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Reels, bonuses, action! Slots are a fun favourite
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Slots are by far the most popular of all casino games, which is why if
you've ever visited a land or online casino, you'll have noticed that slot games
vastly outnumber video poker games as well as card and table games. There are
many reasons for this. One, slots are quick and easy to play, two they
boast instant payouts that can range from a few dollars to tens of millions, and
three, there are so many different types of slot games available, that slots
fans risk never being bored.
Although the world's first slot machine was invented in 1887 by Charles Fey of
San Francisco, in the USA, it was largely based on a 'poker machine' invented a
few years before by a pair of entrepreneurs in New York City. Their machine
contained five drums, each adorned with 10 card values (to increase the house
odds, they left two cards out). Costing a nickel (10 U.S. cents) for each spin,
players could win themselves free drinks and cigars, depending on whether the
drums yielded a winning poker hand. The better the hand, the better the prizes.
Charles Fey's slot machine, although simpler than the poker machine, resembled
more of what we today consider a slot machine to be. Famously called the Liberty
Bell, Fey's machine boasted three spinning reels, each adorned with 5 symbols -
Hearts, Liberty Bells, Diamonds, Horseshoes and Spades. Players won the largest
amount (10 nickels) when they got three Liberty Bells across the three drums.
This single game gave root to the multi-billion dollar a year slots industry of
today.
Slot machines are also known as 'one-armed bandits', after their handles or
levers that players were required to pull in order to spin the reels, and 'fruit
machines' after the fruit symbols adorning the reels of many games. Today,
players can enjoy playing slots at land casino as well as online casinos.
Surprisingly, perhaps, the computer software that runs land casino slots is
pretty much identical to the software that runs online slots. Called Random
Number Generator (RNG) software, this ensures that each and every spin of a slot
game is completely random, and thus 100 percent fair.
Of course all modern slot machines - both in land and online casinos - boast
what is called a payout percentage. The payout percentage indicates to players
how much money played on the game is ultimately paid back out as winnings.
Payout percentages usually range from between 95 and 98 percent. This means that
on a game with a payout percentage of 97, of every dollar played an average of
97c is paid back out in winnings. But be aware that this does not mean you'll
necessarily get back 97c of every dollar you play on that slot. It is only an
average. And to ensure that these payout percentages are what the casinos say
they are, they are routinely audited by independent and reputable auditing firms
such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Not too long ago, before the advent of the Internet and thus online casinos,
slot machines in casinos were completely mechanical, much like Fey's Liberty
Bell. However, modern technology has made slots more high-tech and reliable than
ever before. In fact, very few land casino still have slot machines that accept
coins or tokens. These days players insert plastic cards carrying pre-programmed
credits or else feed paper money into the games, the value of which is
transferred onto the cards. All winnings are paid directly onto these cards,
which players can cash out at specific casino cash machines or directly from
cashiers. In online casinos, all slot game credits are automatically transferred
to and from a players account as they play.
But the thing that fans seems to love the most about slots is their diversity,
both in style and theme. For instance, you get classic or 3-reel slots, 5-reel
slots, single line slots, multi-line slots, bonus slots, multiplier slots and of
course potentially the most lucrative slots of all, progressive jackpot slots,
where the jackpots can reach into the tens of millions. In terms of playing
online slots, or slots rules, nothing could be easier. You simply choose the
kind of online slots you want to play from the online casino menu and click to
download it.
Once it has downloaded, simply select your bet size, which can range from a few
cents per line up to hundreds of dollars per line. Next, select how many lines
you want to play. (In a classic slot game, there is only one pay line, but in
multi-line slots, there can be in excess of 50 lines). Next check to see how
much your total bet size is for that round. If you're happy with it, go ahead
and spin the reels. If you have made any winning combinations - as per the
game's particular Pay table - you'll be paid out accordingly. If not, then the
process starts from the beginning.
To make slot games even more exciting, designers often include a wide range of
features that are designed to make the games not only more exciting, but more
lucrative for you, the player. For instance, most slots boast Scatter symbols,
which are symbols that can be randomly scattered on your reels to pay out.
However, usually you need a minimum of three Scatters to win anything. A certain
number of Scatters can also activate special Bonus rounds as well as Free Spins
and even Multipliers.
A Wild symbol is very much like a Joker in a deck of cards in that it
substitutes for any other symbol (except for a Scatter) to help make a winning
combination. As its name suggests, Free Spins is where you can enjoy a specified
number of spins for free and you get to keep all the winnings generated from
these spins. A Multiplier is where your bonuses or Free Spins winnings are
multiplied a specified number of times, like 2x or 3x or 4x etc. A Bonus round
is where you leave the standard slot game format and are taken to a new screen
where you usually have to make a choice of some type to reveal your hidden bonus
or bonuses.
In terms of slot strategy, the biggest thing to remember is to always play the
slots game and bet size that best represents the size of your playing funds.
Also, if you are looking for the biggest payouts, your best bet is to
concentrate on progressive jackpot slots games where you can win millions. But
remember, there is little point in playing for the big payouts and jackpots if
you don't always play the maximum bet.
