History of Slot Machine

History of Slot Machines
History of Slots
Slots are one of the most popular forms of gambling in the world.  In most casinos in Las Vegas for example, slot machines make up around 70% of their total income.  Progressive jackpot prizes alone including cars and million dollar prizes also makes them one of the biggest attractions for patrons at the casinos.
When Were Slot Machines Invented?
The first slot machine was invented in 1887 by Charles Fey in San Francisco, California.  Like many inventions, it was created as a means of creating a gambling machine for poker that was capable of making automatic payouts.  Because machine poker at the time contained an endless list of hands (e.g. full house, flush, two pair, straight) it was impossible to create automatic payouts.
In 1887 however, Fey invented a modern day machine which was far more simplistic in design.  Rather than pay out money for every hand that a patron was dealt, it used 3 spinning reels each with 5 symbols so that when specific symbols aligned on the pay line the jackpot was paid out.  The simplicity in addition to the higher prizes of slot machines made them increasingly popular in the US and beyond.
The first slot gambling machine that Fey invented, known as the "Liberty Bell", paid out 10 nickels when players won three liberty bells in a row. This was the top prize on the machine.
As the classic 3-reel games became more popular, other manufacturers began creating their own  1907, Herbert Mils in Chicago produced a model called "Operator Bell".  Many of these were soon install in saloons, bars, bowling alleys and stores across the US. In 1891, Sittman and Pitt produced a slot machine which contained 5 drums with a total of 50 card faces.  This was based on poker (i.e. slot poker) and similarly proved extremely popular.
Modern Day Slot Machines
The biggest problem with old fashioned, mechanised slot machines was that the payouts were limited because of how easily the prizes could be one.  On the classic 3-reel machine with 10 symbols on each reel, for example, the odds of winning the top prize was 1/1000.  This strictly limited the jackpot prize since they would be won too often by players.
This problem was overcome in 1963 however when the first fully electromechanical machine called "Money Honey" was made. From now on, the machines could include "weighted symbols" and special microprocessors which limited how often winning symbols would align on the pay line.  This reduced the probability of winning pay lines and allowed the vendors and casinos to massively increase the jackpots while increasing their profits.
Nowadays, online slots (fruit machines in the UK) also include special bonus rounds such as "Hold n Spin" and "Cascade", in addition to multiple pay-line, video slots and interactive slots games.

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Guide Before Playing Online Slots

Guide Before Playing Online Slots
Online slots have truly become a fast spreading popular casino game on the internet. This fun and easy game is immensely engaging and not mind-numbing with themes that are dynamic and ever changing. The thrill of playing the slot machines was firstly accessible to land-based casinos. Fortunately, the internet has provided a virtual alternative that can provide the same service without the player having to travel at all.
Online slots, along with other online gaming versions, have also gained in popularity among curious and long-time players. When choosing a online casino that offers online slots, it is better to select one that is undeniably legitimate and of good quality. Then, when opting for a bonus, remember to read the fine print before accepting the freebies. For instance, some gaming sites require a specific minimum wager to avail of a bonus.
Do not accept the bonus if the site requires you to bet more than your comfortable level. There are generally two types of slot machines, and these are the progressive and the ordinary slot machines. Classic online slots offer a fixed prize, and progressive online slots offer big, ever-increasing jackpots. Hence, choose which type of slot machines you like. online slots offer bigger chances but the jackpot is significantly smaller.
Progressive online slots often require the maximum bet to win the jackpot, but if you are not interested in betting huge amounts, then you might want to settle with classic online slots. Many casinos offer first time players a guest account, where you can play for free and get a feel for each game. Alternately, you can create a real account and play with real money.
Either way entering the correct details when you register is vitally important as these are what the casino will use to transfer your winnings to you when you play for real. There are a variety of deposit methods available but as many banks are now declining purchases made with credit cards at online casinos, the alternate payment services are often the best. Neteller and Firepay are widely recognized but there are a number of others.
We highly recommend Neteller as it is safe, widely used and many casinos run special promotions if you use it to make deposits. In terms of payment there are usually a wide variety of options available and it's in the interests of each casino to offer a service that is both safe and attractive to you.
Be aware that most major banks will not process credit card transactions that are related to online gambling, however there are a number of online brokers such as PayPal and Neteller who offer the same service. You will also want to familiarize yourself with issues such wire transfer time and what auditing services are available. This can easily be done directly via email or by live chat in the casino itself.
Slots is an affordable game with great payouts. Endless slot machine games are waiting for you to play online with amazing jackpots and prizes. Don't hesitate to enjoy online slots from the comfort of your own home today!

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Fruit Machines and One Arm Bandits - 120 Years of Gambling History

Fruit Machines and One Arm Bandits - 120 Years of Gambling History
Gambling has been around for as long and history has been recorded. There have always been games of chance and the concept of "luck" is not limited to any one culture or peoples. There is record of dice being made as long ago as 3,600 BC. The dice we used today are pretty much the same design as those made about 4,000 years ago. (2,000BC). It is recorded that the Roman emperor Claudius was playing dice and a favourable throw was involved when he took the final decision to re-invade Britain.
Gambling was brought to the US and much of it was based on packs of playing cards and dice. There are many Western movies which feature a card game, more often than not a game of Poker. There is a particularly amusing movie called "Big Deal in Dodge City" which totally revolved around a poker game, but there are many more.
A famous Marshal, 'Wild Bill Hickok' was shot in the back of the head because he sat down with his back to the door for a poker game in a town with the ominous name of Deadwood in what is now South Dakota. His hand of 2 black aces and 2 black 8s is known as a Dead-man's hand.
In 1891 in New York the first actual slot machine was invented. It resembled 3 drums that spun when made to and a manual payout was made to the player if the right numbers came up. The next development was the "Liberty Bell" which was heavy being made out of cast iron but it became popular as it was seen to be more reliable than the first slot machines. Slots History developed from then on.
These became known as 'One arm bandit' for the fact that there was a lever to be pulled to make the reels spin and they also had the ability to rob the player of all his money.
In the UK they became known as fruit machines as they were to be found in many a pub or cafe and the emblems were all Melons and Oranges and Cherries and other Fruit symbols.
In the US things had advanced and there were many variations turning up. The simple ones with three drums were soon superseded with five drums and then there became multiple pay lines. There also started developing multiple machines contributing to a big cumulative Jackpot. To have a chance of winning the big Jackpot one had to play the maximum stake each play, usually 5 lines. In Las Vegas the largest Jackpot ever won was $39,700,000. It wasn't actually paid to him in cash but he receives 25 years of payments of $1.5million each year.
But note that to win on Slot machines the player has to have luck on his side. The percentage that each machine pays out is set by law in each state.
Nowadays virtually all slot machines are in fact electronic using a system of random number generators. This is set as firmware at the factory of manufacture and cannot normally be altered in the casino itself.
Enjoy yourself and do not lose it all.

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Free Play Casinos: As Practice Makes Us Perfect!

Free Play Casinos: As Practice Makes Us Perfect!
It is a fact that practice makes a man perfect and these free play casinos really advocate this theory. The players can indulge in the ecstasy of playing casino games without any qualms of losing money. Luck cannot be the only ruling factor that helps a person win games or helps him make money by betting or gambling. There are many other time tested strategies and tips to be learned before betting with real money.
There are plenty of online casinos which have provisions for novices to enjoy playing in free slot machines. Along with enjoying the fast and thrilling games, the player also gets a rough idea about the machines used and the games played in online casinos. This helps him to polish his gambling abilities and skill. He would feel better equipped to meet the challenges and have a good presence of mind when he plays with valid money in real slot machines.
There are many top ranking casinos which provide provision for the players to download and try their luck by playing entire games using fake money. The experts explain this trend followed by the casinos as to eliminate the fear of people who wish to try out the online games but are in fear of losing money. The players can be assured that there is no risk of losing money but in fact plying free online casino games have multiple benefits.
The players can enjoy learning the modus operandi of playing gambling games as well as enjoy playing different games. The irony is that the different slot machines and games are designed exactly like their real counterparts found in the casinos. This helps the player to get completely acquainted with the different games and slot machines used while playing real games. Depending on the games that hook the interest of the players, they are also granted advice and tips which help them face challenges when they play a valid game using hard earned cash.

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Winning at the Casino - Beating the Slot Machine

Winning at the Casino - Beating the Slot Machine
Whenever you go to a casino, I suggest that you bring along a variety of bills. It would not be wise to bring more money than you can afford to lose. Usually you will be able to play at the slot machines the whole night for just a hundred bucks, or 50% of the time you would break even. Make sure that you do not bring your credit card if you know that you have a hard time leaving the casino again.
The first step to start winning at the slot machines is to find an area with a lot of people playing. You should choose a slot machine that is close to a place where you can buy food or near a change machine. The casino places well-paying "loose" slot machines where a lot of people will see them. Take a $5 bill and put it in the machine. Carefully choose a slot machine that you know how to play - if you are unsure about the winning combinations, these can typically be read directly on the machine.
To win the jackpot you have to play at max credits - which is usually 75 cents. Play your $5 through and count exactly how much money you have been spending. When you have spent a total of $5 you should cash out - if you have more than $5 at the time of cash-out, put the $5 back into the machine and keep the rest. If you have less than $5 you should pick another machine and repeat the same instructions.
The bad-paying and well-paying slot machines are usually located next to each other. Are you not being successful at one machine, the next one is likely going to produce better results. Have an open eye for people who never leave the machine they are playing - they are either waiting for a pay, or they have a loose machine and keep on winning. You would like to try out that machine and see how well it works for you. The most important thing to remember is to only insert the $5 bill into the machine - and I recommend that you place the maximum bet on the first spin, as that is where most jackpots are won.
The percentage of money the machines pay out is determined over a period of time - in other words, a machine has both hot and cold times. When you insert $5 into the machine and don't earn it back, you move on to another machine - no matter how profitable that machine has been for you already. The machine has went from hot to cold, and you can always come back later after someone else has lost their money at it and made it "hot" again.

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The History of the Slot Machine

The History of the Slot Machine
The slot machine, a popular game in casinos, was nicknamed the one armed bandit because it originally started out with a lever that the player pulled to spin the 3 reels within the casing. These reels each had 10 symbols that showed through a display window one symbol of each reel at a time. If 3 identical symbols showed at the same time as a result of one pull of the lever, the player won. The chances of this were slim so more often than not the player lost their money. This contributed to the creation of the nickname.
The very first slot machine, named the Liberty Bell, was created in 1895 by Charles Fey, an immigrant from Germany. The original symbols that were displayed on each reel consisted of playing card suits, a star, a horseshoe and a liberty bell. With the demand for slot machines high, an offer was made to purchase the rights to the production and distribution of these games of chance by a gambling supply company. However, Charles Fey refused to sell so new versions of the Liberty Bell had to be created. One of these new versions was built in 1907 by Herbert Mills and it was called the Operator Bell. He was the first one to use fruit symbols for his slot machine.
Each pull of a lever a player was taking a chance on losing there money so more and more its gambling nature began to cause problems for the manufacturers. Gambling was frowned upon as much as the sale of liquor so these machines became illegal by 1910. Some manufacturers tried to hide the use of these devices by making them seem like vending machines. The Bell- Fruit Company came up with a slot machine that dispensed sticks of gum with every pull of the lever. This didn't work but instead made people view vending machines in a bad way. The anti-gambling views popularity began to be used by politicians to help with their campaign for office way into the thirties. Politicians would be seen smashing these machines to gain votes from those who despised gambling and saw it as criminal act. The famous criminal Bugsy Siegel added to the dislike of slot machines because he purchased a number of them to put into his hotel the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas. He put them into his hotel for a reason though. He was using them to keep the wives and girlfriends busy while their rich husbands gambled within his casino.
By the early 60's slot machines had gone electric and by the 70's microchips were added and the lever was removed by the 80's with more improved microchips that allowed the slot machines to work with just the press of a button.
As time went by the view of gambling with slot machines has improved to some degree with its popularity increasing. In fact, slots have increased in popularity today so much it brings in about 80% of a casino's income.

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What Pigeons Teach Us About Gambling

What Pigeons Teach Us About Gambling
If you've ever wondered about the urge to gamble, some very interesting research has suggested that things might work at a much more primeval level than you may have previously imagined.
The humble pigeon was the focus of this experiment a the University of Kentucky.
In essence, the pigeons were given the chance to play on their own slot machine, with a significant reward to them - food. The pigeons were trained to press one of two keys, which would display different vertical or horizontal lines and colours. The pigeons would then be paid out in food pellets depending on what the display showed.
In essence, without knowing it, the pigeons were playing a slot machine. Only a vertical line and a specific colour would pay out the effective jackpot of 10 pellets. What was discovered was that the pigeons would go for the vertical line, even though a horizontal line in any colour guaranteed three food pellets.
Pigeons and chickens happen to be quite good at associating food with certain patterns.
Most of the pigeons turned out to have degenerate gambling tendencies. They shunned the chance of the guaranteed three pellets to chase the 10. Where this falls down compared to humans is the pigeons may not have known the overall maths, but they were happy to go with nothing for the chance of the big reward.
This shows that the urge to gamble seems to be faulty instinctive, and also that it is helped by the fact there is some kind of pattern to the reward - the pigeons, like people, seem to be attracted by the spinning wheels and the fact they were playing for their reward.
It seems you are not necessarily a bird-brain if you have that urge to enjoy slot machines.

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