A Mini-Guide to Slot Machines.

In the beginning slot machines were conceived as a way of entertaining the wives and girlfriends of the more hardened gambler (the original wag's), the more hardened gamblers came to casinos to play poker, blackjack, roulette and craps. Now slot machines are themselves one of the most popular casino games and a lot of money can be wagered and won by those who wish to play them.

How Slot Machines Began:
According to most sources, the slot machine was invented by a gentleman named Charles LeFey, who constructed it in his basement in a San Francisco home in the late 19th century. He designed several coin operated machines which were proto-types of the modern day slot machine; they were 3 reel slot machines.

The 3 reel slot machine used a basic mechanism which is still used in slot machines today. They used 3 reels with a total of 20 symbols which spun on an axis which resulted in the possibility of a variety of combination of symbols. The popularity of the slot machine has come about, because unlike other casino games, slot machines are played according to the individuals preferences, poker for example depends on all the players involved in determining the length of time of the game, additionally, with slot machines there are no dealers and they require very little skill, and the skill which is required can be easily learned.

To win at slot machines you have to spin the reel and the combination of symbols that arise should correspond to the list of winning symbols which will be shown somewhere on the slot machine. The amount of money that you win depends on the combination of symbols that you achieve and the amount of money that you put into the machine for each spin.

Progressive or Regular:
There are basically two types of slot machine. The Straight or Flat slots; these machines stand independently and are not linked to other slot machines at all. The amount of money that you can win on these machines is fixed and will be indicated on the machine somewhere. These are the kind of machines that you find in bars, clubs and pubs.

Progressive slot machines: These are more complex machines because they operate on a circuit of several machines which all include a jackpot which is the same one for every machine on the circuit, this means that the amount of the jackpot is dependent on the amount of money paid in collectively to all the slot machines on the circuit. For progressive slot machines the amount of the jackpot will be displayed by a digital display which updates as money is played.

The average slot machine has one payout line; this is usually the line of symbols that is located in the middle once the reel has stopped spinning. Some slot machines have as many as five payout lines, this format is very common to online casinos, but in the typical machines that you find in clubs and pubs, the payout line is just a single one. The number of lines that can be won on is dependent on the number of coins that are played, so a machine that has a choice of 5 payout lines can actually be reduced to a single payout line if you put fewer coins in.
With slot machines, the more symbols and the greater the number of reels, the greater the prizes but it is actually harder to win because the odds are reduced. The majority of slot machines are programmed to payout between 83% and 98% of the cash that is paid into them, for online slot machines the odds are usually best because the casinos do not have to pay as many overheads as in a bricks and mortar casino.

Tips for playing slot machines:
1. There are lights on the top of the slot machines that are located in bricks and mortar casinos. The lowest light has a coloured bulb which represents the type of machine on which you are playing; in America, the colour red means you can play for as little as a nickel, a yellow bulb for a quarter and a blue bulb for a dollar.
2. You should never play more than one machine per visit; this is because the odds of the house become higher the more machines you play. Choose your machine carefully, if you play 5 spins and it does not play out, change machines, you can play more than one on these occasions in order to find a well paying machine.
3. There are no slot machine systems that can predict exactly when machines will payout, the only help they can provide is in terms of probability and the predictions are not guaranteed.
4. When you are playing on a progressive slot machine, try to play the maximum number of coins, because the amount of prize money is relative to the amount paid in.
5. Slot machines that are on a roll of not paying out do not indicate that they are due for a win (see link below for more information).
6. Set a time and cash limit when you are playing and ensure that you stick to it!!!