR symbol was derived from an early logo of the Bell-Fruit Gum Company.
It was only in 1964 that Bally developed the world’s first fully electromechanical slot machine offering a bottomless hopper and automatic payout called Money Honey.
Multi-line slots, offering more than one payline, gained popularity in the 1990’s. Reel slots usually offer three or five paylines, while video slots can have as many as 100 different paylines. Video slots are often themed and contain visuals and music based on popular movies, TV shows and celebrities.
A vast number of machines can now be found on the casino floor and they often combine elements of both video slots and traditional electromechanical slots. The main difference between reel slots and video slots is the way winnings are calculated. With reel slots players need to play the maximum amount in order to win the maximum jackpot. Video slots have fixed payout values which are multiplied by the number of coins per line that is being bet. Most of the machines today allow players to accept their winnings as credits, which may be "spent" on more spins.
Some slot machine terminology:
Bonus: This special feature is activated when the symbols appear in a winning combination. Different games offer different bonuses, for example a special session of free spins
Candle: The light on top of the machine is called a candle. Players use the light to alert operators that assistance is needed.
Carousel: Slot machines grouped together in a circle are called a carousel. Credit meter: The amount of credits or money available on the machine is displayed in the credit meter.
EGM: Simple short hand for "Electronic Gaming Machine".
Hand pay: This is when a slot attendant makes the payout, rather than the slot machine. A player will receive hand pay when the amount of winnings exceeds the maximum amount that was preset on the slot machine.
Low Level or Slant Top slot machines: These machines include a stool for players to sit when playing.
Stand Up or Upright slot machines: Players must stand while playing. Optimal play: In a skill-based slot machine game this is a payback percentage based on a gambler using the optimal strategy.
Payline: The payline refers to the line that crosses through one symbol on each reel, along which a winning combination is evaluated. Most classic spinning reel machines have only up to nine paylines, but video slot machines can have as many as a hundred.
Short pay: This is when a player only gets part of his or her winnings from the slot machine. The remaining amount will then be paid out as hand pay.
Taste: This is a reference to the small amount often paid out to keep a player seated and continuously betting. Only rarely will machines fail to pay out even the minimum placed bet over the course of several pulls.