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Slot machines
Slot history
The first three reel slot machine, the Liberty Bell, was created by Charles
Fey in 1898. This machine consisted of three reels, each with ten symbols
on it, including one Liberty Bell per wheel. A jackpot of ten nickels was
awarded if three Liberty Bells showed up on the payline. Today all slot machines
more or less still work according to the same principle of the original Liberty
Bell slot machine, except for the fact that all mechanical functions are performed
by a computer.
Slot jackpots and odds
The odds of a mechanical slot machine are completely determined by the number
of reels and symbols on each reel. The odds against hitting the jackpot on
the Liberty Bell are 1,000 to 1, because three reels each with ten symbols
account for 10 x 10 x 10 = 1,000 possible combinations. The number of possible
combinations of a modern computerized slot machine, is programmed into the
software and can be any *very large number* the manufacturer or the casino
wants it to be. This reduces your chances of winning the jackpot considerably.
However, if you *do* hit the jackpot, you may rest assured that it will be
a *little* larger than the original ten nickels Liberty Bell jackpot. For
example, many Microgaming casinos participate
in Major Millions™, the largest progressive jackpot game on the Internet
ever, with a jackpot starting value of $250,000 !
Tip: Except for Boss Media all casino software providers represented
on our site offer many high quality slots. Microgaming
has the largest selection of regular and progressive slots. Playtech
and Cryptologic offer less games,
but what they offer is pretty good too.
How to play a slot machine
A standard slot machine has three vertical reels of which three rows are shown
horizontally. The row in the middle is usually the payline. When you pull
the lever or press the "spin" button, the computer randomly chooses
a combination of symbols from all available possibilities. The computer then
starts the spinning of the reels and stops the reels in such a way that the
randomly chosen combination of symbols is shown on the payline of the slot
machine. In the long run the odds against receiving each combination are determined
by the way the software is configured by the manufacturer and/or the casino.
If the randomly chosen combination appears in the payout table of the slot
machine, you will be paid accordingly. The payout is higher for less probable
combinations of symbols and also depends on the number of coins you bet.
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Slot diagram legend
| A |
payline (middle row) |
| B |
payout table |
| C |
lever (arm) |
| D |
reels |
| E |
play buttons |
| F |
payout for 3 coins played |
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